Clyde Role an Honour for Willie
Following his recent appointment as the club’s Youth Academy Director, Willie O’Neill agreed to speak to the official website to introduce himself to supporters.
Willie started by giving a bit of background on himself and his link with The Bully Wee:-
“I have been involved with youth activities in football and rugby for a number of years now, taking on various roles from running teams to sponsorship. For me, this is fantastic opportunity to bring together all my years’ experience and my business knowledge.
“Clyde is a fantastic club and there is a great structure in place. When I was asked by the board to become involved I said yes straight away – I did not even have to think about it. I am looking forward to being part of the club’s long-term future and working with guys like the gaffer (Jim Duffy), our Head of Youth Alan Upton and of course the Board of Directors.”
Having started the role with the club in November, Willie has already settled into a busy weekly schedule as he explained:-
“Starting with a Sunday morning at Broadwood, I take in a youth academy game from the under-13s to under-19s… I leave the house at around 10am and I normally get back around 3.30pm. On Mondays and Wednesdays I spend my nights catching up with paperwork and emails on club matters. On Tuesdays and Fridays I am usually at Broadwood at night and I take in another youth game or watch training to pick up some tips from our highly trained coaching staff.
“On a Saturday I usually go out and catch a community game in the morning and then go to the Clyde game in the afternoon. The rest of the time is spent meeting with the team, searching for ways to improve and lift our game. It’s all good fun and never a dull moment but I love it.”
In general terms, Willie was clear about what he wanted to achieve with the club:-
“My biggest task is to bring all areas of the community networks and the youth academy together to act as one. I also want to set up new systems, that are fully transparent and accountable to the Board of Directors.”
Willie concluded, “I would like to say on record that it is not only an honour to be involved with Clyde FC, it’s also a privilege to be part of such a great team of hardworking individuals. I will do all I can to take things to where they should be within the community of the Clyde FC family.”