Reading Football Club recently secured their status as a Category 1 academy, this result rightly recognised the outstanding work being undertaken by many staff and players at the Club, but ultimately though, this result came down to the astute leadership of Eamonn Dolan, who passed away this week, writes Ged Roddy, the Premier League's Director of Youth.
Eamonn, who on Thursday lost his brave battle with cancer at the age of 48, has shaped the development of the academy over the last 12 years and the great successes achieved can be traced back to his passion, his boundless enthusiasm, and his positive approach to every aspect of player development at the club.
When the Elite Player Performance Plan was launched in 2009 it faced a lot of sceptics, but right from the start Eamonn was a willing champion.
He was happy to take the lead and advocate for change in the way that young players are coached and educated across England. He became an important and critical friend, always willing to challenge and test but also there to support and cajole in equal measure.
Eamonn also saw the urgent need for the improvement in the training of coaches and he was a passionate advocate for the development of a 'coaching fraternity' that could drive the quality of coaching across all professional clubs.
Taking the lead in this way Eamonn made a massive contribution to the modernisation of youth development not just at Reading but right across the professional game.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of dropping in to watch the academy games at Reading. What I witnessed were talented young players being enthusiastically and expertly coached. Some great football and smiling faces all over the place, even the parents seemed to be enjoying themselves!
Next season I will go back to Reading and I know that I will still receive the same warm welcome and watch a similar level of coaching and playing.
I now know that Eamonn will not be there himself but his great legacy is the environment that he has built and the people that he has developed at Reading and I know that they will continue to champion the things that he held so dear for many years to come.
Eamonn's impact has been so positive on so many people inside of the game. He was a special character who always conducted himself with great integrity and humility. Sadly, there are too few people that have the all-round human qualities that he possessed and he will be massively missed.
For more on Dolan's career at Reading, visit readingfc.co.uk.
