Colin Caffrey
Ballylynan,Laois
Summary
Passionate and experienced sports development professional with over six years’ experience across community sport, coaching, participation development, and stakeholder engagement. Currently working as a Club Community Rugby Officer, with two years’ experience as a Business Development Professional.
Skilled in building strong relationships with schools, clubs, community groups, and key stakeholders to increase engagement, support player and participant development, and promote inclusive sporting opportunities. Also experienced in leading teams, planning programmes, and delivering coaching in a structured and supportive environment.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work history
Club Community Rugby Officer
Leinster
Kildare
2023.09 - Current
- Works as a Community Rugby Officer, supporting the growth and development of rugby across schools, clubs, and local communities.
- Delivers structured coaching sessions to children and young people across a range of ages, abilities, and experience levels.
- Builds strong working relationships with schools, clubs, coaches, parents, and community stakeholders.
- Promotes participation in sport through inclusive, engaging, and well-organised programmes.
- Supports player development by creating a positive, safe, and encouraging coaching environment.
- Plans and coordinates school and community-based rugby initiatives, events, and development programmes.
- Acts as a key link between Leinster Rugby and local clubs, schools, and community groups.
- Uses strong communication, leadership, and organisational skills to support grassroots sport and long-term participation.
Business Development Manager
Oman Beverly Smyth
Kill, Co Kildare
2020.09 - 2023.08
- Identified and closed new business opportunities through strategic networking, enhancing valuable client bases.
- Oversaw full sales lifecycle from prospecting clients to closing deals.
- Attended prominent industry exhibitions and events across Ireland
- Collaborated with cross-company departments, developing new strategies to capitalise on emerging customer trends.
- Closed complex, lucrative deals with new customers.
- Generated leads to bring in new client revenue and improve bottom-line profitability.
- Contacted and converted potential customers via telephone, email and in-person enquiries.
- Managed budgets and inventory to minimise costs and maximise profits.
- Spearheaded contract negotiation to obtain favourable terms for quality, cost and delivery requirements.
- Coordinated dispatching of transport vehicles distributing goods across Ireland .
- Directed daily operations to achieve maximum output and reduce costs.
- Liaised with customers and other departments to plan timely transportation of goods.
- Planned logistics across international boundaries to reliably meet delivery requirements.
Community Rugby Officer
Leinster Rugby
Dublin, Dublin
2018.09 - 2020.03
- Accurately maintained relevant records and statistics.
- Maintained exceptional health and safety standards to best support student wellbeing.
- Trained young adults using various drills and coaching methods.
- Delivered fun, safe and educational PE lessons to groups of children in a school environment.
- Tailored training programmes to meet individual needs, balancing constructive criticism with motivational praise.
- Consistently applied effective, innovative coaching methods to meet and exceed team needs.
- Motivated individuals and groups to achieve positive results against set goals.
- Delivered lessons with enthusiasm and positivity to inspire students to consistently achieve against health and engagement goals.
Education
Ordinary Bachelors Degree Business - Sports, Exercise and Enterprise
Dundalk Institute of Technology
Dundalk, Louth2017-08
Skills
- Networking ability
- Adaptability to children's needs
- Responsive coaching
- Project Management
- Improvement initiatives
- Managing group dynamics
- Child safeguarding training
- Risk management practices
- Sports First Aid
Certification
Senior Coaching Award - IRFU
Youth Coaching Award - IRFU
Minis Coaching Award - IRFU
Foundation GAA Award
First Aid
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Club Community Rugby Officer
Leinster
2023.09 - Current
Business Development Manager
Oman Beverly Smyth
2020.09 - 2023.08
Community Rugby Officer
Leinster Rugby
2018.09 - 2020.03
Ordinary Bachelors Degree Business - Sports, Exercise and Enterprise
Dundalk Institute of Technology