Bohemian FC is delighted to confirm the appointment of Alan Moore as the club’s full-time Academy Director.
The former Ireland international came to the club in April 2024 as men’s first team opposition analyst coach and will take on his new role, based at the club’s academy base in the Oscar Traynor Centre, with immediate effect.
Prior to joining Bohemians, Moore was Head of Academy at Carlisle United and opposition analyst at Wigan Athletic.
As a player, he won eight caps for Ireland during a career that saw him spend 13 years in England with Middlesbrough and Burnley before returning home in 2004 to win two league titles with Shelbourne before finishing his playing career with Sligo Rovers in 2008.
Moore said: “This is a really exciting time to be involved in academy football in Ireland but in particular here at Bohs where the club is working really hard to attract the best young players in the country and to kick on.
“The facilities we have at the Oscar Traynor Centre now are second to none in the league and are the perfect environment to build and grow a successful academy system, and for any young player to come develop and learn their trade.
“The centre is unrecognisable from when I first came to the club two years ago. Every day we come in, something new is being put in place for the benefit of our players and coaches. That’s down to the hard work of people, staff and incredible volunteers, who are determined to ensure that Bohs have the top facility in the country.
“Facilities are really important and we have everything in place to be a success. We now have an academy where we can get the maximum contact hours into kids at every age group.
“Now it’s up to us as staff and coaches to take it to the next level and strengthen the environment we have so players want to come here to learn, progress, and see a pathway to our first teams.
“This is a role I’ve done full-time before in England. For me, this is a really rewarding role seeing how young players develop, the ups and downs that they go through over the course of a 10-year period in a club that is committed to bringing players through to the first team as well as helping coaches progress and develop.
“We are at a similar stage here at Bohs to when I worked in England where we are now properly starting up our academy, so I am familiar with the process and challenge involved. With the experience I have had in the academy system in England before, I believe that will be extremely valuable to my role and to the club.”
Moore’s appointment comes with the support of the League of Ireland Academy Investment Programme supported by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and Sport Ireland.
Moore added: “The FAI got funding from the government to pull two full-time members of staff in the academy systems. We have all gone through a thorough process of interviews with the FAI and then with the club to get this far. It’s an exciting time for the development of academy football in the country and it’s important that the league takes that step in having full-time members of staff now to look after the next generation.”
Director of Football Pat Fenlon said Moore’s appointment is an important next step to drive the club’s academy forward.
Fenlon said: “We’re delighted that Alan has agreed to take on such an important role for the club. He brings a wealth of experience to this role from his time in England both in academies and from his own playing career. As a young player he came through a tough system to build a successful playing career so knows the ups and downs from a personal perspective but also from the other side of it from his experience in academies and full-time football in England.
“As Alan said, there is a really significant amount of work going on behind the scenes to ensure that the club has the best possible academy at the Oscar Traynor Centre and we are determined to build on those strong foundations.
“I would also like to thank Trevor Croly for laying so much of the groundwork for Alan coming in during his time as interim Head of Academy. He has worked extremely hard in putting the structures in place for the club to push forward now, and will continue to play an incredibly important role with the club as manager of our MU20 team.”