** New St Kevin’s Boys head coach Stephen Costello. Picture: Neil Fox/St Kevin’s Boys
IT’S ALL change at St Kevin’s Boys as the club confirmed Stephen Costello as their new head coach with responsibility for overseeing the club’s entire coaching structure.
The Finglas native replaces Alan Caffrey, who recently left the position to take up a full-time role as technical director with League of Ireland side Shelbourne.
Costello, a postman by trade, is steeped in the club’s history having come through the ranks as a teenager before returning as an adult both as a player and a manager.
He spent the past five years in charge of the senior side, during which time they moved to the Leinster Senior League and secured intermediate football for the first time.
Costello will step aside from the senior management role to fully invest himself in continuing what is arguably Ireland’s most successful academy.
“I feel honoured and I feel privileged to be considered, first of all, and to actually get is a huge satisfaction for myself and my family,” he tells the Dublin Gazette.
“It’s a huge role. I think everybody knows the standing St Kevin’s has in Ireland, never mind Dublin, and I’m under now illusions about how big a task it is. “Caffo [Caffrey] has done a wonderful job there and I want to thank him publicly for it, because I’ve been a long time within the club.”
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St Kevin’s Boys have long been associated with the best of the best in senior football, having produced the likes of Liam Brady, Robbie Brady and Stephen Carr, to name a few.
More recently, the club have begun a successful link-up with League of Ireland Bohemians, which has seen them win underage national league titles across age groups.
Costello has already linked up with Bohs’ senior boss Keith Long, as well as the underage managers, with a view to ensuring as smooth a transition as possible.
“It’s good that I am a familiar face around the place, so I’m not a stranger to the Kevin’s lads.
“I had a good talk with Keith Long. I met up with him on Sunday; that was one of the first things we did.
“We got connected, I got connected with the managers of the academy sides, and it’s about getting on and maintaining the levels.
“Nothing will change from my point of view, it’s about maintaining the standards that have been set by Caffo over the past 12 years.”
With 46 teams across the age groups, Costello will have his work cut out to oversee them all but he hopes to get out on the field and do as much practical coaching as he can.
“I am a coach and I like being out on the pitch, so I plan on touch on as many teams as I can, get out and do sessions and see if I can help as many coaches as I can.
“Coaching is all about making connections with people, building relationships and having empathy with people. It’s about creating that safe learning environment for people.
“We’re lucky to have a fantastic facility in regard to the clubhouse and St Aidan’s, so it’s just about making sure the boys are happy.”
