Charlie Jackson

International Football Advisor

Charlie Jackson serves as Catena FC's International Football Advisor, providing strategic guidance informed by decades of experience across elite football environments in Europe and the United States. His international perspective helps connect the club to the standards, expectations, and opportunities that exist throughout the global game.​

​

A UEFA-qualified coach with experience at some of the highest levels of the game, Charlie has worked throughout Europe with organizations including Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Ajax, and the Scottish Football Association. His background spans elite academy development, advanced technical training, coach education, and player identification.

​

Charlie’s professional journey began in 2000 when he was identified by a Manchester United talent scout and invited to join the club’s coaching staff, where he worked alongside renowned coaches such as Rene Meulensteen. After five years with United, he joined Blackburn Rovers as the club’s Advance Technical Skills Coach, where he began developing the conceptual framework that would later become the Matrix Soccer Academy methodology.

​

In 2005, Charlie was selected by UEFA Training Ground’s Peter Sanderson to participate in UEFA’s grassroots coaching initiative, contributing to a landmark coaching project featuring figures such as Marcello Lippi, Roy Hodgson, Juan Román Riquelme, Diego Forlán, and Benni McCarthy.

​

Charlie later joined Manchester City in 2011 as part of the club’s elite development structure, where he continues to contribute to academy player development and talent identification. In 2013, he was invited to assist the Scottish Football Association in developing performance coaches and aspiring international players through the application of Matrix training principles.

​

In addition to his professional academy work, Charlie co-founded Matrix Soccer Academy in 2006 alongside entrepreneur Tahir Khan with the goal of reshaping player development from grassroots through the professional ranks. Through Matrix, he has influenced players who have progressed into professional academies, international pathways, and senior football environments across multiple countries.

​

Charlie has also served as Football Academy Director at Moorland School in Lancashire, England, where his Matrix-based methodology has helped produce academy and professional players while leading the school to multiple national and county titles.

​

Most recently, Charlie joined Westholme School in Lancashire, England as the school’s Head Football Coach, where he is leading the continued development of the institution’s football program as part of a broader strategic investment in elite player development. In this role, he works across all age groups while helping create pathways that connect grassroots participation with high-performance football environments.

​

At Catena FC, Charlie works to leverage his ongoing experience across elite football environments including Manchester City, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Ajax, UEFA initiatives, the Scottish FA, his current leadership role at Westholme School in England, and a global network of football relationships developed over decades within the game.