Birmingham City have added the vastly experienced Scott Sellars to their academy leadership team10:57, 27 Jun 2026Updated 11:06, 27 Jun 2026Scott Sellars has taken charge of Birmingham City’s under-21s (Image: BCFC)Scott Sellars has performed something of a career U-turn to join Birmingham City.The 60-year-old swapped his studs for suits seven years ago when he moved upstairs at Wolverhampton Wanderers to become their academy manager, before graduating to technical director in 2021 – a position he held for almost two years.He landed another leadership role with Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates in 2024, replacing Mike Rigg – Blues’ academy technical director and Sellars’ old boss at Manchester City – in a sporting director job.Sellars hasn’t held a coaching position since moving away from Wolves’ under-21s in 2018.FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK! All the latest Blues news on Birmingham Live’s Birmingham City FC Facebook pageWhile his brief as Senior Pathway to Professional and Under-21s Coach is far more than just coaching, Blues have offered Sellars the chance to do what he loves once again.Explaining his decision to join the club’s academy, Sellars told Blues TV: “Looking from the outside at the project that’s going on here, it’s something that’s really exciting and you can see there’s a lot of focus on trying to grow the club.”From a personal point of view, I wanted to go back into coaching and developing having been in more leadership roles in the past. That’s where my passion is, seeing young players develop and have a career as I did myself.”Blues’ academy has been a major talking point amongst supporters following a rough first season back at Category One level.There has been investment in facilities from Knighthead, but Blues’ under-21s and under-18s have found the going tough up against Premier League teenagers.The U21s finished 27th out of 29 clubs in Premier League 2 and the U18s finished 14th in their 15-team league.Blues’ West Midlands rivals are still harvesting the best talent in the region and the pathway to first team football at St Andrew’s has never been more crowded.Chris Davies hasn’t handed an academy graduate league minutes in each of the last two seasons.Sellars is determined to change that.“Training with the first team is a great avenue to look at,” he explained. “We can look at them and see where they’re at. That’s a fantastic opportunity for them to learn, to see really good players, how they train, how they behave and what they eat.“If we do have an elite player then we have to push, but we also have to understand that Chris’s job is to win three points on a Saturday and his focus will be on that. It’s about building relationships and understanding the position.“It has to be looked at as a long-term role. Getting players into the first team is what all academies should be judged on really. Trying to recognise who those elite players are and push them through, and try and guide them to the first team, is what I will always judge myself on.”Blues have also appointed ex-midfielder Darren Carter as loans manager to start forging relationships with clubs that allow youngsters to take their first steps in the professional game.Rather than keep Blues’ best youngsters in the U21s, Sellars is keen to see them spread their wings – but only in the right first team environment.“For every football player, getting to the first team is your hardest part. I think identifying your real elite players is important but making sure all the players are supported to be successful in whatever they do.“The jump from 21s football to Championship is very difficult. Unless you’re exceptional physically, the demands, the pressures… Sometimes boys can have a lifespan of 21s football and they need to experience playing competitive football.“Myself and Darren will be speaking to local clubs to try and build up good relationships, recognising where the players will fit into their styles of play and most importantly that the clubs want and will look after the players. The selection of clubs you loan out to is just as important as well.”How to follow our Birmingham City coverageAlex Dicken, Birmingham City writerWith the transfer window now open, our BirminghamLive Blues writers Alex Dicken and Brian Dick – will be bringing you the news as it happens and giving their opinions on the stories that matter.Sign up for our free Blues newsletter hereYou can follow Alex on X here and Brian here – and when the season starts they will follow Blues around the country to offer you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.WhatsApp: You can also get all your favourite content from BirminghamLive’s Blues team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories and insight from in and around the club.Social Media: You can also get all the latest updates by following us on Facebook and Twitter.If you prefer reading our Blues stories on your phone, consider downloading the BirminghamLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Villa as one of your designated topics. 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Scott Sellars explains U-turn at Birmingham City and when he plans to ‘push’
