Brian Francis O'Donnell (8 August 1957 – 5 November 2020) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a midfielder in England and Australia, before becoming a manager and coach.

On 5 March 1978, O'Donnell made his debut in the National Premier League in a 1-0 win over Sydney Olympic FC playing left midfield.

O'Donnell scored on his debut in a 3–1 win against Brisbane City on 10 May 1980 and was a central figure to the side staying clear of relegation, despite the club's limited resources.

1981 The 1981 season started well for O'Donnell who had established himself as one of the most important players in the squad, notching a goal in the opener against Brisbane Lions in a 2-2 draw.

O'Donnell's appearances in Australia earned him a move to the English Football League as he re-signed for AFC Bournemouth in the Fourth Division.

Bournemouth Poppies managed to avoid relegation following O'Donnell's arrival, despite a points deduction placed on the club due to mismanagement of finances by the board.

[20] Despite an impressive start that drew four points from four games, including a 0–0 draw away to league-topping Basingstoke and with only having nine players signed, O'Donnell was not offered the job full-time and instead the position was given to Roy O'Brien by chairman Eddie Mitchell.

O'Brien was subsequently sacked later that year due to a string of poor performances[21] O'Donnell was appointed Manager of Frome Town in 2013 [22] after working as a scout for Middlesbrough following similar spells with West Bromwich Albion and Hibernian.

[28] Since O'Donnell's death in November 2020, a number of fundraising initiatives have been started in his honour - including an annual celebrity golf day - raising over £30,000 for Melanoma charities.