Cathal Dennehy: Who is looking after the people looking after the people?

As things stand, coaching is all too often a one-way ticket to mental, physical, or emotional exhaustion.

MENTOR HEALTH: Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson with participants during a visit to an FAI football camp at Verona FC in Blanchardstown. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

CHANCES are you know someone who falls into the category. Maybe you are one of them. A coach who burns the candle at both ends, who takes calls and responds to WhatsApps at ungodly hours: Planning, problem-solving, positioning yourself as that mentor who’s always there for others.

But developing sports-people is exhausting work and, despite the best intentions, few coaches succeed in separating that vocation from their personal lives.