Damien Duff signs new long term Shels deal | OneFootball

June 20th, 2024: Shelbourne Football Club is thrilled to announce that Damien Duff has signed a new long-term contract with the club.

Joining Duff in committing their futures to the club are Joey O’Brien, assistant manager, David McAllister, first team coach, Mauro Martins, strength and conditioning coach, and Paul Skinner, goalkeeping coach.

This new long term agreements solidifies Duff and his coaching staff’s commitment to the club for the foreseeable future and demonstrates the club’s ambition to bring Shelbourne FC back to the pinnacle of Irish football.

Duff has been an integral part of the club’s resurgence in recent years, bringing an elite mentality, experience, expertise, and passion to his role. Under his guidance, the team has seen remarkable growth and development, the board of Shelbourne FC are thrilled to continue this journey together.

Duff joined the Reds in November 2021 and quickly went about stabilising the club in the Premier Division. In his first season at the helm, Duff led Shels to a comfortable 7th place finish and a first FAI Cup final appearance since 2011.

The progress continued in 2023 with the Reds securing a 4th placed finish, amid difficult circumstances off the pitch, with Duff guiding Shels back to European competition for the first time in 18 years.

The 2024 season began brightly with Shels leading the way in the League of Ireland Premier Division, amid a number of important results across the first half of the campaign including Dublin Derby wins over Shamrock Rovers, St Patrick’s Athletic and Bohs.

Damien Duff, Shelbourne FC Manager said: “The players, the staff and the club are always in my heart and in my head. Time to rise again.”

Joey O’Brien, Shelbourne FC Assistant Manager said: “Re-signing with Shelbourne FC is a proud moment for me. It’s been my first experience of coaching and I’ve loved the challenge. The manager has been brilliant, the job he has done over the last two-and-a-half years is incredible, the growth in this team is clear for everyone to see and it has been a pleasure to watch it from the inside, what’s most exciting is what we can do next. The club’s ambition and the passion of our supporters make Tolka Park an incredible place to be. I am excited about what the future holds and committed to bringing success back to this club.”

Mauro Martins, Shelbourne FC Strength and Conditioning coach said: “Signing a new long-term contract with Shelbourne FC is an exciting step. Shelbourne FC is the only club I represented in Ireland, and I feel a special connection to the club and Tolka Park. I love working with the staff and it was a very  easy decision to continue here. A special mention to the players, the gaffer and the staff, it has been an amazing experience and his commitment and passion are essential to our continued success, we are thrilled to move forward together.”

Luke Byrne, Shelbourne FC Technical Director said: “It’s absolutely amazing news for everybody connected with the club that Damien and his coaching staff have signed new long term deals with Shelbourne. Damien has given his life to this club, his players and our fans since the day he walked through the door and we see our futures together. It can not be underestimated how big a part in the club’s recent growth Damien, Joey, Paul, David, and Mauro have played. We are all very determined to continue progressing as a team and we are aligned on how we believe we can do that. Damien and his staff have done an incredible job and we will continue supporting them in driving standards on and off the pitch. Joey and Mauro are top class in their field and along with Davey, Paul, Anthony and Rory they make up what I believe is the best staff in the country.”

Barry Mocke, Shelbourne FC CEO said: “We are thrilled to have Damien Duff and his coaching staff commit to new long-term contracts with Shelbourne FC. Damien’s dedication, vision, and leadership are invaluable to our club, and we look forward to achieving great things together. I would like to thank the shareholders and board members for backing this decision. We are working toward a sustainable and successful club and this is an important step. We’re delighted to have a special group of people leading our first team, and the commitment of Damien, Joey, David, Mauro and Paul to Shelbourne is a huge boost to the club for the coming years.”

Tickets for our next three League of Ireland games at Tolka Park are live now.