Donagh O’Brien and Darren Aherne.KERRY Football Club has announced two key roles within the Kerry FC academy — Darren Aherne as the club’s first Head of Coaching, and Donagh O’Brien as the Kingdom’s Head of Academy.
These roles are funded through the League of Ireland Academy Investment Programme supported by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and Sport Ireland.
Kerry FC thanked Minister Patrick O’Donovan and Minister Charlie McConalogue for their support in helping the Club to secure the funding for these roles.
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Darren Aherne is a well-known figure in the soccer world within the county, having been one of the key people in getting the Kerry DL into the League of Ireland in 2015.
Working with the FAI for some 17 years, Darren brings all that experience to his new role as Head of Coaching with the club.
Donagh O’Brien is another recognisable face in Mounthawk Park, having steered the MU20s to Shield honours in 2025. Donagh stepped in as the interim Head of Academy last year and oversaw the inclusion of our Women’s Development League side in 2026, the latest addition to our ever-growing Academy here in the Kingdom.
Kerry FC are battling on 6 fronts in the League of Ireland Academy, catering for boys aged from 13 to 20 and girls from 15 to 23, along with our new Academy age groups – open to all boys and girls from the ages of 6 to 8 years old.
This is also backed by a Junior Skills Academy, provided for all boys and girls from the ages of 7 to 13 who would like some extra training with UEFA-qualified coaches in the heart of Kerry.
Speaking on the announcements, Kerry FC CEO Billy Dennehy said, “We are delighted to welcome both Darren and Donagh to the club in full-time roles. For Darren, this is a full circle moment for him, having been involved in 2015 when the first Kerry side entered into the League of Ireland Academy structures at Under 17 level. Darren brings invaluable experience to the role, having worked directly with the FAI for the last 17 years. Darren’s experience will help ensure our Academy coaches are best placed to implement the highest standards of training sessions and match preparation in alignment with the Kerry FC player development philosophy.”
Billy added: “For Donagh, this is a huge opportunity for another local Kerry person to work full-time in a League of Ireland club. Having previously stepped in as the interim Head of Academy, Donagh has worked very hard over the last year in managing the Academy day-to-day operations and supporting all the academy teams, including his own MU20 side who won the Shield last November in a tough game against Shamrock Rovers. His hard work and commitment to the club over the last number of years have shown he is the right person for the role. Everyone in the club wishes both Darren and Donagh the very best of luck in their new roles. We are very thankful to Sport Ireland and the League of Ireland Academy administration for helping us to make this next step.”
