Orlando Pirates to announce Swansea City official as new goalkeeper-coach

The head of the Swansea City academy's goalkeeping department‚ Andrew Sparkes‚ is leaving the UK Championship side to join Orlando Pirates as their goalkeeper-coach‚ according to Swansea’s website.

Sparkes is apparently set to replace last season’s goalkeeper-coach at Pirates‚ Ivica Vukusic.

A report on swanseacity.com stated: “Sparkes departs the Liberty having spent six years in the academy‚ where he worked with the under-23s and under-18s as well as the club’s younger keepers.

“His new role will be as first-team goalkeeping coach with the Pirates‚ one of the biggest clubs in South Africa.”

Sparkes took to his Twitter account on Friday.

Sparkes joined Swansea from the New York Red Bulls in 2012‚ where he had been the under-23 goalkeeper-coach and head of academy goalkeeping for six years.

He was Red Bull Salzburg’s Under-18 goalkeeper-coach for a year before that.

According to his personal website: “Andrew is currently on his Uefa A Goalkeeper Licence and holds his Uefa B Goalkeeper Licence [and] Uefa B Licence.

“While working in America‚ Andrew completed the top two goalkeeping licences in the United States; the USSF National Goalkeeper License and the NSCAA Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma. Sparkes was also a National Goalkeeper Instructor for the NSCAA.”