RHYS CARR IS among the new faces in the Republic of Ireland women’s national team set-up this week.
The Welshman has come on board as an assistant coach alongside Colin Healy and Emma Byrne, and is with Eileen Gleeson’s squad in Florence this week ahead of a double-header of friendlies against Italy and Wales.
Excited to start my new role as Assistant Coach for the Ireland WNT as we aim to qualify for Euro 2025
— Rhys Carr (@RhysCarr86) February 13, 2024
Thanks to Eileen Gleeson & Marc Canham at the FAI for the opportunity. Very grateful to Matt Hobbs, Jon Hunter-Barrett & Daz Ryan letting me to do this alongside my Wolves role https://t.co/JQdzpwAKxO
A Uefa A Licence graduate, Carr holds a MSc degree in Sports Coaching and has also undertaken a PhD in Sports and Exercise. He is currently Individual Development Coach at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and will balance his new Irish role with that position going forward.
He has previously worked with a variety of other clubs across Wales and England, including Swansea City — where he worked under Brendan Rodgers — Cardiff City, Bristol City, Sheffield United and Bristol Rovers.
“We feel Rhys adds a whole new skillset,” Ireland head coach Gleeson tells The 42.
“His specialisation is individual coaching, he also does broader coaching but it gives us an opportunity to be really specific about individual development plans and working with units… forwards, midfielders, defenders. That specialisation, while also integrating into the bigger coaching picture.
“We want to build particular development plans for players. Obviously we only see players for a short period during a camp but we want to build that programme and that development in between camps. Rhys can really help with the development of individual plans, as well as specific roles and positions on the pitch.”
Carr largely works with younger players at Wolves, overseeing the development of Academy prospects from U15 to U21 level, while he’s also involved with the first team.
“As an Individual Development Coach, you have to work on developing the whole player,” he told Training Ground Guru in 2021.
“You work on the technical, tactical, physical and mental corners yourself, and liaise with the subject-matter leads in those different areas.
“I have a decent understanding of sport science, having been Head of Fitness and Conditioning at Bristol City (from 2013 to 2017), and I’m a big fan of tactical periodisation, of being able to fit your game model into your week, and how you train.”
He first married the sports science, fitness and technical sides together while at Bristol City in the Championship, and ultimately integrates laser-focused individual development plans into a team setting.
It’s all about helping players become “the best version of themselves,” as Carr explained on the coachbetter podcast last year, with collaboration throughout the staff key.
“The title is new. It is seen as quite innovative and bespoke, but coaches giving players time on an individual level has gone on since the start of the game. I’m not trying to claim to have reinvented the wheel.”
He has described himself as “passionate about player development within high performance and results-driven environments”. In the Ireland set-up, he gets just that.
Captained by Arsenal star Katie McCabe, the Girls In Green featured at their first-ever major tournament in the Women’s World Cup last summer.They followed that up with a 100% record in Uefa Nations League, achieving promotion to League A with six wins from six.
Now, they’re preparing for life in the top flight through this year’s European Championship qualifiers.
Gleeson has placed huge emphasis on integrating younger players since succeeding Vera Pauw at the helm, with Peamount United teenager Jess Fitzgerald the most recent call-up.
Twenty-year-old English-born, Irish-eligible Emily Murphy is another. “She is a good, strong centre forward who feels she can add value,” Gleeson said this morning. “This camp is an opportunity to bring her in and get a further view on her.”
Carr should work closely with both, and others, over the coming days, and seems like a good addition to the set-up for a huge 2024.
“Great character, great experience, and brings a whole new skillset to our support staff which can add value,” Gleeson adds.
“Really happy to have Rhys on board, I think he’ll be a big asset to us.”
