Gloucestershire appoint Steve Snell as performance director

Snell, a former wicketkeeper-batter, played for Gloucestershire between 2004 and 2010, making 82 appearances across all formats and scoring 2,183 runs

Gloucestershire have appointed Steve Snell as the club’s inaugural performance director.

The 38-year-old, a former wicketkeeper-batter, will take up the position in December 2021 and lead the club’s cricket department. He will be responsible for delivering on-field success as well as overseeing talent identification and development of the science and medicine team, and the performance management of talent pathways and elite squads.

He will also work alongside the club’s new head coach (yet to be appointed) with the aim of delivering a white-ball trophy by 2023 and the County Championship by 2025.

Prior to joining Gloucestershire, Snell enjoyed a three-year spell as Somerset’s academy director.

As a player, he made 82 appearances for Gloucestershire between 2004 and 2010, scoring 2,183 runs across all formats.

^{Snell (right) representing Gloucestershire in 2009}

Commenting on his return to Gloucestershire, Snell said: "I am hugely excited about this opportunity and I am delighted to be joining a club with ambitious plans and an extremely talented playing squad and staff.

"We have an experienced core group of players which will be looking to build on the 2021 season. Will Brown and the board have made some exciting additions to the squad that I’m confident will help to push the club further forward, and that the supporters will continue to enjoy watching and cheering on.

"Gloucestershire is a club that’s rich in tradition but is also an organisation that has exciting points of difference. It’s imperative that we respect the tradition and culture of the club but we also develop our ability to innovate, prepare and develop a cricket team that can achieve sustained success on the field."

The club’s chief executive, Will Brown, added: "We’re thrilled to have Steve onboard who, with his knowledge and experience of cricket, can help take the club to the next level both on and off the field. In particular the work Steve has done at Somerset in developing outstanding young playing talent shone through. We have always prided ourselves at Gloucestershire on our homegrown talent and Steve will be able to strengthen this area for our ambitious young cricketers.

"We want to win trophies and I’m confident that Steve, working alongside our talented playing and coaching squad, will help us to achieve sustainable success. This is an incredibly exciting time to be a part of Gloucestershire Cricket, we’re a club on the up and we’re looking forward to the challenge of playing in Division One of the County Championship next season."