Most recently the FAI ETB Cork Manager, O'Regan is a UEFA A licensed coach who has a history of coaching in the game at a broad spectrum of levels in men's and women's football.
Academically he holds a first class honours degree in Sports Studies & Physical Education from UCC and currently is undergoing a four year research study PhD in UCC on Coaching Pedagogy dealing with transition from playing to coaching.
Outgoing Coach Education Manager Greig Paterson is moving to a similar role with the Scottish FA and will work with O'Regan in the transition before commencing his duties at Hampden Park in February.
"It's a very exciting time for Coach Education. Everybody in the FAI was disappointed to see Greig Paterson go because of the magnificent work he did over the past eight years," said O'Regan.
"To have such a substantial number of licence coaches in the country is great and it is very important to link them up with the Player Development Plan. I see it as being important for me to continue the development and growth of coaches in the Coach Education programme.
"I believe that my academic qualifications and education will be invaluable to the role and will help the development of the programme to create a holistic education process.
"I'm very excited about working closely with Ruud Dokter and look forward to learning from a man of such experience. I believe it'll be important to work closely with Greig Paterson before his move back to Scotland and look forward to working closely with all the FAI tutors who are very important to the whole programme."
O'Regan's football background saw him participate in the first ever soccer academy at Colaiste Stiofan Naofa under then Cork City manager Liam Murphy for two years. He completed his UEFA B licence in 2006 and UEFA A licence in 2011.
A player with Bandon AFC, Killreen Celtic and Castleview under Patsy Freyne before injury ended his career in 2001, O'Regan coached within the Cork Schoolboy League for 14 years working with players including Alan Browne, Eric Grimes, Eoghan O'Connell and Conor Hourihane.
His role as Regional manager of the FAI ETB academies in Cork saw him oversee the design and delivery of three programmes - Elite Player in Carrigaline, Coach Education in Mahon and Player Development in Blarney.
Most recently O'Regan managed Cork City Women's FC and led Bandon AFC into the Munster Senior League Premier Division while he also coached Crosshaven player development and Knockavilla FC in the Cork AUL. He has also coached Cork AUL's Oscar Traynor Cup squad, the MSL Representiative side in the Michael Ward Trophy, Munster's Inter-provincial squad, CIT Women's and UCC Men's in colleges football.
"I'd like to mention excellent mentors I've had in my career such as Mick Conroy, Liam Murphy, John Caulfield - who has been a mentor for me last 15 years, Frank Kelleher and specifically my two supervisors in PhD Dr Fiona Chambers, Head of Education in UCC, and Dr Brian McCullick, Head of Education University of Georgia," said O'Regan.
"I also had a long connection Ogra Chorcai which merged with Foroige and coordinated a number of programmes for them in education and youth development and that was an important part of my career."
Coach Education continues to be a cornerstone of the Association's development of the game in this country.
In recent years a number of milestones have been made with 9,404 people attending FAI Coach Education courses in 2015. This was a significant improvement on 2014, when 8,367 attended these courses. Close to 10 per cent of those participants were female (951).
There are now 313 registered UEFA A licence holders with the FAI and 1,024 UEFA B Licence holders while the number of UEFA Pro Licence holders will be 65 when all participants on the current course reach graduation.
In 2015 FAI tutors delivered 216 KickStart1 courses (4,435 participants), 85 KickStart2 courses (1,639 participants) and 18 FAI Youth Cert courses (349 participants).
Greig Paterson has offered O'Regan his best wishes following his appointment and reflected on his own time with the FAI.
"Over the past eight years, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the FAI, and been fortunate enough to work with a lot of very good people, whilst also meeting some excellent and very talented individuals as they progressed through the FAI Coach Education pathway," he said.
"I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to develop coach education structures in the manner that we have, increasing the number of attendances year-on-year whilst also honing course curriculums and adopting the most cutting edge strategies that we possibly could, so that our courses and overall programme has become very well thought of throughout the country and beyond.
"To now have in excess of 9,000 participants per year coming through various courses and to have achieved 1,400 UEFA licence holders is a tremendous achievement. These milestones are testament to all the Coach Education staff and tutors, as well as FAI Development Officers who work tirelessly to help bring coach education and development to so many people for the greater good of the game.
"It is my belief that coach education is the single most important factor to the development of the game, and I see no reason why the programme will not go from strength to strength under Niall’s stewardship, and wish him all the very best in his new role. Whilst I will be saddened to leave the FAI behind in a month’s time, I will always take a keen interest in future developments in the game in Ireland, and look back with fondness on my time spent here."