SOLIHULL Moors have appointed former Republic of Ireland international Stephen Ward as the club’s new director of football.
Ward was most recently assistant manager at National League North side Brackley Town who lost in the play-off final last season.
The 37-year-old’s appointment comes in the wake of the surprise departure of former Moors boss Neal Ardley with Ward currently undertaking a MSC Degree in Sporting Directorship through the Global Institute of Sport.
Ward said: “First of all, I am delighted to be here and get started in the role at Moors.
“After meeting the chairman, I was firstly very impressed by him and his vision for the club, along with the clear ambition to progress and achieve Football League status.
“I was impressed by the set up both at the stadium and the training ground in Studley, as well as the club’s ambition to be the best both on and off the pitch.
“The club’s desire to be a first in class community club is one which resonates with me, as does its continuing aim to connect with the community.
“I hope to further this by strengthening the existing ties we have with Midlands based sides at both a professional and grass roots level.
“The club has established a viable pathway to its first team through the Elite Academy whose success is no more apparent than by several of its graduates making their professional debuts last season.
“I will use the knowledge that I have gained through my 20-year career, playing at the top level to help the club move forward in its aspirations both on and off the pitch.”
Moors chairman, Darryl Eales, added: “I’m delighted to welcome Stephen to Moors and believe we are fortunate to have an individual of his calibre in the newly created role of director of football.
“Alongside Stephen, we will appoint a head coach in the near future and, in the interim, James Quinn will welcome the players back to pre-season training.
“Stephen’s appointment is part of our programme of continuous improvement and he will oversee all our football activities.
“He buys in to Moors community club mentality and our ambition to try and achieve Football League status.
“Stephen will bring the highest standards of professionalism and work ethic to the club.
“His appointment compliments our extra investment in recruitment, led by Joe Taylor, our launching of our Young Player Programme and our desire to develop an excellent pathway for home grown players and our plan to develop much closer relationships with local clubs.
“Stephen is intelligent, articulate, well connected and well liked in the game and I look forward immensely to working with him.”
Ward made more than 500 appearances during his playing career for the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley, Stoke City and Ipswich Town, twice winning promotion to the Premier League.
He also earned 50 caps for the Republic of Ireland national team, scoring three goals, and featured at both Euro 2012 and Euro 2016.
