Don O'Riordan
Don O’Riordan is an Irish football coach and former professional player, born on 14 May 1957 in Dublin. He mainly played as a midfielder and also served as a central defender at times.
He began his senior career with Derby County (1975–1978), had a loan spell at Doncaster Rovers, then moved to Tulsa Roughnecks in the United States in 1978. He returned to England with Preston North End (1978–1983), Carlisle United (1983–1985), Middlesbrough (1985–1986), Grimsby Town (1986–1988) and Notts County (1988–1993). He also spent time on loan at Mansfield Town (1989) and later played for Torquay United (1993–1995), Scarborough (1995–1996), Gloucester City (1996–1997), had a loan to Dorchester Town, and finished his league playing career with Galway United (1997–1998). He captained Ireland at under-15 and youth levels and played in youth European championships, but he did not win a senior cap for the Republic of Ireland.
After retiring as a player, O’Riordan moved into coaching and management. He was manager of Torquay United (1993–1995) and Galway United (1997–2001), where he introduced a youth policy, before taking charge of Sligo Rovers (2001–2004). In 2004 he joined Sheffield United’s coaching staff and worked with their China-linked project Chengdu Blades; he briefly served as caretaker manager of Chengdu Blades in 2009. He also contributed to coaching with the China women’s team during the Beijing Olympics.
His later roles included head coach/technical director of FC New York in 2010, advisory work with Beijing Baxi Women’s FC (2011) and then as head coach there (2012–2014). In 2014 he became manager of Galway WFC in Ireland’s Women’s National League, a post he held until 2016. He returned to management in 2022 as the manager of Treaty United WFC.
Don comes from a footballing family. His younger brother Brendan played for Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers, while his older brother Dermot is chairman of Cherry Orchard.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 12:38 (CET).