Quick Facts
VirgoBiography
Victor David Akers, OBE (born 24 August 1946) is a former football player/manager and is currently Assistant Manager at Boreham Wood F.C.. Akers played as a left back. He was also manager of Arsenal Ladies winning numerous trophies with the team. In 1996 Akers became Arsenal's kit manager, a position he left subsequent to the departure of Arsène Wenger in 2018.
Vik Akers is considered the most successful Arsenal manager of all time due to winning numerous trophies (36 in total) from 1993 to 2009.
Playing career
Born in Islington, London, Akers started his career in the youth set-up with Fulham but did not sign a professional contract with the club. He moved into non-league football with Tonbridge Angels (where his consistency at left-back meant that the young Malcolm Macdonald was forced to play as a left-footed right back, before converting to striker when he joined Luton Town.), before signing for Bexley United in May 1969. In July 1971 he signed forCambridge United for £5000, and was part of the side that claimed the club's first promotion season in 1973, from the old Fourth Division. He made 129 league appearances for Cambridge before joining Watford in July 1975 for a fee thought to be either £1000 or £2000. He was an ever-present for the first half of the club's first season back in the Fourth Division after relegation, making 22 league appearances as well as a further 4 in cup competitions. In July 1976 he joined Dartford for free, helping them win the Southern League Cup of 1977. He went on to play for Hayes in 1978, and by October 1980 had joined Slough Town winning a treble of Isthmian League Premier Division, Berks and Bucks Senior Cup and the Isthmian League Cup of 1981. By March 1984 he was playing for Carshalton Athletic where he spent two years at and away from Colston Avenue. Akers then joined Arsenal as the head of the club's community section.
Management career
Akers was appointed head of Arsenal's community section in 1986 and in 1987 founded the Arsenal Ladies team. He managed Arsenal Ladies to every major trophy in English women's football winning the FA Women's Cup eleven times, the FA Women's Premier League Cup ten times and the FA Women's Premier League eleven times. Akers, in so doing, attained five League and FA Women's Cup Doubles and four domestic Trebles. Akers also won the UEFA Women's Cup with Arsenal in 2007, being the first English side to do so. He retired in 2009 from the Arsenal Ladies post having won thirty-two major trophies in total. He is Arsenal's kit manager, where he is assisted by his son Paul.
Akers was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.
He quit Arsenal in May 2018.
In February 2019 Akers joined Boreham Wood as Assistant Manager
Honours
Playing career
- Cambridge United
- Football League Fourth Division, promoted (in 3rd place) to Third Division: 1973
- Dartford
- Southern League Cup: 1977
- Slough Town
- Isthmian League Premier Division: 1981
- Isthmian League Cup: 1981
- Berks and Bucks Senior Cup:1981
Managerial career
- Arsenal Ladies
- UEFA Women's Cup: 2006–07
- FA Women's Premier League: 1992–93, 1994–95, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
- FA Women's Cup: 1992–93, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
- FA Women's Premier League Cup: 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2008–09
- FA Women's Community Shield: 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008
