Meet the builders
Decades of League of Ireland and academy experience, applied to youth development in Ennis
Declan Farmer
Director of Football & Co-Founder
UEFA A & Elite Youth A Licensed | 16 Years FAI Regional Centre of Excellence
Experience
Declan is a UEFA A and Elite Youth A-licensed coach with decades of experience in Irish youth development. He co-founded Ennis Town Football Academy, the first academy development programme in County Clare, and spent 16 years as Senior Head Coach at the Limerick-based FAI Regional Centre of Excellence, working with top youth players from Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary.
At League of Ireland level, Declan has been assistant manager of Limerick FC's senior team and head coach of Limerick FC U19s. He later joined Treaty United as U19 head coach and then Academy Director with responsibility for all of the clubs Academy Teams.
Current Role
Declan currently works as manager of Aisling Annacotty AFC's A team in the Limerick District Premier Division, alongside Anton.
PlayerBuilder Focus
Declan's coaching has helped guide players from schoolboy football into the League of Ireland and UK academies. His focus with PlayerBuilder is simple: create environments where young players are challenged, supported, and seen – not just selected and dropped.
Anton Mannering
Director of Performance Science & Co-Founder
Sport, Data & Behavioral Scientist | Former LOI Professional | FQ Framework Creator
Playing Career
Anton is a former professional player who played in the UK, France and Ireland. Having played in the League of Ireland with Shamrock Rovers, Sligo Rovers, Limerick FC.
Academic Foundation
Anton holds a BSc in Sport & Exercise Science and has been applying sports science principles to coaching for nearly 20 years. This academic background, combined with professional playing experience and a career in data and behavioral science, is what led to the creation of the FQ framework - bringing measurement rigor to youth football development.
Coaching Experience
Anton has been coaching since he first took a UEFA B course in the UK in 2000. Having managed multiple Kennedy Cup and other League representative squads and worked as an Emerging Talent Programme (ETP) coordinator. He also has 4 years' experience as a head coach at League of Ireland U21 level. Most recently, he served as head coach of Treaty United U15s in the National Underage League.
Current Role
Anton is currently assistant manager of Aisling Annacotty AFC's A team in the Limerick District Premier Division, working alongside Declan.
PlayerBuilder Creator
Anton created the PlayerBuilder concept and app, and also developed the FQ (Football Quotient) model used in the programme – a framework for tracking how players grow in confidence, decision-making and game intelligence over time.
Away from the pitch, he has built a career in data, behavioral science and AI. PlayerBuilder is where those worlds meet: pro-level football experience combined with modern behavioral thinking for young players.
Current Partnership
Both Declan and Anton currently work together at Aisling Annacotty AFC in the Limerick District Premier Division, where Declan is manager and Anton is assistant manager.
Ready to work with elite-level coaches?
Block 1 starts February 20th, 2026