Republic of Ireland Under-21s Head Coach Jim Crawford has extended his contract with the Football Association of Ireland, which will see him lead the team for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification campaign.
Crawford, who took over the role in April 2020, has steered Ireland to an all-time high U-21 UEFA ranking of 16th—a rise of 14 places since his appointment.
Under his stewardship, the Ireland U-21s have achieved a record points tally of 19 in the last two campaigns, which has also seen 10 players progress to the senior international team from the U-21s, including recent senior debutants Jake O’Brien, Tom Cannon, Mark McGuinness, and Andrew Moran. Additionally, of the most recent senior men’s international squad for the November matches against Finland and England, 12 players of the squad had played under Crawford at the U-21 level.
Reflecting on his contract renewal, Crawford said, “To manage, lead, and coach the U-21s team is a huge privilege and a massive honour, so I’m over the moon to extend my contract.
“The staff and players who I’ve worked with since my appointment have given me everything, and the by-product of this is there’s a real belief in Irish football that one day our Under-21s can go on, achieve history, and reach a first-ever European Championship.
“Work has already begun to develop the next generation of Under-21s. We capped 15 players since our game against Iceland, who qualified for the next qualifiers, and we had a brilliant week with a group in Marbella in November, which saw us beat Sweden.
🇮🇪✍️ FAI agree contract extension with Under-21 Head Coach Jim Crawford
Crawford will take charge for 2027 UEFA European U21 Championship qualification campaign 🇮🇪
Ireland have risen from 30th to 16th in the UEFA rankings under Crawford ⬆️
Full details ⤵️— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) January 10, 2025
“It’s exciting, and I’m looking forward to a new challenge with a new group.”
FAI Chief Football Officer Marc Canham added: “We are delighted to secure the services of Jim Crawford for another U-21s campaign. While the main focus of the U-21s is player development, Jim has proven his quality by developing players and remaining a challenger for European Championship qualification over the last few years.
“One of Jim’s biggest achievements has been his ability to nurture the pathway from the U-21s to the senior team. In the most recent senior squad, more than 50 percent of the players had played under Jim during his time as head coach of the U-21s.
“This has helped establish a strong relationship between our underage and senior setups and has expanded the pool of players experiencing high-level international football for the senior men’s team under Heimir Hallgrímsson.”
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