Marc Canham has left his role as the FAI's Chief Football Officer.
The Englishman had been in the job for almost three years, but says he has now decided to relocate back to England.
During his time with the FAI, Canham was involved in recruiting new managers for both the men's and women's national teams.
Last year, he unveiled a 'Football Pathways Plan', which, among other things, advocated for the introduction of an aligned calendar at all levels of the game.
The FAI say Canham will remain with the association as he prepares a handover for his successor.
Canham is understood to have cited personal reasons in explaining his departure to colleagues.
“After much consideration, I have made the decision to leave the Association and relocate back to England. This decision has not been an easy one to come to, but I believe that the time is right to explore new personal and professional opportunities for me and my family. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time living in Ireland and working in Irish football and I am proud of the work that we have put in place to support its long-term development,” said Canham.
“I would like to thank the FAI Board, all of my colleagues at the FAI, and everyone involved in Irish football for their support during my time with the Association. I wish every person, every organisation and everyone associated with Irish football the very best for the future.”
Canham was appointed to the role, initially titled director of football, in August 2022. His highest-profile task was the appointment of a senior men’s manager to succeed Stephen Kenny, whose contract ended in November 2023. The process publicly dragged out way beyond Canham’s self-imposed deadline of April 2024, with Heimir Hallgrimsson finally appointed in July.
Canham got caught in controversy around other appointments, most infamously the non-renewal of Colin Healy’s contract as assistant manager to Eileen Gleeson with the women’s national team. Healy turned down a managerial offer at Cobh Ramblers, claiming he had been verbally guaranteed a contract extension with the FAI by Canham in advance of the Euro 2025 playoff loss to Wales.
Canham thus courted public criticism from high-profile figures in Irish football, most notably Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley.
Canham’s biggest piece of work is the football pathways plan, a new blueprint for the organisation of football at all levels in Ireland. The implementation of a pillar of that pathways plan, a new, summer-centric calendar for the underage and adult amateur sections of the game to align with the League of Ireland season, has been met with heavy resistance from swathes of the grassroots games.
FAI President, Paul Cooke said: “While we are sad to see Marc leave, we fully respect his decision, and I sincerely thank him for his dedication and hard work throughout his time with us. His leadership and hard work in driving forward the Football Pathways Plan has set a strong foundation for the future of Irish football which we all now need to deliver upon. We wish him the very best in his next chapter.”
