NOEL MOONEY, WHO served as the interim General Manager of the FAI during its crisis-ridden days of 2019, has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of the Football Association of Wales. 

He will leave his position as Head of Strategic Development with Uefa to assume the role from 30 August. Mooney is a former League of Ireland goalkeeper, and played for Limerick before moving to Cork City, with whom he won the 1998 FAI Cup. 

He later worked with the FAI, primarily in a marketing role for the League of Ireland. In 2011 he moved to work as marketing manager with Uefa, with whom he was subsequently promoted to a role as head of strategic development. In 2019, with the beleaguered FAI kept afloat by loans from Uefa, he was seconded to work from Abbottstown as the Association’s General Manager on a temporary basis.

He returned to Uefa after a six-month stint. 

He has today been announced as the new CEO of the Welsh FA, succeeding Jonathan Ford, who stood down in March following a vote of no confidence passed by the FA Wales’ Council. 

“In this next chapter for Welsh football, we will grow and evolve the game to become more popular and successful”, said Mooney. “The mission is very clear and I can’t wait to work with everyone in Welsh football to reach our full potential. I have enjoyed collaborating with great people to grow European football at Uefa for the past decade and now the focus will be on ensuring that the FAW becomes one of the best football associations globally at all levels by being strong locally in every village and town across Wales.”