Limerick man Noel Mooney to remain as Wales chief executive until 2030

The former League of Ireland shotstopper will remain with the FAW.

Fri, 09 Jan, 2026 - 15:08

John Fallon

Cappamore man Noel Mooney has been granted a contract extension until 2030 as chief executive of the Welsh football association.

The former goalkeeper for his native Limerick, Cork City and Shamrock Rovers initially worked as the League of Ireland marketing manager, returning to the FAI on secondment as interim general manager in 2019 following the contentious departure of John Delaney.

His footballing experience was primarily in Uefa, with whom he worked for 10 years before was handed his first chief executive’s job in 2021.

Since then, Wales' men's national team have qualified for a first World Cup for 64 years while the women's side made their major tournament debut at last summer's Euros - edging Ireland in a playoff.

According to a statement from the FAW, the governing body has "undergone a far-reaching period of modernisation, delivering sustained progress on and off the pitch".

It’s not all been rosy, as 49-year-old Mooney had to deny reports that he favoured replacing men’s team manager Rob Page with Roy Keane.

"Complete baloney” was how he described the media story, after captain Ben Davies highlighted the issue as “not helpful” in the run-up to a Euro 2024 qualifier. Page has since been replaced by Craig Bellamy.

Mooney was also influential in the joint co-hosting bid by UK and Ireland for Euro 2028. Cardiff’s 80,000-capacity Principality Stadium will stage the tournament opener and a quarter-final.

Off the pitch, the FAW's charitable arm, the Cymru Football Foundation has distributed almost £30 million across grassroots facilities in Wales since being established in 2022.

Ex-FAI head of football Marc Canham was last year retained by the FAW as a football, technical and performance advisor to help design a new 10-year high-performance strategy. This will be launched during this year, to coincide with the association’s 150th anniversary.

"We are on a fantastic journey, and I want to thank everyone who is supporting us and Welsh football more generally," said Mooney.

"We were confident that we could build a great sports organisation and we have already achieved so much in a relatively short space of time.

"However, we have a lot to do to become the world-class football association that we can and must become, and we are absolutely determined to deliver this fully before I pass the baton on to the next leader."

FAW president Mike Jones added: "Noel has brought a new level of ambition and collaboration to Welsh football, enabling us to grow at every level.

"Noel cares deeply about every club, league and area association in Wales, which we see every day in how he leads the organisation."

FAW independent chair Alys Carlton said: "The FAW board is delighted to see Noel extend his time leading the FAW, and I know he is determined to leave a legacy that will see Welsh football stronger than ever.

"He has immersed himself in Welsh culture and society, keen to understand what is possible, but also pushing the boundaries beyond what is expected of a sports organisation."