AFC St Austell have announced that Chris Knight and Olly Brokenshire are to be joint managers for the club’s return to the South West Peninsula League next season.

Knight was the manager who led the Lillywhites to the SWPL Premier West title and promotion in 2023-24 while Brokenshire was a popular and long-serving former player.

Knight said: “We can’t wait to get started and help move this club forward again.

“There’s a lot of pride around AFC St Austell and we want to build something supporters can really get behind.”

Brokenshire said: “The chance to be part of this next chapter at Poltair was one we were really excited about.

“There’s a lot of potential here and we’re looking forward to the challenge ahead.”

He added: “The opportunity to come back to Poltair with Chris and help turn things around was too good to miss. Let’s push the club back to where it belongs.”

Also on Friday, Cornwall College Group announced a new multi-year sponsorship and community partnership with AFC St Austell, saying it is ‘supporting the club as it enters an exciting new chapter both on and off the pitch’.

It went on: “The partnership reflects Cornwall College Group’s continued commitment to enriching communities and driving ambition in towns across Cornwall.

“As part of the new partnership, AFC St Austell will return to Poltair Park for the upcoming season, with further developments and community initiatives expected to be announced in the coming months.”

Cornwall College CEO Rob Bosworth said: “Our core strategic purpose is enriching the communities we serve as we aspire to be a great college for Cornwall’s towns.

“We are proud to support AFC St Austell through this new partnership, which reflects our role as a place-based community college group deeply connected to the town and people around us.

“Football clubs play an important role in bringing communities together, creating pride, aspiration and opportunity across generations.

“Supporting AFC St Austell is about more than sponsorship, it is about investing in community wellbeing, local identity and positive futures for young people and residents in St Austell.”

Chris Knight said: “This partnership is an opportunity too good to turn down and, after an uncertain period, I’m delighted the club is now in a good place for the future.

“We have a lot of work to do in the local and wider community to get ourselves back on the map, and it’s a challenge we are all ready for.”

Further announcements regarding the partnership and wider community initiatives with AFC St Austell are expected in the coming weeks.