Jamie Hawkins

"I am a people person and love forging relationships with colleagues, school staff, members of the wider community and customers alike. My role rewards me with the opportunity to engage with a wide range of people and this is something that I thoroughly enjoy.”

Raised in Burntwood, Staffordshire, at 16, following work experience, I joined the Walsall FC Community Programme on a voluntary basis, helping them on Saturdays with coaching sessions and supervising children to attend Walsall FC home games.  After school, I attended Stafford College where I studied Leisure and Tourism. After college, I spent the summer of 2001 working at a summer camp in America. This was followed by travelling from the East coast of America to the West coast in the back of a pick up truck! The journey took us to Niagara Falls, The Grand Canyon and Las Vegas to name but a few and was an incredible experience.

Upon returning from the USA, I began an apprenticeship in coaching at Walsall FC. My first wage was £40 per week! I worked at Walsall FC for almost 10 years in total and left in 2007. Despite Liverpool FC being my boyhood club, I still follow Walsall closely to this day.

My introduction to Community Development came about in 2010 when I secured the role of Assistant Community Development Manager at Willenhall E-Act Academy. I supported an established programme for two years until I became Community Development Manager at The de Ferrers Academy. 

The Trust did not exist at that time and I developed a thriving community programme for the Academy until 2017, when I left to work for a commercial lettings company.

I rejoined the Trust as Trust Lettings Manager in September 2020 with the remit of centralising the Lettings function, developing community engagement with all schools in the Trust and returning a ‘profit’ for our schools to reinvest in facilities. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with more schools and developing a successful Lettings function.

Personally, I have three children whom I am incredibly proud of and enjoy spending time with them and my partner. I am also the Assistant Manager at semi-professional side Chasetown FC and believe that many of the qualities required to be a successful football manager are similar to those required in the workplace.