New Senior Academy Manager

COLERAINE FC is delighted to confirm the appointment of Gary Devenney as the club’s new Senior Academy Manager…

Our Senior Academy – made up of U16, U18 and U20 sides – who compete in the NIFL Development Academy has recently undergone a management restructuring.

Senior Academy Director, Ollie Mullan, who was instrumental in overseeing the restructure, spoke about the due diligence that he carried out, by commenting: “I have diligently assessed the framework and operational dynamics of our academy, engaging in conversations with coaches and players to identify areas that warrant enhancement.

“These key areas encompass, but are not limited to, player recruitment, individual player development monitoring, communication with agents, scouts, and external stakeholders, as well as the overall interdepartmental communication within the academy.

Ollie continued: “Gary brings to this pivotal role a wealth of expertise, experience, and an unwavering commitment to professionalism, making him the ideal catalyst for propelling our academy’s developmental framework to new heights.”

colerainefc.com spoke with Gary about his appointment and he had this to say: “I’m delighted to accept the role of Senior Academy Manager, but also understand the importance of acknowledging the immense amount of work that Ollie has done over the past four or five years to get us to this point.

“I’m looking forward to working with Ollie and the Senior Academy coaches to further develop the processes and procedures needed to continue the recent success that we’ve experienced.

“We have numerous players being selected for international squads, attracting major interest from professional clubs as well as promoting the likes of Alfie Gaston and Senan Devine into the first-team panel.

“Our aim will always be to do our best to support each player to reach their potential and in recent years we’ve seen that play out with the promotion of Lewis Tosh, Jay Riley, Kirk McLaughlin and Patrick Kelly to name a few, into the senior setup who are all now playing at senior level.”

In addition to Gary’s appointment, Brandon Morrow will assume the role U16 lead coach for the remainder of the 23/24 season.

We would like to wish Gary and Brandon all the very best in their new roles.