On Saturday afternoon, the FAI announced that McCarthy would be replaced by Under-21 manager Stephen Kenny with immediate effect.

Speaking to FAI TV after the announcement, the former Ireland manager said his departure "was brought forward, with what's happening worldwide", due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite leading the team through the European Qualifiers, McCarthy said the chance not to lead the team to the European Championships next summer was "hugely disappointing, but I fully understand it."

Stephen Kenny takes charge of the team now ahead of the Play-Off against Slovakia and he has the full support of his predecessor.

"I fully support the decision. It's only right and fair that Stephen gets his chance on August 1st."

With four games set to take place in Dublin in 2021 for the European Championships, McCarthy plans to watch Ireland in those games.

"I said to Roy [Barrett] that the only thing I'd ask for when leaving is a couple of tickets for next EUROs when we qualify."

Jim Crawford has been promoted to manager of the Ireland Under-21 side and will be assisted by John O’Shea.

Keith Andrews joins new manager Stephen Kenny in making the move from the Under-21 set-up while Duff has earned his coaching stripes with Shamrock Rovers and Glasgow Celtic and will take up his appointment on August 1st.

Alan Kelly continues as goalkeeping coach, having worked previously in the role with Stephen Staunton, Giovanni Trapattoni and Mick McCarthy.

Jim Crawford has worked as Stephen Kenny’s assistant manager to the Ireland Under-21 side in their European Championship campaign and will be joined in his new position by Waterford native John O’Shea, currently on the coaching staff at Reading.

“The calibre of Stephen Kenny’s backroom team is top class and these are great additions to our senior team coaching staff,” said FAI Interim CEO Gary Owens as he confirmed the appointments to FAI.ie.

“Keith and Damien served Ireland so well as players and their experience will be such an addition to our senior squad’s support team.

“Keith and Stephen have worked brilliantly together with the Under-21 squad and Damien, currently finishing his UEFA Pro Licence with the FAI’s Coach Education department, has impressed everyone with his coaching skills and his switch from world class player to coach.

“Alan knows international football inside and was part of the squad at two World Cup finals. He is highly regarded as a coach with Premier League side Everton and has huge experience with Ireland.

"Together, Keith, Damien and Alan have so much to offer Stephen and his players as we look forward to the UEFA EURO 2020 Play-Offs, the Nations League and the World Cup qualifiers.”

Jim Crawford and John O’Shea will now look to build on Ireland’s positive start under Stephen Kenny in their bid to make the UEFA Under-21 European Championship finals for the first time.

“Everyone at the FAI is delighted with Jim’s promotion to manager from assistant and he has a great number two now in John O’Shea as he takes the next step on his coaching career,” added Owens. 

“On behalf of President Gerry McAnaney, the Board of the FAI and myself, I wish Stephen, Jim and their coaching teams the very best of luck in their new roles. We know they will do Irish football proud”. 

Speaking to FAI TV, after Stephen Kenny was announced as the new Republic of Ireland manager, Owens revealed he hoped the new manager and his backroom team will have plenty of time with his new squad before the Bratislava tie.

"I'd like the Play-Off as late as we can", Owens revealed. "We have been trying to get the Play-Off in the November series, rather than in September or October. That would give Stephen and his team the chance to play some friendlies and Nations League matches in advance of the Play-Off.

"It's going to be a very busy and exciting time. You're going to have nine matches in the Autumn, followed by the World Cup [Qualifiers] next year."

Owens also paid tribute to Mick McCarthy after his second spell in charge of the Republic of Ireland Senior Men's team.

"In the short time I have worked with him, I found him to be extremely professional. In loads of ways, I'm sorry I'm not going to be working with him in the future. It's Stephen's time, and we need to get right behind him and his new team."

In his first interview since replacing McCarthy as manager of the Senior Men's team, Kenny said an "unprecedented" year awaits his side.

"You've got the EURO Play-Off against Slovakia of course. We've got six games in the Nations League and also World Cup Qualifiers to come," Kenny told FAI TV.

Keith Andrews, Damien Duff and Alan Kelly were all confirmed earlier today as Kenny's coaching team, and he is delighted they have come on board.

Having worked with Andrews with the Under-21s, Kenny cited the "great rapport" between the two. He also singled out Damien Duff's "very high work ethic", and said he was "delighted" to have Alan Kelly doing the set-up, having previously worked with Stephen Staunton, Giovanni Trapattoni and Mick McCarthy.

With no international football to come until the Autumn, Kenny hopes the fans can "look forward in a sporting context, to what is a magnificent year of football in the AVIVA Stadium over the forthcoming year."

Kenny also paid tribute to his predecessor Mick McCarthy, whose second spell as Ireland manger ended on Saturday.

"Mick has had a tremendous career as captain of Ireland and as manager on two occasions. He leaves a legacy behind him and it's just unfortunate with the cancellation of matches, it's been an unfortunate situation. He's revered in Ireland."
 

No, it's not the plot of a Hollywood movie but what happened when the Republic of Ireland Under-19s met Czech Republic last summer. And now you can relive the game in full!

On Saturday, April 11th, you can watch the full game on the FAIreland Facebook page to help fill the void of live matches.

The superb performance by Tom Mohan's team will be available to watch from 17:00 on the official FAIreland Facebook page as part of our on-going coverage of international football. 

More games will follow in the coming weeks, including Ireland Under-17s from last year's European Championships on home soil and a memorable night for the Women's senior team.

But, for now, put April 11th into your diary to watch a thrilling game.

