Rayhan Noor has taken up the role of West Ham Women U18s assistant manager and is expected in the dugout for Sunday’s trip to play the London City Lionesses Development side.
East Londoner Noor is part of a highly-rated group of aspiring coaches from diverse ethnic backgrounds working across West Ham United – with fellow South Asian heritage coach Mo Ali also making big strides working at the club’s famous ‘Academy of Football’ under the tutelage of academy director Ricky Martin and his assistant Kalam Mooniaruck.
Former club striker Carlton Cole also coaches at the academy, while long-serving UEFA A Licence coach Stephen Opoka is in charge of the women’s U21 side, and is the only Women’s Super League academy manager from a diverse ethnic background.
British-Bangladeshi Noor is expected to get opportunities this season to work alongside Opoka and the U21 squad, which feeds directly into West Ham’s WSL first-team.
The 23-year-old, who is from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, is a UEFA B Licence candidate and holds an FA Level 2 talent identification qualification.