*Former Clare senior football manager, Mark Fitzgerald. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLARE GAA are “putting plans in place” to begin the process of appointing a new county senior football manager.
The search to find a new senior football manager following Mark Fitzgerald’s surprise announcement that he will not be seeking a second term, begins this week.
Clare GAA chairman Kieran Keating told County Board delegates at Monday’s meeting in Caherlohan. “We will be putting plans in place this week to find a new manager. We got the disappointing news last Friday that he will not be continuing and that he will be taking up a lesser role with the Kerry under 20’s. It’s better to have got this news now rather than in December”, the chairman said.
Earlier Head of Operations Deirdre Murphy had read the outgoing manager’s end of year report to the meeting. “He had planned to be in attendance himself to present this report before things changed,” she said.
In the report the Kerry man outlined how his term in charge started after twelve of the previous year’s team had stepped away for a number of reasons. They then had to play much of their league without the team captain, Cillian Brennan and three other established players due to injury and despite these setbacks they had come within a point of winning promotion in the league.
He made a number of recommendations which included having a designated training venue and more use of Cusack Park along with a strength and conditioning programme for younger players throughout the season.
He paid tribute to the players for their efforts and to his management team and he also thanked the board for its support.
Clondegad’s Seamus O’Reilly asked “were there issues. I met him at a game two weeks ago when he was scouting for players and this was one of a number of games he had attended”.
“There were no issues” replied chairman Kieran Keating.
O’Reilly observed, “He did a phenomenal job and something doesn’t make sense”. Supporting O’Reilly’s view, Kildysart delegate John Meade said, “It’s out there amongst the clubs”, to which the chairman replied, “are you representing all the clubs”.
Keating told the meeting, “He decided for whatever reason that his work/life balance wasn’t right”. Deirdre Murphy added, “We are very disappointed to lose him. He is after getting a job nearer home that really suits him and seven hours four times a week wouldn’t fit into it. There is no conspiracy theory”.
Irish and Cultural Officer, Joe Garry questioned if a committee would be put in place to appoint the new manager as was the case when Fitzgerald was appointed. The chairman indicated that “all of this will be looked at this week as we decide on how to proceed”.
