Police are investigating ANOTHER member of staff at the private academy that employed Jack Peel

Police are investigating another staff member at the private academy that employed Jack Peel, the former Aston Villa women’s manager who resigned after being accused of asking for nude photos of teenage players. sports mail has learned that Staffordshire Police interviewed another manager working at Elite Football Academy after receiving allegations of sexual offences.

The police investigation began in October 2021, shortly after Peel resigned before a formal disciplinary hearing in Villa over allegations that she sent inappropriate messages to several Academy players at the Women’s Super League club.

The investigation is understood to have focused on the Elite Football Academy in Tamworth, although the coach in question was also involved in the professional game and previously worked for two WSL clubs.

Elite Football Academy closed last year but had developed a good reputation in the Midlands for producing talented male and female players.

The company offered specialist one-on-one training and had high-profile clients including Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey and West Bromwich Albion defender Taylor Gardner-Hickman.

Police are investigating another member of the academy who employed Jack Peel (pictured): the former Aston Villa manager has resigned after being accused of sending inappropriate messages to players.

Peel worked at Elite Football Academy and Villa before leaving both organizations in 2021.

Peel worked at Elite while coaching at Villa before leaving both organizations in September 2021.

As Sportsmail revealed yesterday, the 27-year-old was accused of sending inappropriate messages to players aged 16-18 at Villa, allegedly asking the players for nude photos, commenting on their physical appearance and asking them to meet him. . out of football.

Peel strongly denied the allegations to Sportsmail, describing them as “disgusting” and “false”.

Aston Villa manager Carla Ward said yesterday that the protection issues raised by the Peel case needed to be highlighted.

“It’s a really important issue, I also have a daughter,” Ward said. “I am delighted with the way Villa handled it very quickly. These kinds of things need to be highlighted.

The welfare of the players is paramount, the way you take care of your players, as everyone knows, comes first for me. They are people and they have to be people first. It is our duty to take care of them. You can’t let these things slip off the grid.

Villa’s boss, Carla Ward, insisted that protection issues raised by the case need to be highlighted.

Chelsea director Emma Hayes stressed the importance of ensuring that young girls receive the same protection that is provided to male players at the academy.

“What I know is that we have to do everything we can to make sure that the young women we care for receive the right amount of care and attention around protection and well-being,” Hayes said.

‘It should be considered exactly the same as on the children’s side. We have to make sure that the youngster is protected, he is supported, but equally that the staff and people involved in overseeing the affairs are also supported.’