CLICK HERE to access our Facebook page

Crawford was appointed the U-21 manager over the weekend after Stephen Kenny stepped up to the senior role.

Crawford, a member of Kenny's U-21 coaching staff, will now be manager of the team, assisted by former international John O'Shea.

The former Newcastle and Shelbourne midfielder will lead the team into the final three qualifying matches for the UEFA U-21 European Championships qualifying campaign with Ireland top of Group One.

The finals tournament has been pushed back to 2022 due to the COVID-19 crisis with matches against Iceland, Luxembourg and Italy to be rescheduled.

Ireland have never qualified for the European Championships finals at U-21 level and Crawford is determined to get the squad over the line and qualify for the tournament in Hungary and Slovakia.

"It's a huge honour for me to take up the role. I was delighted to be asked and I couldn't wait to accept the position," said Crawford.

"I've been part of the coaching staff with the team for the past 13 months and we've seen a fantastic development of the team. We've played an incredible amount of matches but done brilliantly in the qualifying campaign and also, in the Toulon Tournament.

"We're in a great position. We're top of the group with three matches remaining. We've never qualified for the finals tournament at this level and that has to be the aim. If we could qualify, it would be incredible for the players but also the country as well."

Crawford was previously the manager of the Republic of Ireland U-18 team before he took up the role in Kenny's U-21 coaching staff.

Over the course of 2019, 36 players featured for the U-21 side in 12 fixtures and Crawford has pointed to the depth of talent he will get to work with, and is excited about the future of Irish football.

"I've been saying it for a long time, there is real talent coming through the system," continued Crawford.

"It's there for everybody to see now and over the years, I've worked with the likes of Adam Idah and Jason Knight, players of that calibre at such a young age and it really is an exciting time for Irish football.

"When I had those players at U-18 level, which is a challenging age group as it is non-competitive, but they played like their lives depended on it. It shows the commitment they've got in playing for their country but also, the quality we have.

"I'm excited to be able to continue working with them and I've got no doubt it, there are a few players who might push up to the senior squad. We'll look to fill those voids if that does happen but we've got fantastic strength in depth and it'll open up the opportunity to someone else."

The decision to extend the deadline for the return to football has been taken in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the best interests of our players, coaches, volunteers, supporters and staff. This decision will continue to be monitored on an ongoing basis.

The FAI is in communication with the Department of Health and UEFA on COVID-19 and will continue to follow all government guidelines. The Association advises all members, volunteers and stakeholders to respect the HSE guidelines on social distancing during this pandemic. We also appeal to everyone involved with Irish football to stay at home over the Easter weekend.

The Association remains committed to a June return to action for the SSE Airtricity League and Women's National League. Regular meetings are ongoing with representatives from the National League Executive Committee and the Professional Footballer’s Association of Ireland to help our clubs and players through this difficult time.

FAI Medical Director Dr. Alan Byrne has again advised the FAI that in the current exceptional circumstances, clubs should not engage in collective training during the cessation period for all football activity under the FAI’s jurisdiction.

This recommendation is based on the government’s desire to avoid the spread of COVID-19 and Dr. Byrne strongly advises against clubs training during this cessation period which runs until May 5th inclusive.

Football is staying home until May 5th at the earliest and the new FAI Homeskills programme will offer coaching tips for young players.

Produced in association with the Schoolboys Football Association of Ireland and FAI Schools, the first week of tips will be hosted by new Ireland coach Keith Andrews.

Women’s Football Development Officer Pearl Slattery conducts the daily online coaching session with a series of tips coordinated by FAI Development Officers.

The series will run daily from Monday to Friday at 11am, with FAI prizes awarded to the best online videos posted by participants.

Interim FAI Deputy CEO Niall Quinn has already produced his own social media videos to promote the new FAI Homeskills programme.

“People will see all sides of my game across social media – the good, the bad and the ugly!” Niall told FAI.ie

“It’s very important that we offer our young players something to keep them involved with football during this lockdown and FAI Homeskills is the perfect vehicle.

“We are hosting the FAI Homeskills programme on our new FAI Grassroots channels and I encourage all players, parents, clubs and stakeholders to get involved.

“Irish football will be back on the pitch someday soon but in the meantime this is a great opportunity for young players to work on their skills with FAI coaches.

“Keith Andrews and Pearl Slattery have done a great job with the first week’s set of skills and our Grassroots department and Development Officers have put a quality programme together.

“I’m looking forward to seeing videos sent to us from all over the country. I am sure the standard will be way higher than my efforts – I don’t think Stephen Kenny will be asking me to get my boots back on any day soon.”

FAI Homeskills will be available from 11am on Monday and you call follow the programme on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The health and safety of our INTERSPORT Elverys Summer Soccer Schools participants and coaches are of paramount importance to us, however we are preparing for all of our camps to go ahead as planned beginning on June 29th and running through August 21st while fully adhering to HSE guidelines.

The FAI Summer Soccer Schools will go Go-Live for bookings once we have received assurance from the Government and the Department of Health that it will be safe for football activities to resume in the Summer.

We will continue to monitor the situation on an ongoing basis and will update you on any changes.

WHY US?

The Summer Soccer Schools programme is a great opportunity for children to get back to doing what they do best, playing and having fun. Our camps create a safe environment for our participants to catch up with their friends, meet new ones and enjoy exercising in the fresh air. With all our coaches Garda vetted and having undergone our Safeguarding workshops, we continue to run the safest camps in the country. The Summer Soccer Schools cater for boys and girls from 6 to 14 years of age and of all abilities.

