
By Jonathan Brown
IN part two of ‘Blast from the Past’, with Seamus Heath, the former Glentoran man delves into his incredible coaching career.
Seamus explains the part he had to play in developing some of the country’s best footballers and, despite coaching across the globe, why he still sees his input within the Newry, Mourne and Down area as some of his most valuable work.
After Seamus’ playing career came to an end with Cliftonville in 1996, the Belfast man decided he would take his first steps into coaching.
He undertook coaching badges with the IFA shortly after retiring.
“It was a natural progression. When you start to finish playing, you start to think about what you’re going to do next. Some people just walk away from the game completely, but football was all I’d known since I’d left school.
“I have a love for the game and it led me into coaching,” Seamus explained.
On the completion of his coaching badges, impressed with his work, the IFA offered Seamus a part-time role.
“When I got qualified, the IFA must have liked what they saw during my time on the course, so I was straight into working for them, running summer camps in the Down district area.
“I also did some work for the Castlereagh College education scheme for 16 to 18-year-olds. We had players from all over Northern Ireland come on trial for the college; the likes of Lee Feeney, Gerry Flynn and other players that went on to have great careers both in Northern Ireland and in England.
“They would come up and do their studies or learn a trade, like joinery or bricklaying. I’d coach them on a Monday or a Tuesday and we’d play games on a Wednesday.
“We had the best players in the country and we were playing in the Northern Ireland Schools League and the Schools Cup. We were winning both nearly every year.”
In the full piece Seamus talks about what it takes to become a professional player in the modern game, getting Colm Kearnehy into the irish league, and coaching players such as Conall Murtagh, the current head of Liverpool’s Physical Performance department, and Andy Russell, who would go on to play with former Argentina star Javier Mascherano in the Chinese Super League.