Stephen Rice appointed to Stephen Kenny's Ireland backroom team

Rice takes up the role as opposition analyst/head scout after leaving Crystal Palace where he was U23 development coach

Fri, 13 Aug, 2021 - 19:31

Stephen Barry

Stephen Rice has been appointed to Stephen Kenny's Republic of Ireland backroom team as opposition analyst/head scout.

Rice takes up the role after leaving Crystal Palace where he was U23 development coach, replacing Ruaidhrí Higgins who stepped away last April to become Derry City manager.

The 36-year-old Dubliner Rice was part of Kenny's staff for Ireland's friendlies against Andorra and Hungary during the summer. His next task will be analysing Portugal for the September 1 World Cup qualifier before games in the following week against Azerbaijan and Serbia.

"Stephen was part of the staff for the matches against Andorra and Hungary, and we're delighted he has taken up a full-time role with the team," said Kenny.

"He has an impressive skill set when it comes to analysing teams and players, and he is an important addition to the coaching staff ahead of September's matches."

📄✍🏻👀……………..
— Stephen Rice (@Stephenrice_6) August 13, 2021

The former Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers footballer first joined the FAI in 2010 as a development officer while completing a master's in sport and science at UCD, his Uefa Pro Licence, and the Uefa Certificate in Football Management.

Rice was head coach of the Kennedy Cup team and the Shamrock Rovers U17s and U19s before joining Crystal Palace in August 2020.

"It’s a huge honour for me and my family for me to join the Ireland senior men's coaching staff," said Rice.

"The opportunity to work with and learn from Stephen Kenny at international level is a real privilege, and I can’t wait to get started. It’s an exciting time to be joining the team and having already experienced the fantastic atmosphere within the squad on the last camp, I'm really looking forward to the upcoming games."

An FAI press release noted that Rice displayed his analytical skills in 2020 with various webinars where he presented in-depth analysis of the Belgium national team and Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.