Blackpool announce two new appointments from Coventry City with John Stephenson set to depart

Stephenson, who has held the role of Blackpool’s head of football operations since 2020, is to leave the club in March.

In his place comes Chris Badlan as a sporting director and Stuart Benthom as chief scout, with both making the move to Bloomfield Road from Coventry City.

Working closely with head coach Michael Appleton and reporting directly to the board, Badlan will “manage the sporting and performance departments at the club”, including the support staff around the first-team, development squad and academy.

“The appointment of a sporting director comes after John Stephenson indicated at the beginning of September that he would be stepping down from his role as head of football operations in March,” the club said in a statement.

“The board and everyone at the club would like to thank John for the significant contribution he has made during his time at Bloomfield Road and wish him all the very best for the future.”

The Seasiders say Badlan, 39, boasts a “strong network of contacts both here in the UK and overseas”.

Holding the title of head of recruitment at Coventry, he helped support Mark Robins during a period of great success for the Sky Blues, winning two promotions and since acclimatising well to the Championship.

The club say Badlan will become responsible for Blackpool’s “overarching sporting strategy, football development and recruitment”.

“I am excited to welcome Chris to Blackpool Football Club,” owner Simon Sadler said.

“We ran a comprehensive process with the help of leading recruiters, Nolan & Partners, to ensure we identified the very best candidates.

“The quality of applicant was very high and for me, this reflects how the club has progressed across the three pillars of coaching, recruitment and academy.

“Chris’ work at Coventry is impressive and something many have admired from afar.

“As a board, it quickly became apparent that Chris was the right person to take us forward and to bring the football departments together.

“I am looking forward to him joining us as sporting director and working with him to continue to build a club for us all to be proud of.”

Badlan added: “It’s a pleasure and an honour to be joining Blackpool at this exciting time for the club.

“Since I met Simon, Brett (Gerrity) and Ben (Mansford) and they explained the vision here at Blackpool, I was intrigued and wanted to be part of it.

“To help build a footballing strategy for the long-term future and success of this football club is something that really excites me, and I can’t wait to get started and work closely with Michael and the rest of the staff.”

Badlan previously worked under the likes of Kevin Thelwell and Stuart Webber at Wolves, playing a key role in setting up their data department as well as identifying emerging talent.

His work at Molineux saw him reunite with Stuart Webber at Norwich City, taking up the role of head of European scouting in 2017 to lead the Canaries’ international recruitment strategy.