Des Ryan is the Director of Sport & Physical Wellbeing at the University of Galway, where he leads the strategic development and management of the university’s sports programs and facilities. With a distinguished career in sports management and performance coaching, Des brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role. Des joins the University of Galway from his position as Director of Coaching & Athletic Development at Setanta College and prior to that Des was the Head of Sport Medicine & Athletic Development at Arsenal Football Club Academy, which he held for 9 years and where he has re-shaped the concept of player development within the world of football. He has also previously served as Head of S&C at Connacht Rugby and as Fitness Education Manager within the IRFU, where he spent over 13 years developing the IRFU’s coach and player development system. Over the years Des has presented at the UKSCA, ASCA and the NSCA conferences as well as many other conferences around the world. He also has worked as a consultant to World Rugby, Brentford FC Academy and the National Cricket academy in India. Des has a Masters in Strength and Conditioning and is also an Accredited Strength and Conditioning coach with the UKSCA. He has achieved the High-Performance Sports Accreditation from the Chartered Association of Sports and Exercise Science.