Please continue to follow Government guidelines, stay safe and stay healthy.

Name: Jason Donohue

Role: Republic of Ireland Under-15 Head Coach

Started the role: 2016

Coaching history
St. Patrick’s Athletic Assistant Coach
FAI Development Officer / Player Development Coach
Republic of Ireland U16, U17, U19 Video Analyst and coach
Republic of Ireland U16 ‘B’ Team Head Coach
Republic of Ireland U17 Assistant Coach

What is the one key attribute you need as a coach?
I would say leadership. You have to make sure the team you have or the ‘team around the team’ are all working to one common goal which is to improve every aspect of your squad.

What is your favourite thing about the job?
Seeing players blossom into better people but also better football players. It’s a long-term strategy we have but it’s great seeing players graduate through the ranks and staying humble all the time.

Any pre-match rituals?
On a match day when I’m in the shower I always listen to my Luke Kelly and The Dubliners ballads.

It’s a playlist of five live songs: ‘The Auld Triangle’, ‘Dublin in the Rare Old Times’, ‘Scorn Not His Simplicity’, ‘Dirty Old Town’ and ‘Whiskey in a Jar’.

What one message would you give to a player to keep with them throughout their career? 
Develop resilience. The amount of set-backs you’re going to have to come through to be successful as a football player can determine you as a person. Whether you’re going on a pitch and have a fear of losing or have no self-belief.

Whether you have been on trial and sent home and told you’re not good enough or even go three goals down in a match and play within yourself. Resilience is important for handling these set-backs.

Which coach/manager – from any sport – have you taken your greatest inspiration from?
Former Dublin Football manager Jim Gavin. I would be a firm believer in leaders of men or those who create an environment for people to learn. Jim is a highly intelligent man and a leader but it’s the way the he leads that’s key for me. What Jim Gavin has achieved and how he has achieved is the way I like to work

Favourite match you coached and why?
Am I allowed to pick three?

One would be St Pat’s win over Derry City in the FAI Cup Final in 2014 when I was Assistant Coach to Liam Buckley.

Then a 3-0 win over Hungary in Pinatar, Spain last year for my Under-15s team. We replicated the scenario of competitive group stages and told the players beforehand only a 3-0 win would see us progress. We met that score-line with a goal in the final minute.

Also from last year we were 2-0 up at half-time against England in St George’s Park. Myself and the coaching staff walked into the dressing room at half-time to see the players around the tactics board preparing their strategy for the second half. It was amazing to see our players take on that leadership.

What team or match from any era do you wish you could have coached?
There can only be one! Italia ’90, Ireland versus Romania, last 16 of a World Cup. What Irish person wouldn’t want to be there or be involved?

The 2020/22 UEFA Pro Licence participants are:
Tim Clancy, Dan Connor, Carlo Cudicini, Kevin Doherty, Daire Doyle, Tom Elmes, Anthony Hayes, Ruairdhi Higgins, Denis Hyland, Graham Kelly, Andy Keogh, Ian Morris, Alan Murphy, John O’Shea, Sean O’Shea, Aidan Price, Matthew Ross, John Russell, Ian Ryan, James Scott
 
Amongst the group are nine coaches currently working in the SSE Airtricity League, two managing in the Women’s National League, three involved with Republic of Ireland international teams, while others are thriving in their respective careers further afield. 
 
One of the participants is former Ireland captain John O’Shea, who earned 118 caps during a playing career that saw him lead his country out at EURO 2016. He is currently first-team coach with Reading in the English Championship, having previously completed his UEFA B & A certificates with the FAI, and was recently appointed as assistant coach to the Ireland Under-21s.

Another international player, Andy Keogh, is also on the course having worked his way up the coaching ladder. The 30-times capped Ireland forward had been coaching in Perth, Australia whilst playing in the A-League for Perth Glory and recently played in India for North East United FC. He is now getting ready for the next challenge in his career.
 
Also working abroad is Anthony Hayes, who is Lead Professional Development Phase Coach for Charlton Athletic’s Under-17 / U-18s. In Sweden, Sean O’Shea is assistant coach at AIK Stockholm, while Matthew Ross is assistant coach for the Republic of Korea Women’s National Team – working alongside former Ireland Women’s Team manager Colin Bell.
 
FAI High Performance Director Ruud Dokter feels that Irish football will gain from having more highly-skilled coaches complete their education and transfer that knowledge back to the players that they work with on a daily basis.
 
"The UEFA Pro Licence is the highest coaching certification in Europe and is recognised all around the world. Its holder is amongst a select group of the very best coaches. It is fantastic to have 20 excellent participants come through the application process to be part of our next group and I would like to congratulate them and wish them the very best of luck,” said Dokter.
 
"The course has been upgraded and improved greatly since the FAI first hosted it in 2009, which is in line with modern-day coaching practices and UEFA guidelines, It is great credit to Niall O'Regan and his team in our Coach Education Department for continuing to raise the standards for our coaches.
 
"We are excited to help this group of coaches reach the next level in their respective careers and we believe that Irish football, as a whole, will benefit from the experience and skills that they gain from participating on this course."
 
In total, 90 coaches applied for the course with 35 coaches completing the theory exams and interview process. The course will be delivered with contact blocks over an 18-month period, which will include international club visits, a study visit to UEFA HQ, and individual club assessments.
 
