James - Founder & Director

Football has been a part of James's life since the age of five. After progressing through grassroots football, he made his Western League debut for Westbury United at just 16 years old before later representing Devizes Town, Devizes Reserves and Trowbridge Town.

His coaching journey began at the age of 15 as a volunteer with Trowbridge Wanderers, where he discovered a genuine interest in helping young players develop. Over the following decade, he gained experience across grassroots football, schools and private coaching, working with organisations including Active Trowbridge, Future of Football (FOF) and UK International Soccer.

In 2023, he spent time in Southern California delivering coaching through UK International Soccer, working with AYSO programmes, elementary schools and high school players. During the same period, he also volunteered with the Freshman programme at Westcliff University, providing an opportunity to experience a different coaching culture and see first-hand how football programmes are delivered in the United States.

Alongside his practical experience, he completed a BSc (Hons) in Football Studies at Southampton Solent Universitybefore achieving a Master's degree in Sports Business Management at the University of South Wales. He also holds a UEFA C Licence, combining formal coach education with years of experience working with players aged three through to adults.

In January 2024, he founded Premier Performance with a clear objective: to create the type of coaching company he believed players and families deserved. Having worked in a range of coaching environments, he wanted to build a business where sessions were planned around the individual, communication with parents was consistent, and coaches shared the same approach to player development.

Since then, Premier Performance has grown from coaching a single player to working with more than 1,200 players, delivering over 4,400 coaching hours and building a coaching team that has supported players progressing into academy football and the Junior Premier League (JPL).

Away from Premier Performance, he continues to coach as Manager of the Mid Somerset JPL Girls team. One of his proudest coaching achievements came in 2025, when the team reached the final of the Barcelona Girls Cup, narrowly losing to Villarreal CF Academy after competing against academy teams from across Europe.

Today, his role as Director focuses on leading the long-term development of Premier Performance, supporting the coaching team and ensuring the standards that have shaped the business since day one continue as the company grows.