Salthill Devon is delighted to announce that Tony Mannion has been appointed as the club’s new Head Coach. He will take up his position effective 1st January, 2012.
Hugely respected within the game, Tony’s new role will entail not only responsibility for the management and coaching of the Airtricity League team but will also embrace all aspects of directing and developing the coaching structures across the full spectrum of the club including Nipper Academy, Juvenile and Youth, Girls and Ladies, U19 Airtricity League and adult football.
Tony returns to Salthill Devon after a number of years during which he has been working with the FAI in the role of Coach Educator. He has played a pivotal role in the development of coaching at all levels throughout the country during his tenure at the FAI, working closely with technical directors Packie Bonner and more recently with Wim Koevermans.
With his vast experience of League of Ireland football and his acknowledged commitment to coaching and developing local players, Tony Mannion will be expected to revitalise the club’s impact on the game where the brave decision to compete at the highest level with home grown talent, on an amateur basis, has proved a real challenge.
A club spokesman said, “We have selected Tony Mannion for this critical role as Head Coach of the club because of his pedigree in the game, his unambiguous commitment and deep understanding of the game and the ethos of our club. Tony was the Project Manager on the development of the Drom facilities and he appreciates the depth of the club’s commitment to the development of each individual player to be the best that he/she can be, while also developing our volunteer coaches who are critical to providing individual focus and attention to the large number of children entrusted to our care.”
“Continuous development both on and off the field is key and Tony Mannion’s track record in the game we feel personifies that attitude and aspiration”.
“Salthill Devon entered the ‘A’ Championship and the League of Ireland First Division to provide a platform for the outstanding young players we produce, to compete at the highest level. After two years in the First Division we concluded that we need to make changes in how we prepare and compete, and key to that change was the requirement to appoint a Head Coach.
It is a logical progression for the very best of the youth players and, a goal to aspire to for the generation of talented players at the lower age groups. Outstanding coaching is the lynchpin of success and a significant part of Tony Mannion’s brief will be to bring that coaching effort to the next level”.
Tony Mannion stated, “Salthill Devon are committed to a long-term strategic and sustainable plan which involves hard work and an ongoing commitment to development – across the board – players, coaches and facilities. Only with such a vision do I believe that the future of the game can be secured and a true legacy built for future generations.”
The appointment of Tony Mannion, while a ‘homecoming’of sorts, also reflects the growth and progression of both the club and Tony himself in the past decade. Tony Mannion personifies an attitude to achieving success that Salthill Devon shares. Success is not all about winning cups and leagues – it is about doing things properly and, where that is done, success we believe will follow.
“Tony will oversee all aspects of the football development at Salthill Devon and we see his appointment as a new beginning at all levels in the club. We are looking forward to 2012 being an exciting and fulfilling experience from the Nippers Academy right through to the Airtricity League” said the club spokesman.