Local man Andy O’Boyle has been appointed as Manchester United’s Deputy Football Director, further strengthening leadership across the club’s football department.
The Ballymena native grew up along with with his four siblings on the family’s County Antrim farm, and is a former pupil of St Louis Grammar School in the town.
Speaking to the Coventry Telegraph in 2009, O’Boyle said:
“I came over to England from Northern Ireland after my A-levels and went to Liverpool University and then got a football scholarship to Rhode Island in the United States, which was meant to be for four years but I stayed for a year.
“The thing that impressed me out there was the strength conditioning and what was happening in the gym.
“I came back and was doing my coaching and sports science when I started working with the younger players at Wrexham.
“I was offered a job at Manchester United’s academy working with nine and ten-year-olds but then started looking after the first team at Wrexham, which I did for a couple of years before coming to Coventry at the start of the season.
“I grew up near Ballymena, one of five children. I have a brother who is a vet in America, one who is training to be a policeman in Canada, a sister who is a dentist and another brother who lives at home on my parents’ farm.
“I go back home for a few days in the summer and help out on the farm and switch off from football.
“We have sheep, goats, turkeys and cows and when I wasn’t playing football or Gaelic football as a kid, I was helping on the farm after school.”
Speaking of O’Boyle’s imminent return to the Club, Manchester United stated he will leave his current role as Head of Elite Performance at the Premier League to join United this summer.
He will provide support to John Murtough, Football Director, in driving the club’s football strategy across the first team, Academy and women’s team.
The appointment marks a return to Carrington for O’Boyle, 16 years after he served as a coach in our Academy, working with young players including Marcus Rashford. “We are delighted to welcome Andy back to Manchester United to take up this important role in the club’s leadership,” said Murtough. “Andy has experience across all technical areas of football, from fitness and sports science to scouting and recruitment. “This will make him a valuable addition to my team at Carrington as we continue to strengthen leadership and strategic planning across all our football activities.”
O’Boyle said: “I am thrilled to be rejoining Manchester United at such an exciting time for the club, as the first team prepares for a fresh start under Erik ten Hag, and the Academy and women’s teams go from strength to strength.
“Whilst it has been a privilege to serve the Premier League for the past five years, I can’t wait to get started at United and play my part in creating the right environment for football success.”
O’Boyle is due to complete his UEFA Pro Licence this summer, and he is also working towards a doctorate having already achieved a Masters in sports science.
At the Premier League, he has been responsible for advising clubs on talent identification and recruitment, performance analysis, sports science and medicine, psychology, and loan management.
He was also at the heart of the Premier League’s response to Covid — liaising with the government and clubs on protocols to keep football going through the pandemic.
A lifelong United fan, O’Boyle played as a youngster in a Manchester United Centre of Excellence in his native Northern Ireland before switching focus to coaching and sports science.
Before the Premier League, he held roles at Liverpool FC, England Under-21s, Coventry City and Wrexham FC.