McKinstry is the first person from Northern Ireland to manage three international football teams. His early career was focused on elite youth development through roles with Newcastle United, New York Red Bulls the Right to Dream Academy and the Craig Bellamy Foundation. In 2013 McKinstry moved into senior professional football when he was appointed manager of the Sierra Leone national team, who he guided to their highest ever FIFA world ranking position. Most recently he has been manager of the Rwanda national team guiding them to the Quarter Finals of the 2016 African Nations Championship. This is the story of a boy from Lisburn, Northern Ireland that started coaching at 15 who would find himself 12 years later as Manager of Sierra Leone national team!
