Houston Dynamo FC has expanded the club’s technical staff with the addition of Ben Bartlett as the first Director of Methodology in Club history. Bartlett will work directly with general manager Pat Onstad and technical director Asher Mendelsohn to develop and implement the club’s soccer identity.
“Ben brings valuable experience in developing and implementing a game model in a club recently promoted to one of the most competitive soccer leagues in the world and was a key contributor to the evolution of coaching education efforts for the English FA,” Onstad said. “He shares our values in playing a proactive, physically-demanding, and youthful style of play – and we are excited to work with him to develop our club’s soccer identity in the coming seasons. We are excited to welcome Ben and his family to the Dynamo and the city of Houston.”
Bartlett brings more than two decades of experience in player and coaching development at the club and international level. The 46-year-old spent the last four years as the Head of Coaching for Fulham Football Club. In this role, Bartlett worked with coaches and performance staff to create, execute and review tailored development programs for players to transition and thrive in a competitive environment at the highest level of the sport.
“This is an exciting opportunity to join an ambitious project led by Pat and Asher with the support of club ownership,” Bartlett said. “I look forward to collaborating with the technical staff to develop and implement an identity that resonates with our fans and the entire club. The club is truly committed to establishing a top-tier structure and I am thrilled to play a role in this process in a city like Houston.”
Bartlett spent 12 years at The Football Association as a senior coach developer where the team developed a new coaching education pathway and established a national framework for coaches to implement an individualized and responsive approach to player development. In this role, Bartlett worked with professional clubs and national coaches to transition to a holistic and learning focused approach.
The London native spent two years as the General Manager and Director of Coaching for Chelsea Football Club Women prior to joining The Football Association. This was a critical moment for the club as they transitioned to a new facility, expanded their recruiting efforts and increased the number of players graduating from the youth setup to the first team.
Bartlett began his coaching and administrative career in 1995 as a Football Development Manager and assistant CEO at Colchester United FC. Under his leadership the club created a Centre of Excellence, which developed players who represented the club internationally and in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Bartlett holds a UEFA Pro License and earned his MSc from Leeds University. He is also the author of Constraining Football and Connected Coaching, which encourages coaches to connect the decisions they make about how to play soccer with their environment, moving towards a coherent and collaborative coaching approach.