The calibre of coaches coming through the FAI Coach Education continues to improve with 92 UEFA A Licence coaches, 78 UEFA B Licence coaches, and 36 UEFA Elite Youth A Licence coaches all graduating in 2019.
 
With his department engaging with over 10,000 coaches each year, FAI Head of Coach Education Niall O’Regan believes the progression of coaches through the system can be reflected in the group confirmed for the UEFA Pro Licence.
 
“I am delighted to see the number of coaches within the next UEFA Pro Licence group having completed a number of our UEFA Licence courses previously,” said O’Regan.
 
“It is also great to see coaches who received very specific feedback having not been accepted in the previous course, implementing that feedback and now entering the 2020-2022 course, which really identifies their engagement but also how successful the process of providing feedback to coaches has been. 
 
“This area of feedback and self-reflection/evaluation is a significant component of all of our coaching courses, and it is great to see it come to life in situations like this. 
 
“The course group has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the game and I am looking forward to working with them over the coming 18 months on their completion through the course.

"It was great to meet with each of the coaches last week via video calls, with Craig Sexton (Coach Education Coordinator) also involved as we mapped out the journey between now and working to completion. Also, this will be the platform for the design of the micro groups and the coaches will have further online one-on-one sessions to aid them in shaping their own learning plans in relation to completing the course assignments and requirements."
 
This latest UEFA Pro Licence course had an individual online induction last week with the group set to get together for the first block in November 2020.
 
 
FAI UEFA Pro Licence Graduates
 
2009
Paul Ashworth, Packie Bonner, Joe Boyle, Paul Clement, Tony Cousins, Pat Dolan, Paul Doolin, Pat Fenlon, John Gill, Don Givens, Brian Kerr, Mike Kerley, Noel King, Pete Mahon, Tony Mannion, Alan Mathews, John McDonnell, Noel O'Reilly
 
2011
Bobby Browne, Michael Browne, Liam Buckley, Paul Cook, Kenny Cunningham, John Devine, Tommy Dunne, Curtis Fleming, Eddie Gormley, Steve Harrison, Jeff Kenna, Harry McCue, Brendan Place, Damien Richardson, Martin Russell
 
2013
John Brennan, Gerry Carr, Mick Cooke, Trevor Croly, Declan Devine, Adrian Fitzpatrick, John Glynn, Shane Keegan, Harry Kenny, Keith Long, Dave Mackey, Paul O'Brien, Tom O'Connor, Pat Scully
 
2015
Stuart Ashton, John Caulfield, Dave Connell, Jason Donohue, Eileen Gleeson, Tommy Griffin, Niall Harrison, Owen Heary, Ollie Horgan, Robbie Horgan, Peter Hutton, Tom Mohan, Mick Neville, Colin O'Brien, Don O'Riordan, Sue Ronan, Leo Tierney
 
2018
Tommy Barrett, Stephen Bradley, Adrian Carberry, Jim Crawford, Gary Cronin, Ger Dunne, Stephen Henderson, Frank Kelleher, Gerard Nash, Graham O'Hanlon, Colin O'Neill, Paul Osam, Alan Reynolds, Greg Yelverton
 
2020*
John Andrews, Keith Andrews, Jim Brennan, John Cotter, Damien Duff, Neale Fenn, Paul Hegarty, Robbie Keane, Paddy McCarthy, Kevin Maher, Ger O'Brien, William O'Connor, Vinny Perth, Andy Reid, Stephen Rice, Dave Rogers, Szilard Suto, Srdjan Tufegdzic
 
*This group have yet to graduate

Andrews was an assistant to Kenny in the Ireland Under-21s, and he moves to the Senior Men's team along with Damien Duff and Alan Kelly.

Speaking to FAI TV, Andrews said he was delighted to join the set-up, but his immediate thoughts are around what is currently happening with the Covid-19 pandemic.

"It feels bizarre, doesn't it? There a huge side that is looking at what's going on in the world, in the country and on your doorstep", Andrews admitted.

"At times you have to let [the new position] sink in and look at what you've achieved in getting this role. It's one I'm very proud of."

Andrews said he hoped the news FAI Homeskills online progamme can give boys and girls "a little bit of focus and a little bit of enjoyment" while staying at home.

He added; "We've seen some brilliant videos coming in with tins of paint and bits of turf. It's been brilliant to see and hopefully it can continue over the next days and weeks."

O’Shea was recently announced as Assistant Coach with the Ireland Under-21s and will also be part of the 2020/22 FAI UEFA Pro Licence group, which will run in tandem with his role as First-Team Coach with Reading.

On top of that, the Waterford native is halfway through the UEFA Executive Master for International Players. So he’s got plenty to keep him busy but the 38-year-old wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Once I started hitting my 30s, I was planning for this scenario. I started my UEFA B & A Licence and it was important that I did it with the FAI, to do it back home,” said O’Shea.

“This is a continuation of it now. I’ve been doing the UEFA Masters course and that has given me an insight to the business side of football with blocks on communication, marketing, the framework of competitions, etc. Now, the UEFA Pro Licence will help me get into management & coaching side of things.

“The path that I want to take to get into management is through coaching, as it’s something that I really enjoy. Putting your ideas across to players, watching them train initially, see how they take it on-board, and working with them on it.

“At Reading, I’m working with two very experienced people in Mark Bowen & Eddie Niedzwiecki, while I’ve picked up a lot from various coaches & managers who I worked with during my playing career, both at club level and internationally. So I hope that I can take those experiences and add to them.”

