The Football Association of Ireland is delighted to announce the appointment of Stephen Rice as Opposition Analyst/Head Scout for the Republic of Ireland senior men's team.

Rice, who was part of the staff for the Andorra and Hungary matches in the summer, takes up the role after he left Crystal Palace where he was U-23 Development Coach.

"It’s a huge honour for me and my family for me to join the Ireland senior men's coaching staff," said Stephen Rice.

"The opportunity to work with and learn from Stephen Kenny at international level is a real privilege, and I can’t wait to get started. It’s an exciting time to be joining the team and having already experienced the fantastic atmosphere within the squad on the last camp, I'm really looking forward to the upcoming games."

"Stephen was part of the staff for the matches against Andorra and Hungary, and we're delighted he has taken up a full-time role with the team," said Ireland manager Stephen Kenny.

"He has an impressive skillset when it comes to analysing teams and players, and he is an important addition to the coaching staff ahead of September's matches."

Stephen Rice started at Coventry City as a player and returned to the League of Ireland where he had an impressive career with Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers, where he was captain, and Longford Town. Rice was part of the famous Shamrock Rovers 2011 UEFA Europa League side who became the first Irish team to reach the group stages of the competition.

Stephen joined the FAI in 2010 where he worked as a Development Officer whilst completing a Masters in Sport and Science at UCD, his UEFA Pro Licence and the UEFA Certificate in Football Management. Stephen displayed his analytical skills in 2020 with various webinars where he presented in-depth analysis of the Belgium national team and Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. Rice was also the Head Coach of the DDSL Kennedy Cup team and the Shamrock Rovers U-17 & U19 Head Coach before joining Crystal Palace in August 2020.