{{Short description|Northern Irish footballer and manager}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=May 2023}} {{for|the religion scholar|David Lyle Jeffrey}} {{Infobox football biography | name = David Jeffrey<br><small>MBE</small> | image = Linfield vs Glentoran 21214.jpg|caption=Jeffrey in 2014 | fullname = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1962|10|28}} | birth_place = Newtownards, Northern Ireland | position = Defender | youthyears1 = 1979–1982 |youthclubs1 = Manchester United | years1 = 1982–1992 |clubs1 = Linfield |caps1 = 369 |goals1 = 69 | years2 = 1992–1995 |clubs2 = Ards |caps2 = 65 |goals2 = 2 | years3 = 1995–1996 |clubs3 = Larne |caps3 = 22 |goals3 = 1 | nationalyears1 = 1977–1978 |nationalteam1 = Northern Ireland U15 |nationalcaps1 = 8 |nationalgoals1 = | nationalyears2 = 1981 |nationalteam2 = Northern Ireland U18 |nationalcaps2 = 2 |nationalgoals2 = | nationalyears3 = 1984–1989 |nationalteam3 = Irish Football League XI |nationalcaps3 = 9 |nationalgoals3 = 0 | manageryears1 = 1995–1996 |managerclubs1 = Larne | manageryears2 = 1997–2014 |managerclubs2 = Linfield | manageryears3 = 2016–2023 |managerclubs3 = Ballymena United | manageryears4 = 2026- |managerclubs4 = Portadown }} '''David Jeffrey''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}} (born 28 October 1962) is a Northern Irish former football player and current manager of NIFL Premiership side Portadown.
Jeffrey previously managed Linfield between 1997 and 2014 and Ballymena United from 2016 to 2023. Jeffrey began his professional playing career with Linfield, following a spell in the Manchester United youth team, and also played for Ards and Larne.
==Personal life== Born in Newtownards, Jeffrey attended Dundonald High School and Sullivan Upper School.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04bqdtb|title=Super Assembly: David Jeffrey, Make It – BBC One|publisher=BBC|access-date=6 September 2018}}</ref> He lives in Glengormley and has a career in social work alongside his management career.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/news/uup-and-dup-in-race-to-sign-quitting-linfield-legend-david-jeffrey/30034962.html|title=UUP and DUP in race to sign quitting Linfield legend David Jeffrey|date=24 February 2014|work=Belfast Telegraph}}</ref> He has two sons, Gareth and Thomas, and is a member of both the Orange Order and a flute band. He cites his parents as the biggest inspiration in his life.<ref>[http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/david-jeffrey-i-am-54-but-my-parents-remain-my-inspiration-i-still-get-a-feeling-of-pride-when-dad-encourages-me-35300606.html "David Jeffrey: 'I am 54, but my parents remain my inspiration; I still get a feeling of pride when dad encourages me'"] ''Belfast Telegraph''</ref><ref>[http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/heroes-exhibition-launched-by-order-1-1871923 "'Heroes' exhibition launched by Order"] ''The Newsletter''</ref>
Jeffrey is a Christian. In an interview with the ''Belfast Telegraph'' in 2020, he described himself as having "an unapologetic and unashamed very strong faith in God".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Luney |first1=Graham |title=Keeping the faith: How Christians in the Irish League are finding strength in God during coronavirus pandemic |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/irish-league/keeping-the-faith-how-christians-in-the-irish-league-are-finding-strength-in-god-during-coronavirus-pandemic/39186713.html |website=Belfast Telegraph |date=7 May 2020 |access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref>
==Playing career== Jeffrey began his football career as a schoolboy with Manchester United but never played in the first team. He joined Linfield in the summer of 1982. He played for Linfield for ten years and was club captain for much of that time. Jeffrey scored the crucial away goal against Shamrock Rovers in the 1984–85 European Cup.<ref>{{Cite web|title=European Champions' Cup 1984-85 - Details|url=https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198485det.html|access-date=2020-12-12|website=RSSSF}}</ref> He left Windsor Park for his hometown club, Ards, in the summer of 1992, reuniting him with former boss Roy Coyle, and in February 1995 joined Larne as player-coach.
