Waterford FC are delighted to announce the appointment of Paddy Carey as Head of Academy Coaching, who will work alongside Academy Director Johnny Dunleavy leading our Waterford FC Academy.
Paddy joins the club officially with an impressive coaching CV, with experience at local, national, international & UK level since he first began coaching with Southend United in Waterford city.
After his spell with Southend United, he joined League of Ireland side Wexford FC before making the move to the UK where he spent over six years with Reading FC at Bearwood Park.
Paddy returned back to his native Waterford, where he led the ETB FAI Player Development Course for eight years in SETU Arena, where he worked closely with a whole host of current & former Waterford FC academy and first-team players for both our Men’s & Women’s sides.
This role is funded through the League of Ireland Academy Investment Programme supported by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and Sport Ireland. Waterford FC would like to thank Minister Patrick O’Donovan and Minister Charlie McConologue for their support in helping the Club in this invaluable appointment.
Speaking on his appointment, Paddy spoke of his excitement to get straight to work with the club, saying:
“I’m excited to be a part of what’s a new dawn in Irish academy football. We are very much aware of the task at hand and the demands we will be placing on our staff and coaches, but it is all for the greater good and that’s producing brilliant young players and people.
It’s a really exciting club to be at at the minute and that energy feeds down to us. It’s not lost on us either the work that has gone on before and we aim to build on that as best we can. I’m looking forward to working with and alongside the wider Waterford football community and anyone that knows me knows I’ll be available to help with anything in that regard and make Waterford football the strongest landscape we can.
Having started the role in recent weeks, the support I have already received from within the club, in particular Johnny Dunleavy & Richy Walsh, has helped me settle into my role, and I’m looking forward to evolving the Academy to try and become best in class in all we do.”
Waterford FC Academy Director Johnny Dunleavy is delighted to welcome Paddy to the Academy structure, mentioning:
“It is brilliant to get someone of Paddy’s calibre into the club as Head of Coaching. His experience and knowledge will be invaluable for our coaches and help provide an even better platform for our players’ development. He is also someone who cares deeply about players and their progress on and off the pitch and we are delighted to have him with us in the Academy.
There aren’t many people within the industry with a better knowledge of the game and a bigger network of connections than Paddy, given all of his years of coaching, and we look forward to working together to grow our academy to the next level for the players, coaches & parents here.”
Waterford FC Chief Operating Officer Richy Walsh is pleased to have someone of Paddy’s calibre join our club on a full-time basis, stating:
“Everyone at Waterford FC is delighted to welcome Paddy Carey into the role of Head of Coaching. To have someone of Paddy’s calibre, experience and knowledge joining the club is a hugely positive step for us.
Paddy has a strong connection with Waterford FC, having previously been involved within our academy at different points, and he also brings valuable experience from his time with the Reading Academy in the UK. His work leading the ETB course here in Waterford has also had a significant impact on the development of young players, many of whom have gone on to represent Waterford FC, other clubs around the country and further afield.
His experience across player development, coaching and education will be a fantastic addition to the football club. We believe Paddy can have a really positive impact not only on our players, but also on our coaches and the overall footballing environment at Waterford FC.
We’re looking forward to seeing Paddy bring his knowledge, standards and passion into the club and playing an important role in helping us continue to develop both our people and our football programme.”
Welcome to Waterford FC, Paddy