From early in his playing career O’Shea knew that he wanted to eventually pursue coaching and he initially tried it out during his 12 years at Manchester United by helping out in the club’s academy.

A natural-born leader, O’Shea regularly wore the captain’s armband for club & country, yet he still felt those ‘butterflies’ just like any rookie coach would when preparing for his first proper coaching session.

“I remember we were in Dublin for the first block of the UEFA B Licence and we had the players from the FAS-ETB course with us. They were great players to have as a lot of them were involved with League of Ireland teams, but you felt the butterflies in your stomach when starting out,” he recalled.

“In the first few days, everyone was nervous but you could see the confidence grow in the players and also in ourselves in the way that we spoke to the players. When I was asked by Colin O’Brien, who was tutor, to put on that first session – knowing that he will be marking you and giving you feedback – it was definitely daunting.”

O’Shea has learnt a lot since then. One lesson – which came the hard way – was knowing when to get involved as a player as he damaged a calf during a 5-a-side training game that ultimately ruled him out of Vincent Kompany’s Testimonial.

There is also the struggle of finding a work-life balance and that is something that he is very conscious of, particularly with so many roles & courses to juggle over the foreseeable future.

Yet, O’Shea is grateful for the opportunities that have come his way, including the role with the Ireland Under-21s, where he will work alongside Manager Jim Crawford. It will be another key part of his development.

“It came about very quickly. I spoke to a lot of people about Jim (Crawford) and then spoke to Jim. We got on great and it has moved on very quickly since then,” said O’Shea.

“One of the team’s analysts set me up on Hudl so I can watch some of the games, track the players to see how they are doing at their clubs, and look at the younger players who might be able to push up a level. I had seen some of the games already but being able to see everything is great so I can prepare for our games to come.

“There is great work going on with the underage Ireland teams, so hopefully we can continue that on and qualify with the Under-21s for the EUROs. There are some tough games to come but with a new coaching team in place everyone is very excited by it. They are also competitive games from the off, which means the adrenaline will be flowing straight away.

“It will be challenging, but getting the chance to work with Jim is fantastic. They are a great group of players, some of them I would recognise as I spoke to Tom Mohan’s Under-19s squad ahead of them going to the EUROs last summer – they had some talented kids in that group. Now I’ll get to work with some of them but, ultimately, it is all about helping Ireland to do well.”

While UEFA have yet to reschedule the Under-21s remaining European Championship qualifiers, O’Shea has already started planning for the Pro Licence course following an introductory call.

“You see some of the people who have graduated from the Pro Licence before and what they have done in their careers so it’s exciting to be part of that,” he said.

“Most of the coaching licences have evolved over the last 10 years, which is great credit to Ruud Dokter, Niall O’Regan & Craig Sexton. They are going to be very important over the next 18 months. We had a video call last week and they said that it will be challenging but also very rewarding, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Name: Richard Berkeley

Role: Republic of Ireland U15s School Girls Head Coach

Started the role: 2017

Coaching history
Sancta Maria College, Co. Mayo Head Coach
Castlebar Celtic player/coach
Castlebar Girls Academy coach
Mayo Oscar Traynor team coach
Mayo League Gaynor Cup team coach
Western Region Emerging Talent Programme coach
Republic of Ireland U15 School Girls Assistant Coach

What is the one key attribute you need as a coach?
There are so many things you need as a coach such as planning, tactical skills and game management but the one thing that ties these together is people skills. At the end of the day you’re sending a group out to go and do a job for you. You need to inspire them, educate them and get them to believe in what you’re doing. You could have all the skills in the world but if you don’t know how to manage people then there’s no point.
 
What is your favourite thing about the job?
What I really enjoy doing is starting the journey by identifying players, watching them over six months, bringing them together as a trial squad, picking from that and working with them. The challenge is picking the right players, selecting them in the right position and getting them to play at the highest standard possible.

Any pre-match rituals?
Absolutely none! I’m not superstitious at all. The one thing I always do say to the girls before they go out and play is ‘remember it’s a football match, we’re here because we love it’.
 
What one message would you give to a player to keep with them throughout their career? 
Never stop learning. I always listen to coaches – good and bad – and I always try to learn something and try and get better and better. Don’t assume you know it all and always learn from every training session, every match and every season.
  
Which coach/manager – from any sport – have you taken your greatest inspiration from?
Sir Alex Ferguson. I grew up watching Manchester United in the 1980s and I saw him struggle in the first five or six years but he believed in it and kept at it and it worked out for him. He knew when to move players and coaches on and even when he made mistakes he always learned.
  
Favourite match you coached and why?
It would be when we beat England 3-0 in 2018 at Stafford Town in England - tactically everything went to plan. We were 1-0 up at half time and even when I made several changes after the break the players carried out the game plan perfectly. We made it 2-0 and 3-0 and we played to an exceptional standard. It was my first real test as a Head Coach and everything just went right on the day. It was fantastic.
 
What team or match from any era do you wish you could have coached?
I look back at Jack Charlton’s first couple of years as Ireland manager and I would have loved to have applied my football philosophy with players like Paul McGrath, Ronnie Whelan, Kevin Sheedy and Ray Houghton. We had players from what would be the top six in the English Premier League and it was such an exciting time for the country and it would have been amazing to have been involved with them.

The office of President and Vice-President are scheduled for election at the AGM of the FAI in Galway on Saturday, July 25th. Nominations for both positions were due to close on Thursday, April 30th.

