Former Northern Ireland captain Aaron Hughes has been appointed as technical director by the Irish Football Association.
Hughes will join the governing body’s senior leadership team and help to develop key performance football staff, including senior managers.
Northern Ireland men’s team are currently without a manager after Ian Baraclough was sacked last month.
Hughes joined the IFA last year as an elite football development consultant.
“This is an exciting time for the Irish FA and I am eager to get started in playing a key role in all areas of our operation,” said Hughes, who won 112 international caps.
“People often underestimate the reach of the Irish FA. We are central, along with our partners and stakeholders, to shaping people’s lives through football and I am looking forward to making a positive contribution at every level of the footballing pyramid.”
As well as working with senior managers, Hughes will also help to develop pathway and academy managers as well as departments across the Irish FA group.
The IFA said that, as part of the new role, Hughes will “focus on the continuous improvement of elite football through the creation of a high performance culture in a wide-ranging role covering men’s and women’s football”.
The former Newcastle United, Fulham, Aston Villa and Hearts defender has recently returned from Geneva, where he concluded his Uefa MIP (Executive Master for International Players), a bespoke course run by European football’s governing body which upskills former international players in the administration and management of the game off the pitch.
