FORMER IRELAND INTERNATIONAL Andy Reid has been promoted to head coach of the U18 national team.
Reid, who lined out 29 times for the Boys In Green at senior level, has been working with the Ireland U18s under Jim Crawford since March 2018, but with Crawford linking up with Stephen Kenny’s U21s, he now takes the reins.
The former Ireland midfielder knows all about underage success on the biggest stage, having helped the Ireland U16s to the Uefa European U16 Championships title in 1998.
On the day of his 34th birthday in July 2016, Reid retired from football and has pursued coaching since calling time on a professional career that included stints with Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, Charlton, Sunderland, Sheffield United and Blackpool.
He has been chasing his coaching qualifications with the FAI in recent years and is part of the current Uefa Pro Licence group.
ANNOUNCEMENT | Former international Andy Reid promoted to #IRLU18 Head Coach role
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) March 6, 2019
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Reid also served as assistant first-team coach at Forest for an interim period, but now his focus is set firmly on his new Ireland U18 management role.
“It is a real honour and privilege to have the opportunity to be appointed the Republic of Ireland Under 18 Head Coach,” Reid said.
“Having played underage football for my country, I understand the pathway these young players are taking.. It will be a real pleasure to help them along the way.
“I have been involved in the set-up over the past 18 months with Jim Crawford and have seen first-hand some of the amazing work he has done. I am keen to maintain that work whilst putting my own stamp on it. I am very grateful to Jim for all of his help so far and I can’t wait to get started.”
FAI High Performance Director, Ruud Dokter added:
“I am delighted to see Andy as the new Head Coach of the Under 18s. He brings a wealth of experience from his playing days and has gone through the pathway from Under 15 all the way up to the senior team.
“Andy is currently participating on our Pro Licence course and managing the Under 18′s is a great opportunity for him to develop further as a manager/coach. I am sure the players will benefit from his passion and great knowledge of the game.”
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