Newcastle United Performance Director updates on what is now happening | OneFootball

It is just over a year ago that Newcastle United announced James Bunce had joined the club, as Performance Director.

That announcement (see below) on 12 July 2024 swiftly following on from the arrival of Paul Mitchell as the new Newcastle United Sporting Director.

James Bunce clearly a Paul Mitchell appointment, with the pair being close friends and working partners, who had worked together previously, most notably at AS Monaco.

When appointed last July, James Bunce explained his new role at Newcastle United; “I am proud and excited to join such an historic and ambitious club as its new performance director. Newcastle United and the city are going through an exciting time of growth and development and I cannot wait to start contributing to the club’s future successes. My role will be to ensure that we push in every area of performance and medicine to optimise the health, fitness and wellbeing of players, ultimately ensuring they are available to perform at the highest level, week in week out.”

I think that when any of these type of appointments are made, there is always understandably scepticism as to exactly what exactly they will do in their new role(s), plus how easily will it be to measure how positive their contribution has been. An added level of scepticism (cynicism?) as well, when it looks like it could be a jobs for the boys type of situation, Paul Mitchell bringing in his mate.

A year on and certainly the appointment of James Bunce doesn’t appear to have done any harm, indeed, quite the opposite.

Eddie Howe has often spoke very positively about James Bunce and whilst it is always difficult to know exactly how to apportion credit for something like this, I think for sure that when it comes to players ruled out through injury, it definitely appears to be the case that the Performance Director helped United on that front last season, far less days lost to injury than the 2023/24 season.

With Paul Mitchell leaving after less than a year at Newcastle United, I think many fans wondered whether this would mean James Bunce (pictured here on the left of Mitchell) automatically following him.

However, that appears to be anything but the case.

Instead, Newcastle United Performance Director, James Bunce, talking to official club media out in Austria and listening to him, sounds like he is loving it at NUFC as he details what is happening now, ahead of the new season – 16 July 2025:

“This is week two for us in pre-season.

“So first week is kind of like at the training ground usually. As you saw, we played Carlisle at the end of the week. Just getting the lads moving again. So they’ve had a nice well deserved break, some more longer than others.

“Here in Austria, Austria’s a famous place to come for pre-season.

“One, because of the natural beauty.

“Very good secluded location allows us to have a lot of time together in privacy.

“I’d like to say nice weather but it’s very much like Newcastle weather at the moment! But the lads will appreciate that from the warm climate we’ve had.

“It allows us to have a lot of time together, we have got new players, new staff in with us.

“Allows that time for bonding, allows us time to go through all the stuff that isn’t only on the pitch, but it’s off the pitch, the team building, the connectivity.

“Taking a lot of time in meetings to start work on the tactical preparation for what is obviously going to be a massive season for us.

“And then obviously the work on the pitch is a foundation of what we’ve got to deliver.

“So starting to build the intensity as we head through this week and obviously end with a massive game at Celtic Park on the weekend.”

Newcastle United official announcement – 12 July 2024:

Newcastle United are delighted to announce that James Bunce has joined the club as performance director.

James has operated across clubs, leagues and federations during a 17-year career in professional sport, gaining a wealth of experience at organisations in England, the United States and Europe.

Reporting into new sporting director Paul Mitchell, he will be a key support to the club’s performance, medical, sports science, nutrition and psychology teams, helping to drive an elite performance culture and cohesive approach across the men’s first team, Academy and Newcastle United Women.

Starting out at Southampton in 2007, James oversaw the physical development of players at St Mary’s for seven years, becoming head of athletic development as the Saints rose from League One to compete in the Premier League.

He subsequently joined the Premier League as its head of elite performance, supporting all clubs in the development of performance and medical standards, including multi-club projects such as league-wide injury surveillance and monitoring.

James crossed the Atlantic to become US Soccer’s first ever director of high performance in 2017, driving new standards across all 21 of the United States’ national men’s and women’s teams.

In 2020, he returned to Europe to join Paul Mitchell at AS Monaco, becoming the club’s director of performance.

There, James oversaw a modern, multi-faceted performance department, with the core objective of enabling high performing athletic players to play high intensity football over consecutive games while maintaining a low injury record.

James said: “I am proud and excited to join such an historic and ambitious club as its new performance director.

“Newcastle United and the city are going through an exciting time of growth and development and I cannot wait to start contributing to the club’s future successes.

“My role will be to ensure that we push in every area of performance and medicine to optimise the health, fitness and wellbeing of players, ultimately ensuring they are available to perform at the highest level, week in week out.”

Darren Eales, Newcastle United’s CEO, said: “James is an accomplished and innovative performance director and we are delighted he has chosen to join us.

“He has dedicated his career to helping players to be at their optimum levels, bringing a range of departments and services together to provide the best possible foundations for elite performance.