Born: 22 November 1983, Yeovil, Somerset, England

Kalam Mooniaruck is the Academy of Football’s Head of Coaching and Player Development.

Born and raised in England with Mauritian heritage – Mauritius an island country in the Indian Ocean, about 1,100 nautical miles off the southeastern coast of East Africa – Mooniaruck was identified as a talented young player, scouted and signed by Manchester United.

The winger departed Manchester United in 2002, aged 19, having been capped by England U17s and U202. However, while playing in non-league for a few seasons and being capped twice by Mauritius at senior level, Mooniaruck developed his passion for coaching.

In 2005, through contacts he had made at Manchester United, he joined the David Beckham Academy, before moving to The Football Association in 2009. He spent nearly a decade at The FA, working his way up to the role of Youth Coach Educator, helping youth coaches at professional clubs all over the country to develop their own skills, which they would then use to improve their coaching of promising young players.

In October 2018, Mooniaruck joined West Ham as Head of Academy Coach Development, before being promoted to his current role in July 2024.

As Head of Coaching and Player Development, his role includes promoting inclusive coaching practices and mentoring the Club’s Academy coaches and players, with the ultimate aim of supporting and enhancing their performances on the pitch, in training, in the classroom and in all aspects of their lives, inside and outside the Club.

Mooniaruck has played an integral role in implementing a sustainable EDI strategy and translating that strategy into operational actions, including recruitment, mentorship and delivery, yielding measurable and beneficial results for the Academy of Football and its staff and players and their families. 

His inclusive approach has helped the Academy to recruit talent from a wide variety of communities, backgrounds and circumstances, helped them to perform and flourish in their environment, and provided sustainable pathways for players and coaches from across the Academy and West Ham United Foundation.

As a senior Academy coach himself, he has also been instrumental in supporting the Club’s Link Mentoring Programme, providing professional development training for British South Asian coaches and a pathway for young players at local grassroots clubs.