As the resident Manchester City Football School coach, Dan brings a lifelong passion for sport, especially football, to everything he does. Football has always been at the centre of his life, shaping his hobbies, interests, and ambitions. The Manchester City Football School program at Dwight School Hanoi is completely unique in Vietnam and one of only a handful across Asia, offering an exceptional opportunity for our students and wider community.

For Dan, working with Manchester City Football School and leading Dwight School Hanoi students to Manchester last year was a defining moment in his career. It highlighted not only the incredible potential of this partnership for our students and school, but also the ways in which it continues to inspire his own growth as a coach.

Dan’s Teaching Journey

Nerve-wracking. Exciting. Filled with self-doubt yet highly motivated.
These were the feelings that shaped Dan’s early teaching experiences. He always knew he wanted to work with children, teaching felt like the clearest way to give back the knowledge and guidance he had received growing up.

Dan spent 9 years in the classroom as a teacher before moving full-time into coaching, where he has now been for the past three years. For him, it’s all part of the same journey: helping young people grow in confidence, character, and skill, whether on the pitch or in the classroom.

Coaching with Purpose and Personalization

For Dan, the greatest reward in coaching is seeing students smile when all his planning and preparation come together. These moments often happen in small, everyday ways, but every so often he catches an entire class or team riding the same wave of excitement, discovering something new, mastering a challenge, or connecting deeply with an activity. Those, for him, are the real wins.

Personalized learning is central to the way Dan coaches. He looks carefully at each student’s needs and finds ways to support their growth within group activities, for example, asking a player to use only their left foot during a practice. These simple adjustments create space for individual progress while keeping the whole group engaged, challenged, and thriving together.

Facilities & Program Strengths

Without a doubt, Dan sees the sports field, with the campus as a backdrop, as one of Dwight School Hanoi’s strongest assets. “Coaching on our pitch with the campus in the background is pretty special. The setting is so striking that visiting teams actually look forward to coming here just to experience it.”

This unique environment is matched by the strength of the Manchester City program he helps lead, which is extensive and progressive, spanning ECD through Grade 11. For many students, it is their first experience of truly high-calibre coaching.