JOEY O’BRIEN HAS a new job as part of the Ireland underage setup.
The former West Ham and Bolton player succeeded Damien Duff as Shelbourne manager in June 2025, but departed the role a year later following a disappointing run of results.
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O’Brien, who is currently undertaking his pro licence, will be part of the Ireland U17s coaching set-up, alongside manager John Cotter and Mark Connors.
“He’s played for his country, unbelievable experience as a player first and foremost,” the Football Association of Ireland’s Technical Officer Shane Robinson said.
“I’ve listened to his conversations about his journey from Lourdes Celtic all the way to playing for his country. The people he’s worked with help shape you. I had a conversation about [O'Brien's former manager] Sam Allardyce being ahead of his time, and the different traits and things that shaped him as a person.
“And we want people to influence our players as well in terms of who they are — an unbelievable guy. And we want those people in our system to be able to influence our players as well. Even if it is only for a short time, for our coaches to be around each other, we’re ultimately all working together, like club coaches, international coaches, to drive the development of our players. And I think Joey would really add to that.”
O’Brien will be part of the coaching team for the September international window, though it is yet to be confirmed whether he will be involved in November, when Ireland play at the U17 World Cup in Qatar, where the Boys in Green have been drawn in a group alongside Brazil, Tanzania and Costa Rica.
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Joey O'Brien working with Ireland U17s following Shelbourne departure
JOEY O’BRIEN HAS a new job as part of the Ireland underage setup.
The former West Ham and Bolton player succeeded Damien Duff as Shelbourne manager in June 2025, but departed the role a year later following a disappointing run of results.
O’Brien, who is currently undertaking his pro licence, will be part of the Ireland U17s coaching set-up, alongside manager John Cotter and Mark Connors.
“He’s played for his country, unbelievable experience as a player first and foremost,” the Football Association of Ireland’s Technical Officer Shane Robinson said.
“I’ve listened to his conversations about his journey from Lourdes Celtic all the way to playing for his country. The people he’s worked with help shape you. I had a conversation about [O'Brien's former manager] Sam Allardyce being ahead of his time, and the different traits and things that shaped him as a person.
“And we want people to influence our players as well in terms of who they are — an unbelievable guy. And we want those people in our system to be able to influence our players as well. Even if it is only for a short time, for our coaches to be around each other, we’re ultimately all working together, like club coaches, international coaches, to drive the development of our players. And I think Joey would really add to that.”
O’Brien will be part of the coaching team for the September international window, though it is yet to be confirmed whether he will be involved in November, when Ireland play at the U17 World Cup in Qatar, where the Boys in Green have been drawn in a group alongside Brazil, Tanzania and Costa Rica.
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FAI Joey O'Brien Pastures new Soccer Ireland Republic Shelbourne