The club can announce that our Director of Grassroots and Development Eray Altinoluk is stepping away from that role at the club.

Eray, who has been associated with Farsley for the last decade, also has a full time job in hospitality, is a lead coach at Robinhood Athletics FC, a talent scout for Leeds United and a community ambassador for the West Riding FA. As well as that, next season he is hoping to move into a management role in senior football. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Eray is finding the increasing workload at Farsley coupled with his other roles too demanding on his time, and has made the decision to focus on achieving his personal goals in the game.

While we are disappointed to lose Eray in that role, he won’t be leaving the club altogether. He will continue to support and assist in the grassroots and development sections if required, and we are extremely proud to announce that he has accepted an offer to become a lifelong honorary Vice President at the club, in recognition of his efforts and commitment over the last ten years.

Eray commented n his time at the club, saying: “My time at club started as a coach for my son’s team and it just grew from there.

“I remember our first training session with just five players, and in a month we had grown it to two full squads! That same team finished last season as winners of the league and the league cup, and to celebrate we ate a cake that we had baked!

“Whilst I have been helping and volunteering at the club I also gained more and more experience on my coaching journey, so I can help more players and coaches develop while always growing and developing myself and my networks to benefit the club.”

He also added: “I’ve had challenging and enjoyable times at Farsley; going from running one team to running the whole development organisation was a big step, but with the support of some fantastic people we have grown our development section and we are where we are now!”

“While it was a difficult decision to step down from that role, I am happy to still be involved with the club in its journey and I am delighted to become a Vice President!”

Club chairman Paul Barthorpe paid tribute to Eray, saying: “Whilst we are disappointed that Eray has stepped away from his current role, I can only support and admire his ambition and drive to develop himself and reach his footballing goals! We are grateful for all the time and effort he has put into the club and the standards he has set.

“We are proud to be a part of Eray’s footballing journey, so when he agreed to continue his support of the development section, and to also accept a role as club Vice President, we were delighted! This is richly deserved, as he is not only a credit to himself but also to us as a club, and has always been a good friend and shoulder to lean on for me when I have needed one!

“Thank you for all you have done in your old role, congratulations on your new one, and we look forward to seeing where your journey will take you next!”

We will be announcing Eray’s successor as the head of the development section in due course.