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\nChelsea Noonan during Republic of Ireland Women’s Under-17 training in 2020<\/p>\n
Graham Gartland and former Republic of Ireland international Noel Hunt are among the coaches who have been appointed in an overhaul of the FAI’s international underage structure.<\/p>\n
Under the new model, five full-time International Lead Coaches (Hunt, Chelsea Noonan, John Cotter, Keith O’Halloran and James Scott) will work alongside a quartet of full-time international coaches (Conor McCormack, Gartland, Mark Connors and Richie Smith) across all teams, from Under-15 up to Under-19 level.<\/p>\n
The FAI say the structure aims to “transition away from a traditional age-group model and instead create a more connected coaching team working across development phases, supporting player development and ensuring greater alignment throughout the pathway”.<\/p>\n
Hunt is part of the current FAI UEFA Pro Licence course and has coaching experience with Swindon Town, Waterford and Reading, who he managed in League One.<\/p>\n
Gartland has worked as assistant coach with Dundee in the Scottish Premiership and brings extensive experience from his role at Shamrock Rovers, where he oversaw a number of LOI Academy teams.<\/p>\n
Cork native Noonan has been working as the assistant head coach at Birmingham City women, who have just been promoted to the WSL. She previously had a spell at A-League Women’s side Western United in Australia and spent three years coaching with the Republic of Ireland women’s Under-17s.<\/p>\n
McCormack is a well known face in the LOI. He played over 400 games for Shamrock Rovers, St Pats, Derry City, Cork City and Galway United. He was recently part of the coaching set-up with the Ireland men\u2019s Under-19s.<\/p>\n
Cotter was Colin O’Brien’s assistant with the Ireland men\u2019s Under-17s at the 2025 Under-17 World Cup in Qatar. O’Brien left the FAI before Christmas as part of a round of redundancies.<\/p>\n
\nChelsea Noonan during Republic of Ireland Women’s Under-17 training in 2020<\/p>\n
Ex-Middlesbrough player O\u2019Halloran was assistant coach with the Ireland Women\u2019s Under-19s at the 2024 UEFA Women\u2019s European Under-19 Championship.<\/p>\n
Scott has led the Ireland Women\u2019s Under-17s since 2019. He also served as the National Coordinator for the FAI\u2019s Girls\u2019 Emerging Talent Programme.<\/p>\n
Connors was previously head coach with Longford Town Men\u2019s Under-19s before working with the Ireland Men\u2019s Under-16s as assistant coach. Connors recently led the Ireland men\u2019s Under-17s to qualification for the 2026 FIFA Under-17 World Cup.<\/p>\n
Smith has coaching experience across several League of Ireland Academy structures, including Shamrock Rovers, St Patrick\u2019s Athletic and UCD.<\/p>\n
“The introduction of the new coaching structure is an important step forward for our international pathway and reflects the direction we want to take as an association,” said FAI Technical Director Shane Robinson said.<\/p>\n
“We wanted to build a full-time coaching structure that is more connected, collaborative and aligned across the pathway. There is strong experience within this group of coaches who have worked across international football, League of Ireland, academy environments, grassroots, development programmes and abroad in a number of different football settings. Importantly, they all share a passion for developing young players and helping drive standards for the betterment of Irish football.”<\/p>\n
FAI Director of Football John Martin added: “This new coaching structure is about creating greater alignment, consistency and connection across our international pathway. We want our young players to experience a clear identity and level of support throughout their journey with our national teams, regardless of the age group.<\/p>\n
“Through these appointments, we’ve brought together coaches with strong experience across the game and we believe this structure will create a stronger environment for both players and staff as we continue to strengthen the pathway.”<\/p>\n
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