Macroom's Peter Murphy spreading soccer gospel in Kerry
Peter Murphy, an FAI Development Officer in Kerry.
Developing soccer in a county that is dominated by GAA, with a strong interest in basketball as well, is no easy challenge but one Peter Murphy is happy to rise to.
The 22-year-old soccer enthusiast from Macroom joined the FAI just over a year ago to become a development officer in Kerry. He has since has made massive strides to increase participation across all levels. Here he takes us on his football journey and talks about the joys of working in the scenic county.
"I joined the FAI in June 2023 as a Football Development Officer for Kerry and I am loving it since," said Murphy. "When the role came up I felt it was right for me. Prior to accepting the role I had a lot of experience under my belt having done various programmes throughout Cork."
Under Stephen O’Mahony he got involved with the FAI in 2019 through the summer camps, before adding more programmes to my belt.
"These programmes gave me the understanding of the role of a Development Officer and have put me in good stead in Kerry."
In his current role, he covers all aspects of the game: Player Development, Coach Development, Club Development and Schools Engagement.
"The variety of the role is a massive plus, every day is so different. It keeps things fresh and exciting. I’m so lucky to be stationed in Kerry, a beautiful county, which makes all the mileage a bit easier.
"I’m very fortunate for the footballing experiences I’ve had. I began my grassroots coaching with Macroom FC before stepping into the CWSSL and later Cobh Ramblers and Cork City. Working at these different levels of the game has given me fantastic insights about why people play football.
"At the higher level of the game, there’s that dream of playing elite and maybe even professional football. But at grassroots, it might be keeping fit, keeping people off the street or just for enjoyment.
"I’ve been really proud to be part of the FAI team for the last year or so. I have some really good mentors within the association, people that have been doing this job for years. They have been really forthcoming with advice and support which is great as the new kid! We’re currently working towards implementing the Football Pathways Plan, which has some really exciting action points for the development of the game.
"As an association, it’s been really important to listen to the game and it’s clear we need more opportunities to play the game in different formats throughout the year. An aspect of the role I’ve really enjoyed so far is the coach development space. It’s something I’d love to delve into a little bit more. Delivering courses, engaging participants in life long learning, and just generally helping coaches help players is a really rewarding and enjoyable task, so maybe it’s something I’ll look at down the road!"
He began playing with Macroom FC when he was eight and still plays with the seniors.
"I was in a really successful and competitive team growing up but unfortunately never played at a higher level. It was some of the best times I had in the game and gave me the grá to give back as a coach. I’ve been really fortunate to work with a lot of players in recent years, and it gives me great joy to see players progressing their careers.
"I see a lot of the girls previously in the FAI COE playing regularly with Cork City, a few familiar faces taking the underage international scene by storm and more and more players getting moves abroad - most recently Jaden Umeh with Benfica. It shows the quality in and around Cork.
"Working as a Development Officer in Kerry is really enjoyable. There’s so many great people making the game tick in the county, and it’s going from strength to strength. Naturally, there are always challenges with competing sports, particularly GAA and basketball in Kerry are strong.
"Because our game is so accessible, we have a lot of different avenues we can offer it in which always helps. I must commend the clubs who work tirelessly on the ground which makes my job a little easier."
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