FAI Rule 17, Part B, allows the Board of the FAI to change the date for the submission of completed nomination forms for the position of President and Vice-President. In view of the COVID-19 lockdown, the Board of the FAI will review and determine a new date for nominations based on Government guidelines on the restriction of movement procedures which are currently in place until May 5th at the earliest.

The Independent Chairperson has also informed AGM members that an extension of the current lockdown beyond the end of May could see the Board investigate other ways in which nominations can be submitted. It may also result in other arrangements for the AGM.

The Board of the FAI intends, if possible, to hold an EGM as soon as restrictions have been lifted when it will present an Electoral Code to members which will set out eligibility criteria for the Board and the electoral system to be utilized at the 2020 AGM. Work on the Electoral Code is continuing with the assistance of UEFA and FIFA.

It's pretty clear that James Scott has not taken anything for granted throughout his coaching career to date. From Two-Mile Borris / St Kevin's to the highest coaching qualification in Europe, he has come a long way.

He hasn't started the UEFA Pro Licence course just yet, with only an introductory call with his tutors completed, but these are exciting times for the Tipperary native.

In 2019, he was appointed as Head Coach of the Republic of Ireland Women's Under-17s and guided his team to victories over Albania, Lithuania and Greece to secure a spot in the Elite Round of qualifying for the European Championships. Those games were cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19 but dealing with set-backs is all part of the learning curve for Scott.

In fact, it was a rejection that kickstarted the latest push for the former Ireland Under-16 Boys assistant coach to set new targets for his coaching career.

"This was my second time applying for the Pro Licence. I took the feedback on-board and knew that I needed to make changes. Essentially, I needed to be working at the level required to use a Pro Licence so that would have been in the League of Ireland or with an international team," Scott told FAI.ie.

"I knew that I wanted to change my situation before applying again. So I was very grateful to get the opportunity to become Head Coach with the Ireland Women's Under-17s and once I had started working with that team I knew that I was in a better position to apply again."

Scott will become the latest international underage Head Coach to experience the Pro Licence following in the steps of Jason Donohoe (2015), Sue Ronan (2015), Paul Osam (2018), Colin O'Brien (2015), Andy Reid (2020), Dave Connell (2015), Tom Mohan (2015), and Jim Crawford (2018).

It is an experience that he is looking forward to, as he stated: "This course will give me the skills to improve in every area, not just as a coach.

"There is so much involved in the Pro Licence, from periodisation, analysis, working with the media, building relationships, improving human skills, managing up, handling budgets, through to how you work with elite players. It will increase my knowledge of every area."

Scott uses the term 'life-long learning' when quizzed on what he has taken from the coaching courses up to this point. It might sound like something that Tony Robbins would say, but he feels that it accurately reflects the knowledge and skills that he has acquired from Youth Cert up to A Licence level.

The 37-year-old talks about working in micro groups where his peers have regaled stories of their coaching triumphs and disasters, about the kind of intricate advice from tutors like Niall Harrison that have kept him awake at night, and about gaining the self-confidence to believe that he is good enough to coach at a higher level.

"I've gone all the way through the coaching pathway up to the Pro Licence and that is a big achievement," said Scott.

"It's why I thanked my local club because there is pride in reaching that next stage. I can still remember getting involved in the SPAR 5s, which was 6-a-side back then, and coaching with the South Tipp team in the Kennedy Cup. Those type of experiences helped me on this journey."

The Pro Licence may represent the summit in terms of qualifications, but Scott knows that his coaching education will continue for many years to come. He's just happy to be in a position to keep on learning.
 

The 2020/22 UEFA Pro Licence participants are:
Tim Clancy, Dan Connor, Carlo Cudicini, Kevin Doherty, Daire Doyle, Tom Elmes, Anthony Hayes, Ruairdhi Higgins, Denis Hyland, Graham Kelly, Andy Keogh, Ian Morris, Alan Murphy, John O’Shea, Sean O’Shea, Aidan Price, Matthew Ross, John Russell, Ian Ryan, James Scott

Speaking to FAI.ie, Colemantown United’s Director of Football Rob Parker (pictured left) admitted that the cessation in football came at a bad time for the club.

“Since Christmas time, our pitches were unplayable. A lot of games were postponed or cancelled in January or February because the pitches were unplayable in the area or because we had red and orange storm warnings.” said Parker. 

“No sooner had we come out of that period, and the pitch had fully recovered, football was halted. That has left many of our teams without competitive football for months. It went from a point where we were training indoors during the winter, to the current situation.”

All but two of Colemanstown’s team play in the Galway and District Leagues. Those seasons are still in Winter football, and the club were in promising positions in numerous divisions.

“A lot of our teams would have been competing for promotion or winning their leagues. Spring would have been earmarked by players and coaches as an opportunity to pick up a lot of points. The work done by the coaches and players in Autumn, may come unstuck.”

Colemanstown United are in the middle of planning for an all-weather pitch at their club grounds, along with numerous other infrastructural projects. Like countless other clubs, Parker is now worried those will fall through the cracks.

“There were a lot of project lines for future development that were well advanced in recent months. Those have now been thrown into disarray. Clubs like us don't exist without fundraising. We feed off local businesses. Many of these are now contracting. The last thing they can think about is financial support to others. It’s challenging.”

Last Autumn, the FAI helped open the community walkway around the pitches in Colemanstown. That walkway is now closed, shutting down a community hub during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We’re very rural. The pitches and the walkway within the club, would have been a recreational lifeline for the community. From young lads going up for a kickabout, to families and the elderly using the walkway and gym equipment. That’s all gone now. We have a one-way system in place, but when the two-kilometre rule came in place, we closed the grounds”, Parker revealed.

