James Martin Gilligan was born on 24 January 1964 and is an English former professional footballer.
17 Facts About Jimmy Gilligan
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Jimmy Gilligan is currently at Watford in the role of Head of Technical Development and has coached at Nottingham Forest, Wimbledon, Milton Keynes Dons and with The FA.
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Jimmy Gilligan started his career as an apprentice at Watford after joining the club at the age of thirteen.
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Jimmy Gilligan was spotted playing for a Hertfordshire FA XI by Watford scout Tom Walley and a Chelsea scout.
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Jimmy Gilligan turned professional in August 1981, making a goalscoring debut against Aldershot.
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Jimmy Gilligan helped Watford defeat Manchester United to win the FA Youth Cup in 1982 whilst gaining representative honours, appearing for the England Youth team.
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Jimmy Gilligan failed to fire for the Red Imps, scoring a solitary goal as Lincoln slipped to relegation from the Football League.
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Jimmy Gilligan left Watford in 1999 with David Platt appointing him reserve team manager at Nottingham Forest.
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In July 2001, following Platt's departure and the appointment of Paul Hart to the manager's position, Jimmy Gilligan left his role at Nottingham Forest.
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Jimmy Gilligan joined the PFA as a regional coach educator, whilst helping out David Platt with the England U21s, before being appointed technical director at Wimbledon in February 2003.
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Integral to Jimmy Gilligan's appointment was Stuart Murdoch whom Jimmy Gilligan had forged a friendship with from his coaching days at Watford.
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Jimmy Gilligan played a central role in developing England's scouting structures and a modern player selection system.
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In May 2010 it was announced that Jimmy Gilligan would take up the role of Head of Youth for Stevenage from 1 July.
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In July 2011, Jimmy Gilligan moved to become head coach of the Nike Football Academy.
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Jimmy Gilligan remained in charge of the Nike Academy for three seasons, and is widely credited with discovering and developing players who have gone on to play at the FIFA World Cup, such as Tom Rogic and Seon-Min Moon.
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In March 2014 Jimmy Gilligan was appointed Lead Professional Development Coach at Nottingham Forest.
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In July 2015, Jimmy Gilligan progressed to take charge of first team coaching and spent some time in charge of first team affairs as caretaker.