LARNE are now set to benefit from the coaching skills of Mollie Gilmore as their new Girls Academy Director, as part of the ongoing restructuring of the women’s game at Inver Park. Mollie successfully performed similar roles at Bangor and Linfield.
Mollie, who will combine her academy position with her role as a first team player for Larne Women’s first team, is a well-respected figure within academy football in Northern Ireland and currently possesses a UEFA C Licence.
Having begun her coaching career at Bangor, Mollie played a key role in establishing the girls academy at Clandeboye Road. From there, she made the move to Linfield, spending seven-and-a-half years at Windsor Park as Girls Academy Director and once again having a pivotal impact on the development of girls’ football at the club.
As Girls Academy Director at Inver Park, Mollie will be responsible for overseeing the growth of girls football at the club – an area which has benefitted from significant growth in numbers and interest over the past five years. By taking up the new role, she replaces the departing Amanda Morton, who has stepped down to focus on opportunities away from Inver Park.
Joining Mollie within the academy set-up is her husband Peter Gilmore, who also will support the Girls Academy Director duties in a similar arrangement to their work at previous clubs.
Speaking of her new role, Mollie said: “I’m really pleased to have had the opportunity to take up this position within the girls academy at Larne Football Club.
“After leaving Linfield, I met with some of the board members at Larne and our conversations left me very excited about the drive and determination which the club has to raise the standards of girls’ football at Inver Park.
“We shared some open discussions about the direction the club wants to go and I recognised how well they value and respect their members of staff, so I can’t wait to get going and implement all of our shared ideas within the academy set-up.
“It’s a really exciting time to be involved with the club in any capacity and having spent two seasons here already as a player, I know first-hand how professional the operations, facilities and structures are at the club which will act as solid foundations for what we want to achieve going forward.”
“The plans we have at the club have the potential to revolutionise player development in Northern Ireland and I can’t wait to play my part in delivering these objectives.”