“Until the lockdown, the walkway was very popular. It saw an increase in usage, with more people working from home, and taking breaks to go for walks.”

Despite the lack of movement now allowed, the club have used the situation to work with their young players online, and are already seeing the benefits.

“Before we entered the lockdown, we were playing with the idea of a YouTube channel”, Parker told FAI.ie. “The ball started rolling on it when the schools closed. We challenged kids to get out in the evenings and practice skills. We have seen the kids develop their skills. We can't really call it street football, when you’re living in rural Galway, but we’re calling it yard football. They are using everything they can find, to practice their skills.

“The kids are improving their skills massively. It’s something small, but positive to come out of the situation. The parents are very involved too encouraging their children. You are seeing a domino effect with the video we are getting too.”

Colemanstown United is in a rural part of east Galway, half-way between Ballinasloe and Tuam. The club are working hard off the field to ensure they can help those who need it.

“By our nature, we are always out and helping in the community. It was something we have always done. To reinforce that message, we have made it aware to those who are vulnerable in the community that we are here to help. The local GAA clubs have been the same. It’s a massive community effort. A simple thing can make somebody’s day all the easier.”

Despite the lack of football in the area, Parker and the club are hopeful to get back on the pitch as soon as is safe to do so.

“We are working with our own Leagues’ structures to support them and the decisions they make. We are all keen to get back on the pitch, but nobody is concerned how that happens, once we can all be back playing sport.”

Renowned injury management expert Ciaran worked with the Senior international squad from the start of the first Mick McCarthy reign all the way through to the final European Championship qualifier against Denmark in the Aviva Stadium last November, the final fixture of Mick’s second term in charge.

In the intervening 24 years, Clones native and Dundalk resident Ciaran saw everything from the highs of Jason McAteer’s goal against the Netherlands at the old Lansdowne Road to the lows of the Thierry Henry handball in Paris with a few bizarre moments thrown in for good measure, not least the Richard Dunne shirt incident in Moscow.

Now he’s set to revert to the role of Ireland supporter, alongside osteopath Tony McCarthy and fellow chartered physiotherapists Colin Dunlevy and Padraig Doherty, when international football finally returns after the COVID-19 lockdown.

“I’ve been trying to estimate how many Ireland games I have had the privilege of being involved with since my debut at the 1996 US Cup and it has to be close to 300 matches,” the Monaghan GAA stalwart and All-Star winner told FAI.ie.

“Over those years I have worked with great players, great managers and great colleagues on the backroom teams and it has been a pleasure from start to finish. The biggest thing for me always was working with the players and ensuring with the rest of the staff that everything was done to enable the players to do their very best for Ireland.

“It’s been a wonderful journey with great memories that will last forever and I want to thank everyone who was there with me along the way, particularly my wife Mary, our two sons and our extended family. Without their support, I couldn’t have dedicated so much time to the Irish team and I thank them for that.

“Stephen Kenny is setting off on his own journey now with the senior Ireland squad and, as I said to him when we spoke, I wish him, his players and his staff the very best of luck. It has been my honour to work with the team since 1996 and I wish them all well now. I will be supporting them from the stands and hopefully, at the EURO finals in Dublin next year.

“I am still actively involved with so many sportspeople at my own practice in Dundalk and I look forward now to getting back to work there as soon as we can.”

Swords-based Tony McCarthy spent 12 years as the senior osteopath with the Irish team, starting with the appointment of Giovanni Trapattoni as manager in 2008.

“I am so grateful to have been offered the opportunity to work as a sports osteopath with the top Irish players and staff over the last 12 years since Dr Alan Byrne first invited me on board,” Tony told FAI.ie.

“It has been a privilege and an honour to look after great players like Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and Jon Walters initially and then Seamus Coleman, Robbie Brady and James McClean more recently, to name just some of the players I have worked with.

“To witness their commitment and dedication to Ireland and to see how much it means to them to represent their country has been an eye-opener. Watching the efforts of everyone involved with the Irish team, on and off the field, is my greatest and proudest memory of my time with Ireland.

“To have had the opportunity for my wife Anita and children Chloe and Caelen to see me working at two European Championship finals is something I will always cherish. I thank them for their support and Shamrock Rovers for enabling me to work with Ireland and with such a fantastic club.

“I have so many memories. I will never forget the round of applause the players got when they got onto the plane for the flight home from Moscow in 2011.

“I spoke to Stephen (Kenny) last week when he was kind enough to ring and let me know personally that he is bringing his own staff with him. As I said to him then, I will be supporting him all the way. Stephen is a top manager and a great guy and I will be shouting for Ireland in every game in the future.”

Involved with Irish teams and the FAI for the past 20 years, chartered physiotherapist Colin Dunlevy worked with the senior side under Martin O’Neill and Mick McCarthy for the past seven years.

Employed by the HSE at St Colmcille’s Hospital in Loughlinstown, Colin told FAI.ie: “The stand-out for me has been the professionalism of all the staff, the management and the players involved with all the Irish teams throughout my 20 years with the Association.

“Football is always about the end result and the performance but for the medical staff it is also about the treatment of the players, how we react to their injuries, how we ensure they are in the best physical shape when they go onto the pitch and how we deal with them if they are injured during a game.