==Managerial career== ===Linfield=== In April 1996, Jeffrey returned to Linfield as assistant manager to Trevor Anderson. Jeffrey was appointed as Linfield manager on 4 January 1997 after Anderson resigned.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Laverty |first=John |date=January 8, 1997 |title=Jeffrey to wear Anderson boots |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/jeffrey-to-wear-anderson-boots/a/120085502.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 14, 2026 |work=Belfast Telegraph}}</ref>
In the 2005–06 season, Jeffrey guided Linfield to a clean sweep of domestic trophies, missing out only on the cross-border All-Ireland Cup. On 6 June 2006, Jeffrey signed a new four-year contract, the longest contract in Linfield history. His previous deal had one season left to run.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2006-06-06 |title=Jeffrey gets new four-year deal |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/irish/5051110.stm |access-date=2026-05-14 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
In June 2008, Jeffrey won his 23rd manager of the month award, breaking the record for monthly awards. By January 2014, he had extended this record to 32 awards.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.linfieldfc.com/latestnews.asp?nid=11209 |title=linfieldfc.com DJ – December Manager of the Month |access-date=15 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223113255/http://www.linfieldfc.com/latestnews.asp?nid=11209 |archive-date=23 February 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Alongside Roy Coyle, Jeffrey is Linfield's most successful manager in history, having won 31 trophies during his 17-year tenure.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.linfieldfc.com/latestnews.asp?nid=8308 |title=Welcome to Linfield Football Club |access-date=29 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130718050857/http://www.linfieldfc.com/latestnews.asp?nid=8308 |archive-date=18 July 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Roy Coyle also won 31 trophies with the Blues during his managerial career from 1975 to 1990.
On 15 February 2014, Jeffrey announced that he was to step down as manager of Linfield at the end of the 2013–14 season.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.linfieldfc.com/latestnews.asp?nid=11390 |title=linfieldfc.com An era will come to an end – Linfield FC Statement |access-date=15 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223113251/http://www.linfieldfc.com/latestnews.asp?nid=11390 |archive-date=23 February 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was replaced by former Northern Ireland international, Warren Feeney.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/27174178|title=Warren Feeney is appointed new Linfield manager|date=26 April 2014|work=BBC Sport|access-date=26 April 2014}}</ref>
===Ballymena United=== On 7 March 2016, it was announced that Jeffrey had been appointed the new manager of Ballymena United, following the dismissal of Glenn Ferguson.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-03-07 |title=David Jeffrey appointed as new Ballymena manager |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/35745799 |access-date=2026-05-14 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref>
Jeffrey guided Ballymena to winning the Northern Irish League Cup in the 2016–17 season and took them to the quarter-finals of the Irish Cup and a 4th place finish in the league.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-10-11 |title=NI League Cup: Jeffrey's Ballymena knock out Linfield |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37623575 |access-date=2026-05-14 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref>
Jeffrey was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to association football and community relations in Northern Ireland.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=63377|supp=y|page=B19|date=12 June 2021}}</ref>
'''PORTADOWN FC'''
On 21st April 2026, it was announced that Jeffery had been appointed as manager of Portadown FC, following the departure of manager Niall Currie a few weeks earlier. <ref>{{Cite web |title=David Jeffery Portadown FC Appointment |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/david-jeffrey-makes-stunning-return-to-the-dugout-as-new-portadown-boss/a/146911667.html}}</ref>
==Managerial statistics== {{unsourced|section|date=January 2026}} {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |- !rowspan=2 width=140|Team !rowspan=2 width=140|Nation !rowspan=2 width=125|From !rowspan=2 width=125|To !colspan=8|Record |- !width=40|G !width=40|W !width=40|D !width=40|L !width=40|F !width=40|A !width=40|GD !width=50|Win % |- |align="left"|Linfield |align="left"|{{NIR}} |align=left|4 January 1997 |align=left|''27 April 2014'' | 944 || 579 || 197 || 168 || 1,958 || 845 || +1,013 || {{#expr: 579 / 944 * 100 round 2}} |- |align="left"|Ballymena United |align="left"|{{NIR}} |align=left|7 March 2016 |align=left|10 May 2023 | 346 || 163 || 48 || 136 || 559 || 502 || +57 || {{#expr: 163 / 346 * 100 round 2}} |- !align="center" colspan="4"|Total ! 1,290 !! 742 !! 245 !! 304 !! 2,517 !! 1,347 !! +1,070 !! {{#expr: 742 / 1290 * 100 round 2}} |} {{updated|8 May 2023}}
==Managerial honours== '''Linfield''' *Irish Premier League/IFA Premiership (9): 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12 *Irish Cup (7): 2001–02, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12 *Irish League Cup (6): 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2007–08 *County Antrim Shield (6): 1997–98, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2013–14 *Setanta Cup: 2005 *Irish FA Charity Shield: 2000 *Irish League Floodlit Cup: 1997–98
'''Ballymena United''' *Northern Ireland Football League Cup: 2016–17
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Navboxes |title= David Jeffrey managerial positions |list1= {{Linfield F.C. managers}} {{Ballymena United F.C. managers}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffrey, David}} Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:Association footballers from County Down Category:Men's association footballers from Northern Ireland Category:Men's association football defenders Category:NIFL Premiership players Category:Manchester United F.C. players Category:Linfield F.C. players Category:Ards F.C. players Category:Larne F.C. players Category:Association football managers from Northern Ireland Category:Linfield F.C. managers Category:Ballymena United F.C. managers Category:People educated at Sullivan Upper School Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Christians from Northern Ireland Category:NIFL Premiership managers Category:Irish League representative players Category:Northern Ireland men's youth international footballers Category:Men's association football player-managers Category:Larne F.C. managers