Former Dundalk full-back Shane Grimes will be part of the club’s academy setup in 2023.
The 35-year-old has been involved with the club’s pre-academy this season and will assume the mantle of BU14 academy team manager for the 2023 EA SPORTS National Underage League campaign.
After coming through the ranks at Oriel Park, Grimes made his debut for the Lilywhites in 2005 and was part of the Dundalk squad that won promotion back to the Premier Division three years later.
Successful spells at Monaghan United and Drogheda United followed before he returned to Oriel Park ahead of the 2015 season.
He went on to pick up two SSE Airtricity League Premier Division titles (2015 and 2016) and an EA Sports Cup (2017) medal with Dundalk before signing for Cliftonville. He retired in the summer of 2018 after helping the Reds to the IFA Cup final.
“I’m delighted to be back involved with the club again,” Grimes told dundalkfc.com. “I was in with Thomas McShane at the pre-academy this year with a view to taking the U14s in 2023 and it was a great learning experience for me.
“I’m looking forward to helping all the young lads and it would be great to be able to pass on some of my experience which will hopefully help them to develop as footballers and human beings in the future.”
With the 2023 EA SPORTS National Underage League season kicking off in February, Grimes said he will be a busy man during the festive period.
“We’ll be getting down to business over the next weeks, finalising squads and getting the boys ready with their programme over the Christmas period ahead of pre-season. I can’t wait to get going.”
Elsewhere, Thomas McShane will manage the club’s BU15 team in 2023 while Conor Woods and Tiarnan Mulvenna, a former teammate of Grimes, will remain in charge of the BU17 and MU19 squad respectively.
“We’re delighted to have Shane involved with the youth setup,” said Dundalk FC academy director, Derek Boyle.
“As a Dundalk lad who came through the club’s youth system and went on to play, and win trophies, with the first team, he is a great example for all of our young players.
“The 2022 season was a very successful one for the club at underage level and Shane will compliment the very talented young group of managers and coaches that we already have at the club.”
Work and family commitments mean that Simon Kelly, Derek Delany and Shay Quigley, who led the BU15 team to silverware this year, will not be involved in 2023. The club would like to thank all three for the massive contribution they made and hope to see them back involved at some stage in the future.