“We have always had fun with Ireland teams over the years but our standards of medical care and attention were always the highest and I know that will continue with Stephen now and his staff. I have wished him the very best of luck personally and I would like to do publicly now as well as I look forward to becoming a fan again, a very proud fan.

“My 20 years with the FAI have defined me professionally and I have to thank my family Clare, Cassie, Ailbhe and Lochlann, the HSE and all my colleagues at St Colmcille’s for allowing me the time to work with the FAI as well. In the current circumstances, those hospital staff deserve all the recognition they are getting and I would like to thank them for their support.”

Donegal native Padraig Doherty first worked with the senior Ireland squad in 2016, having previously been involved with underage Irish teams. Now based in Clane and employed by the HSE in Ballyfermot, chartered physiotherapist Padraig has also wished Stephen Kenny and his players well in their EURO 2020 Play-Off.

“It has been a fabulous experience to be involved with the Ireland senior team and I will take many great memories from this time. It has been a pleasure to have worked with so many good people who have worked diligently and professionally together with the sole aim of delivering success for Irish football.

I would like to thank the players, backroom staff and coaching staff for all the support and camaraderie over this time,” said Padraig. “I would also like to thank my family for their support to enable me to make this commitment to the Senior Team so thank you Niamh, Patrick, Maria and Conor.

“The support of the HSE in enabling me to work with Irish football over the last 13 years is greatly appreciated. Finally, I would like to wish the players, Stephen Kenny and his coaching and backroom staff every success in the future."

Wishing Ciaran, Tony, Colin and Padraig well for the future, FAI interim CEO Gary Owens said: "On behalf of the FAI, I want to thank each of them for their great service to Irish football and I join with my colleagues in wishing them all the very best in their careers going forward."

Name: Paul Osam

Role: Republic of Ireland Under-16 Head Coach

Began the role: 2015

Coaching history
St Patrick’s Athletic U21 Assistant Coach
St Patrick’s Athletic U21 Head Coach
Bray Wanderers First Team Assistant Coach
FAI Ireland Futures Group Assistant Coach
FAI Emerging Talent Regional Head Coach

What is the one key attribute you need as a coach?
There’s a multitude of skills that you need but I believe honesty and credibility with your players is above all. You need to work hard, there’s no substitute for hard work - as a player or as a coach. Nothing comes easy and you have to be prepared to self-analyse and be critical of yourself at times and praise yourself at other times. 

What is your favourite thing about the job?
The challenge. I love playing against other nations, whether it’s a powerful, middle-tier or even a smaller nation because they all present different challenges. I love the preparation for the games and analysing the opposition and working with the staff and players to formulate a game plan and seeing that plan executed. That’s the buzz I get from it, when you see something you’ve worked on come through.

Any pre-match rituals?
I’m not really superstitious. I don’t like the hour-and-a-half period before the game when you arrive at the ground as it can be a lonely time for a coach. I keep that time for myself, I will wander onto the pitch but I tend to stay in the dressing room and use that time to pre-empt what may happen in the game.

What one message would you give to a player to keep with them throughout their career? 
I would say be as professional as you possibly can in everything you do – so not just on the pitch. It’s massively important for young players to be professional in every aspect of their life. If it can affect your performance, be as professional as you can be about it. There’s a lot of players who are very talented but don’t fulfil their potential because they’re not professional in other areas. Then you have other players who may not have been as talented go on and have great careers because they were professional in everything that they did. I always try and educate the players about this. 

Which coach/manager – from any sport – have you taken your greatest inspiration from?
I would say Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. I don’t support anyone from the English Premier League, I will watch any football, but I look at what Klopp has done to get the best out of players and it impresses me. I don’t know him but from interviews and articles about him he seems very humble and very honest. One thing that sticks with me after is after Liverpool won the Champions League he embraced everyone, Spurs players too, you could see the sincerity in those bear hugs. You can see it’s important to him that he needs to be part of the group, that he needs to be credible, sincere and love the players and have the players love him back. I think that goes a long way in getting performances from the players. 

Favourite match you coached and why?
It would be the 2016 Victory Shield win against Scotland in Edinburgh. We had a great group that included Nathan Collins, Adam Idah and Jason Knight but the Scotland team of that year were called the ‘gold generation’ of players. In fact, one of the players from that squad was Billy Gilmour who is in the Chelsea first team. This was a huge game in Scotland it was on the front page of the local newspaper and it was the last game of the tournament. The way it worked out was either of us could win the Victory Shield - we needed to draw and Scotland needed to win. We won the game 3-0 and it was one of the best performances I’ve seen from any group, over all the years, and they executed the game plan to perfection. It was a fantastic achievement to win the Victory Shield in only our second year competing in it.

What team or match from any era do you wish you could have coached?
The game I would have loved to have coached in would have been the 2005 Champions League Final between AC Milan and Liverpool. But not from Rafa Benitez’s perspective but Carlo Ancelotti’s.
To be 3-0 up and go on and lose a game from that point is really tough, and it’s happened to me when we were 3-0 ahead at half-time against Denmark but lost the game 4-3. The learnings Ancelotti would have taken from a game of that magnitude would have been massive.

Why I would have loved to have coached that game is it’s a massive challenge to keep your players motivated in that position and inadvertently they can take their foot off the pedal and the opposition in that situation can only get better in the second half. It’s like planning for a completely new game at half-time. I would love to be in that position again, because I got it wrong against Denmark, so to have a similar scenario in a Champions League Final, I would like to think I would have done things differently to what I had done previously and got the win.