Ryan appointed Director of Elite Performance by Brentford
Ryan led Fiji to their first ever Olympic gold medal
Written by Training Ground Guru — June 27, 2022
BEN RYAN, who famously led Fiji to their first Olympic gold, in Rugby Sevens, has been appointed to the new role of Director of Elite Performance by Brentford.
The 50-year-old, who was also England Rugby Sevens coach from 2006 to 2013, is taking his first role in football.
The Director of Elite Performance role was advertised on TGG in April and the remit was to “lead all aspects of player and staff performance and development” outside of technical and tactical football matters.
Chris Haslam will remain under Ryan as Head of Athletic Performance, which is a more hands-on role.
Phil Giles, who took on sole Director of Football duties after Rasmus Ankersen left the club, said: “Director of Elite Performance is a role I think will help us reach even higher levels of performance across both players and staff. When Rasmus left us in December 2021, I spent some time thinking about the future direction of the department and what skills and experiences I felt we needed moving forward.
"After a thorough recruitment process, Ben emerged as the outstanding candidate. He brings huge experience of how to reach elite level across a range of sports and has a coaching background which will help him work effectively with Thomas. He is also a Brentford fan, so already understands the Club, knows what we’ve achieved already, and what we want to achieve together in future."
Ryan starts the role tomorrow (Tuesday 28th June), ahead of the start of pre-season training as Brentford prepare for the 2022/23 Premier League season under Head Coach Thomas Frank.
Ryan was in charge of Fiji when Rugby Sevens was introduced to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Fiji won their first ever Olympic medal.
He was also awarded the highest honour in Fiji for his role in their Olympic success – the Companion of the Order of Fiji. His face also appears on coins and bank notes on the island.
Since leaving rugby full time, Ryan has worked as a consultant for athletes, organisations and teams specialising in culture and improving high performance.
