THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION of Ireland has announced that David Courell will become the body’s Chief Operating Officer early in 2022.
The Castlebar native, who has been employed by England’s Football Association since 2017, is to succeed Rea Walshe, who is departing to set up a consultancy business.
For the English FA, Courell is currently serving as Head of the 2030 Fifa World Cup Bid Feasibility, which he also leads on behalf of the FAI and the FAs of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
“It was going to require something special to entice me away from the FA but I am hugely excited about moving back to Ireland and taking up this position with the FAI at a time of such transformation and opportunity for Irish football,” said Courell, who has also worked as the FA’s Head of Business Management.
“I have been fortunate to experience first-hand what it takes to make a sporting organisation truly world-class and, as a proud Irishman, I am passionate about working with all stakeholders to apply these learnings and help bolster the FAI’s execution of its new strategy due to be launched in the new year.”
The FAI appoints @davidcourell as Chief Operating Officer
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) December 10, 2021
Details ➡️ https://t.co/cEmDAaVqRi#WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/rF9ziOV9ZO
Courell’s time at the FA also saw him lead on several special projects, including Russia 2018 Fifa World Cup planning for the England senior men’s team.
A graduate of University College Dublin, he was previously a Management Consultant with Deloitte, Operations Manager for the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 London Games, and Director of Operations for the British Paralympic Association.
“One look at David’s CV will highlight how much he will bring to this role in terms of strategic management and business transformation,” FAI CEO Jonathan Hill said.
“He is going to be a key player as we build out from the launch of the FAI Strategy 2022-2025 in January, and I wish him the very best in this new and exciting chapter of his career in football.”
