Daniel O’Connor

About Daniel

Daniel was raised in Walsall but now lives in New York City, working at the United Nations International School (UNIS) as the Director of Physical Education and Athletics. He oversees eight PE teachers and 80 coaches across a variety of sports and was responsible for producing a unique quality assessment to ensure that UNIS is impactfully benefitting its students as much as possible. Now viewed as a thought leader who others in the sports education field seek out for advice, Daniel has been involved in the FIFA world cup and works on the NYCAL League committee, the New York State Board, and the national board too.

Daniel leads a UNIS annual trip to Nepal, in which 20 students work or volunteer at a remote village in the Himalayas. He says that UNIS’s student achievements are more significant than his own and thinks that the school’s greatest success is the number of people it has inspired to participate in sports.

Daniel says that he wouldn’t have such a prestigious role or live in NYC without having studied at the University of Wolverhampton, which inspired him, challenged him, and motivated him, and was where he studied both his degree and PGCE in Physical Education. Now as he wakes up every day in the Big Apple, surrounded by its iconic landmarks and cinematic skyline, Daniel says he sometimes has to pinch himself to make sure he isn’t living a dream. 

Class of 2008 & 2009