Mark Kennedy

Millwall

Kennedy was born in Clonsilla, Dublin. He began his professional career at Millwall, joining the club from Belvedere F.C. aged 16. Kennedy made his senior debut on 24 April 1993 in a 1–0 win over Charlton, while still only 16. He developed over his three-year stay at The Old Den, and broke into the Republic of Ireland Under-21 side. He particularly gained attention for a powerful run and goal at Highbury that helped eliminate Arsenal from the FA Cup in 1995.

Liverpool

Kennedy left to join Liverpool in March 1995 for an initial £1.5 million fee (potentially rising to £2.3 m), making him then the most expensive teenage footballer in British history. However, opportunities at Anfield were scarce, and he managed just 18 appearances over three seasons, which also saw him loaned to Queens Park Rangers to gain first team action. He found a permanent route to regular football when he moved back to the capital with Wimbledon in 1998, for £1.75 million, but he stayed for just one season with the club, scoring once against Bolton in the League Cup, before returning to the north, this time to Manchester City, for £1.6 million, in 1999.

Manchester City

Kennedy won promotion to the Premier League with Manchester City in his first season, but the following year saw the club relegated and manager Joe Royle sacked. When Kevin Keegan took the reins, he sought to rebuild the squad and decided Kennedy was not part of his plans, selling him to fellow second…

Kennedy has 34 caps for the Republic of Ireland, scoring four times. He made his international debut on 6 September 1995 in a 3–1 defeat in Austria, but never established himself as a regular player over seven years involved with the national side. During this time, Ireland did not play in the final tournaments of the World Cup or the European Championship. While on international duty, Kennedy was arrested in Dublin with teammate Phil Babb in August 2000 for public order offences and causing criminal damage to an off duty Garda officer's car. This effectively ended his international career. Kennedy's final game for Ireland was a friendly in February 2002: he missed the 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals because of injury.

Following his retirement from playing, Kennedy began coaching with the Ipswich Town academy in 2012. He was appointed as the club's under-21's head coach in 2012. He managed the Ipswich under-21 side from 2012 to 2016 before leaving to take up a position coaching in Manchester City's academy. Kennedy was a coach with Manchester City from 2016 to 2018, before being released as part of a restructuring process within Manchester City's academy. He also spent time coaching with Wolves' under-23 side in 2019. In January 2020, Kennedy was appointed head coach at Macclesfield Town, He took charge of his first match in senior management away to Colchester United on 18 January. Kennedy managed just 12 first-team games in a COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season, resigning on 12 August 2020 after rejecting the offer of a new contract following the club's relegation to the National League as a result of a points deduction for financial issues. In December 2020, Kennedy returned to the Ipswich Town academy to shadow the club's head of coaching and player development Bryan Klug in his role to gain more coaching experience. He was appointed assistant to head coach Lee Bowyer at Championship club Birmingham City in June 2021, and left on 12 May 2022. The same day, he was appointed the head coach of EFL League One club Lincoln City on a four-year contract. His first game in charge was a 1–1 draw at home to Exeter City on the opening day of the 2022–23 season. On 18 October 2023, he was dismissed…

His brother Brendan was also a footballer, playing in the League of Ireland. Brendan is the Ireland under-18s and 19s goalkeeper coach and manager of Dunboyne AFC in the Leinster Senior League.