2018
UCC’s Greg Yelverton scores UEFA Pro Licence
Greg Yelverton, UCC's Football Development Officer, has graduated amongst the elite in the world of football coaching, after being awarded the FAI’s UEFA Pro Licence.
Greg was awarded the licence at a ceremony in Cork last night, as part of the FAI’s Festival of Football in Cork. Securing the license enables Greg, who studied the course over the past two years while working full-time at UCC, to work at the highest level in world football.
Greg is one of the 14 latest recipients of football’s highest coaching qualification, which brings the number of current PRO license coaches in Ireland to just 78, eight of whom hail from the Rebel County.
Greg, who hails from Ballyvolane, Cork, started his football career at his local schoolboy club Leeds AFC. After a successful period with the club, he was signed by Cobh Ramblers Youths before progressing to the CSN Soccer Academy, where Liam Murphy later signed him for Cork City U21s and subsequently the first team. He later travelled to the University of North Carolina on a scholarship.
Greg got his first taste for coaching at the young age of 16 through the FAS/FAI Youth Soccer Training Course with Mick Conroy. Through his involvement at Third Level, Greg was appointed Head Coach of the Irish Colleges & Universities International Team in 2015.
Coaching at International level, and with the natural progression he had in the FAI coaching pathway, the final step was the UEFA PRO License.
According to Greg, highlights of the course included fantastic guest speakers and "visiting other clubs around Europe; this was such a great way to learn and bring back ideas."
On being awarded the licence, he thanked his family, partner Jessica, the Staff in UCC Sport Department, former UCC Director of Sport Declan Kidney he UCC Senior team and coaching staff Noel Healy, Mick Conroy and Conor Uhl and John McCarthy for their ongoing encouragement and support.
Reflecting on his highlights as a coach to date, Greg said: "Coaching my country at the World University Games is nearly as good as representing your country as a player; to lead a squad of players and staff out representing your country was a proud moment."
FAI UEFA Pro Licence Graduates 2018:
Adrian Carberry, Alan Reynolds, Colin O Neill, Frank Kelleher, Gary Cronin, Gerard Dunne, Gerard Nash, Graham O Hanlon, Greg Yelverton, Jim Crawford, Paul Osam, Stephen Bradley, Stephen Henderson, Tommy Barrett.
For more on this story contact:
Emma Martin, Sport Administrator, UCC: 021 490 4776.