Bandon's Niall O'Regan is leading the way in Ireland in coach education and coach development

Cork's Niall O’Regan has had an amazing soccer coaching career to date. 

He started out playing with his local soccer club in Bandon, and then moved to the city to play with a couple of different clubs before before he started out his coaching journey. 

Fast forward to today and after years of hard work, learning and dedication to coach education he is now leading the way for the FAI.

The Bandon native started with the FAI in 2011 as a co-ordinator of the ETB Player Development program and has over time progressed to become the Head of the Education and Development for the FAI in 2023.

He is now currently a member of the FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma group. 

He is just back from Brazil and on his return rolled out the new soccer pathway for all coaches in Ireland.

“I am originally from Bandon and that’s where I started my football career with coaches Denis O’Driscoll and Alan Bishop, both who to this day I credit for giving my love of football,” Niall said.

"Throughout my time in Bandon I had a great experience and the club that really has a great history of developing players, coaches and people, with players such as Cathal Murphy, Brendan Cullen, the Holland brothers, who went on to play for Cork City, Conor Hourihane, who went on to represent Ireland as a senior International and many more.

“I then moved to Cork to play in the Colaiste Stiofan Naofa Soccer Academy, which was led by then Cork City manager Liam Murphy. 

"That was another excellent learning experience from a football and education perspective. 

"During my time in Cork I played with Kilreen Celtic and a short time with Castleview under the great Patsy Freyne, however, my focus then was more on coaching where I met Mick Conroy through the FAI coaching qualifications and went onto to do my UEFA B Licence in 2006. 

"I spent 15 years from 2000-2015 supporting the Cork Schoolboys representative teams, while enjoying time with Knockavilla in the AUL and the AUL Oscar Traynor team for a number of years, before spending time with UCC. 

"Then I returned to Bandon and managed them for three-year spell, bringing them to the MSL Premier Division for the club's first time. 

"My final coaching role was in 2016 with Cork City Women’s FC as first team manager.

“I started working with the FAI as a co-ordinator of the ETB player development programme in 2011, before moving to become the regional manager of the three programmes based in Cork. 

"Then in 2016, I took over the national role of coach education manager. 

"Since then, I have been promoted to Head of Coach Education and more recently as Head of Education and Development in August 2023. "Throughout this time, I have completed the UEFA A Licence in 2011 and then moved onto the UEFA Pro Licence in Northern Ireland with the IFA in 2017. 

"I completed the Pro licence in Northern Ireland as I was managing the course in the FAI and wanted to ensure I had the truest learner experience in another member association.

"I was supported by UEFA to do this and Nigel Best who was responsible for coach education in Northern Ireland facilitated this. 

"This was a great experience with coaches such as Liam Rosenior, Harry Kewell, Benny McCarthy, Herman Hereidesson, Michael Beale, Aidan Davidson and Gavin Dykes.

“Throughout this time I balanced my formal education and coach education, completing the Batchelor of Sports Studies & Physical Education in UCC from 2007-2011 and then I completed a Masters in Education from 2017-2020. 

"While in UCC and throughout this time I was fortunate to have Professor Fiona Chambers as a mentor throughout my studies and she still is to this day.

“For me, personally, Cork has always been rich in its development of coaches.

"I myself have had the chance to avail of some great mentorship throughout the years, working with the likes of Mick Conroy, Liam Murphy, and Stuart Ashton.

"I have had the chance to work with great coaches, like Stuart, Ivan Bevan, Richard Holland, Greg Yelverton, and Frank Kelleher. 

"Over the years I have seen the commitment of Cork coaches to progress through their formal coach development with a number of coaches working their way through the courses.

“Currently, I am a member of the FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma group that launched programmes in recent times by FIFA for technical leaders globally.

"There has been three course cohorts and I am the first from Irish football to complete the programme. 

"In addition to this, I am in the final year of a Professional Doctorate with Dublin City University, with my research focusing on the area of coaching, coach development and the role of the coach developer educator,” O’Regan concluded.