Republic of Ireland Under-21 boss Jim Crawford signs contract extension

Jim Crawford has extended his tenure as Republic of Ireland Under-21 head coach after signing a new deal with the FAI.

The contract extension will see him take charge of the Boys in Green through the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification campaign.

Crawford, who first took charge of the U21s in 2020 after a stint as an assistant, came close to guiding Ireland to the 2023 championships but missed out on the finals tournament after a penalty shootout loss to Israel in the play-offs.

In the campaign for this summer's Euros, his Irish side remained in contention to qualify but ultimately fell short of the top two spots after a draw in Italy last November.

Crawford said the dream of getting Ireland over the line to a first ever Under-21s Euros was the driving force behind his decision to renew his contract.

"To manage, lead and coach the Under-21s team is a huge privilege and a massive honour so I'm over the moon to extend my contract," he said.

"The staff and players who I’ve worked with since my appointment have given me everything and the by-product of this is there’s a real belief in Irish football that one day our Under-21s can go on, achieve history and reach a first-ever European Championships.

"Work has already begun to develop the next generation of Under-21s, we capped 15 players since our game against Iceland who qualify for the next qualifiers and we had a brilliant week with a group in Marbella in November which saw us beat Sweden.

"It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to a new challenge, with a new group."

The FAI's chief football officer Marc Canham, added that the association cherished Crawford's role in bringing through players who have since gone on to feature for the Ireland senior set-up.

"We are