Hooper spent the last six seasons with Aston Villa and joins Head Coach Dean Smith’s coaching staff
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Thursday, April 2, 2026) – Charlotte FC announced today the Club has named Karl Hooper as a First Team Assistant Coach under Head Coach Dean Smith. Hooper will focus on the Club’s set pieces and individual development plans for players.
“Karl is a great addition to Dean’s staff having extensive knowledge in both developing young players and game-planning set pieces,” said General Manager Zoran Krneta. “We are excited to continue to add quality coaches to our organization, and with over 15 years of experience coaching in Europe, Karl is a great compliment to our existing technical staff.”
Hooper spent the last six seasons with Aston Villa, including the last five-plus as Villa’s Assistant Under-21 and Professional Development Phase coach. During that time, he worked closely with Unai Emery and the coaching staff to align playing styles, individual player pathways and set pieces. The Birmingham, England native also worked within the professional development phase to aid the development of individuals, units and teams of the Under-18 and Under-21 squads.
Hooper began his coaching career at Birmingham City FC in October of 2010 as an academy coach. He quickly rose within the organization to become the Professional Development Phase coach. His role as the professional development coach included overseeing individual development plans for Under-18 players, providing coach education and evaluation to youth development and foundation phase coaches. Hooper spent seven years working in this part of the organization.
Hooper holds a UEFA A License and a FA Advanced Youth Award.
