We pride ourselves in the coaches at the club, who want to develop our Juniors to their maximum potential. Meet our current crop of qualified coaches:

Matt Chart - Head of Coaching
Qualified to: UEFA A Licence, Advanced Youth Award and Futsal Level 2,
Matt joined the club in 2020 and has established himself as an extremely valued and respected member of our coaching team. Matt brings a high level of knowledge, expertise and professionalism to everything he does. His coaching background is particularly strong in player development and the youth game. Prior to joining the club, Matt spent three years as Lead Foundation Phase Coach at Northampton Town’s Academy, where he gained valuable experience working within a professional academy environment and developing young players at the crucial foundation stage of their football journey. He has also held coaching roles across several age groups at MK Dons, further broadening his experience and understanding of player development at different stages. Since joining the club, Matt has continued to demonstrate his versatility and commitment by working across a number of age groups. His willingness to contribute wherever he is needed, combined with his enthusiasm for developing players and coaches, has made him an important part of our football programme. His contribution has also extended beyond the youth section, with Matt being part of the first-team coaching staff this season.

Favourite Team: Manchester United

Steve Grenfell
Qualified to: UEFA B License (FA Level 3)
Experience: Steve played professionally for a number of years for Tottenham Hotspur and Colchester United as well as in the higher levels of non-league football. Coaching-wise, Steve has been involved for many years at Lions in the first team and more recently with the Juniors as well. He previously worked for 10 years at the Tottenham Hotspur academy, and also coached the Over 45s team at the 2017 Maccabiah Games.

Favourite team: Tottenham Hotspur

Darren Yarlett
Darren joined Maccabi London Lions in 2009 as a coach and has since become a long-standing member of the club’s coaching setup. Darren has been involved in many different cycles of the 1st Team and has played a key role in the club’s journey from Step 7 all the way through to Step 4 of the English football pyramid. Along the way, he has helped the club achieve numerous successes, winning multiple league and cup trophies and contributing to some of the most memorable periods in London Lions’ history. Darren has also dedicated the last seven to eight years to coaching within the club’s youth section, helping to develop the next generation of Lions players. One of his proudest coaching achievements came two seasons ago when he coached the Under-14 EJA side to an unbeaten league season never previously been accomplished by a Lions team.

Favourite team: Tottenham Hotspur

Lorenc Dedja
Qualified to: UEFA B License, Futsal level 2, FA Youth modules
Having joined Lions in 2015 it was clear from an early stage that the players in the junior teams warmed to him and his coaching. After working in the Harrow League for some years he joined Lions, and has made himself an integral part of the coaching squad. Lorenc also worked at Watford Academy for 2 years and is currently a freelance scout for them.

Favourite team: Liverpool

Adie Creamer - Goalkeeping Coach
Qualified to: UEFA A License
Experience: After playing for many years in non-league football, Adie has found himself in some varied coaching roles; including being 12 years as Watford’s lead academy goalkeeper coach. Most interestingly, Adie helped Guam achieve their highest ever FIFA rankings during his three year stint as assistant head coach, including beating India in the World Cup qualifiers.

Valentine Mbewe
Qualified to: UEFA B License
Val has 18 years of experience coaching football in the USA, UK college football and youth and senior semi-professional football clubs. Valentine has been involved with the Lions youth section for many years. Val also has 10 years of experience working within the professional academy game, most recently with MK Dons and Arsenal.

Favourite team : Arsenal

Richard Jaye
Qualified to: Level 2
Having spent over 30 years as a football referee in the professional and semi-professional game, he now brings that wealth of experience to coaching. Additionally he manages the highly successful U12 Whites team while also supporting and coaching several of the club’s other junior teams. You’ll often find Richard at Rowley Lane on a Sunday, either refereeing or sharing his knowledge and advice with the younger players. His experience, enthusiasm and willingness to support the next generation make him a valued member of the coaching team.

Favourite team: Watford

Milton Thake
Qualified to: Level 1
After playing football for most of his life, Milton has gone on to coach kids football for the last 25 years. Milton joined Lions 5 years ago and has coached the girls and boys all the way from under 9s to under 16s. Milton firmly believes in the ethos of Lions and that team work yields results if the hard work and training are put in. Milton is very proud to be associated with Lions.

Favourite team: Arsenal

Jack Gordon
Qualified to: UEFA C License, UEFA C GK License
In 2024 while studying Football Coaching and Talent Development at UCFB, Jack joined Lions and has since coached every age from U7-U18 at the club across both boys and girls football. Before his time at Lions he played semi-professionally in South London and completed his UEFA C License at 17.

Favourite team: Newcastle United