On 20 June 2016, it was with the deepest and most profound sadness that we lost Eamonn Dolan, our Academy Manager, after a courageous battle against cancer at the age of 48.
Eamonn was, and will forever remain, one of our own.
He joined the club in 2004 and led our Academy through a golden era, a spell which saw 32 Academy players come through the ranks to make their first team debuts with Reading. He also had a big hand in first-team affairs, assisting Steve Coppell, Brendan Rodgers, Brian McDermott, Nigel Adkins and Steve Clarke as well as standing in the opposite dugout to Sir Alex Ferguson when in caretaker charge of the club at Old Trafford in 2013.
His energy for football was infectious. His enthusiasm for the sport we all love was evident in his every compelling word he uttered. The pride in his work was enviable. And each young player who Eamonn carefully nurtured through our Academy ranks and into professional football will today stand tall as testament to one great man’s total dedication and unassuming but single-minded commitment to his job. Eamonn led by shining example. And most notably, his love for this club was overwhelming.
That love was mutual. Everyone who worked with him at Reading respected and admired a man who will be desperately missed by staff, managers, coaches and players – both past and present throughout his 12 years as a Royal.
And our supporters fully appreciated the role he played within their club’s success, the impact he had and continued to consistently make during his tenure at the helm of our Category 1 Academy, as well as the indelible legacy he left behind at Madejski Stadium.
For a man so modest, working tirelessly and with a real zest for success but without the desire for recognition for his countless achievements or any sort of limelight, to make such a monumental impact on a club and its supporters is extremely rare. Human beings like Eamonn Dolan are rare.
Eamonn was one of the good guys, and he is sorely missed by so many. We will never forget him. And his legacy lives on at our Academy – years after we said our final goodbye, the impact that he has continued to have on the youth of our club persists.
