Kieran McKenna (born 14 May 1986) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player, who is currently the manager of EFL Championship side Ipswich Town.
Early life
McKenna was born in London but was raised in the Northern Irish county of Fermanagh.[3]
Playing career
McKenna began his footballing career as a youth team player at Northern Irish sides Enniskillen Town United and Ballinamallard United.[4][2]
He joined Tottenham Hotspur as a youth player in 2002, after signing a scholarship contract with Spurs.[5]
He represented Northern Ireland at both under-19 and under-21 level. He was made captain of Northern Ireland’s under-19s side at the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Championship by coach Mal Donaghy.[5]
In 2009, at the age of 22, McKenna retired from playing due to an ongoing hip injury which prevented him from making a senior first-team appearance for Tottenham.[4]
Coaching career
Early roles and development
After retiring from playing, McKenna started his career in coaching whilst studying a Sports Science degree at Loughborough University. During his time studying, McKenna spent time as a youth coach at Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, and Canadian side Vancouver Whitecaps.
Tottenham Hotspur
Upon graduating from Loughborough University, McKenna was hired as the Head of Academy Performance Analysis at Tottenham Hotspur.[6]
McKenna was offered the role of Academy Coach at Liverpool,[4] but remained at Spurs, coaching various age groups at the Tottenham Academy set-up, before being placed in charge of Tottenham Hotspur’s under-18s side.[7] During his tenure at Tottenham, McKenna guided the under-18s to the semi-final of the FA Youth Cup in 2015.[4]
