Mark Connolly has been appointed Derry City's director of football, just months after leaving the club to join Coleraine in January.
The 34-year-old defender, who ended his playing career earlier this week, returns to the Brandywell club in an off-field capacity. Connolly began his professional journey at Bolton Wanderers and later played for Crawley Town, Kilmarnock, and Dundee United, where he won the Scottish Championship in 2020. He joined Derry City in 2022 after a loan spell at Dundalk and helped the Candystripes lift the FAI Cup in 2022.
"I am delighted to rejoin the club in a new role and can't wait to get started," Connolly said. "I look forward to working with Tiernan (Lynch) and everyone at the club to help create an environment where players, staff, and the academy can thrive."
Coleraine boss Ruaidhri Higgins praised Connolly's professionalism, saying he had a "great influence on the group" during his brief spell at the Showgrounds, where the Bannsiders won the Irish Cup.
"He probably didn't play as much as he would have liked towards the end, but his high level of professionalism remained the same," Higgins said. "Mark has been exemplary with me and my staff throughout our years working together at Derry City and Coleraine. I'm not surprised he's been offered that role as he has all the characteristics to be a success."
Derry City currently sit sixth in the League of Ireland Premier Division and host Bohemians on Friday (19:45 BST), a match available to stream on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website, and app.