Sports Institute post for Tyrone official

ROGER KEENAN, manager of Tyrone champions Carrickmore, was yesterday named as High Performance Manager for Gaelic football by the Sports Institute Northern Ireland (SINI).

Keenan, a development officer with the Tyrone County Board, will be responsible for managing a squad of 20 Gaelic footballers who access services and support at SINI.

“The job is a tremendous opportunity and challenge. I will be responsible for ensuring these players maximise the support and services available to them at SINI.

“The current group of players appear very committed and I want to ensure they benefit fully from their time in SINI.”

SINI will be accommodated in a £10m capital development at the Ulster University’s Jordanstown Campus, which will include a state-of-the-art High Performance Centre.

Speaking at the launch, SINI chairman Hugh McCaughey said: “Roger will be a great asset to the SINI staff and completes the team of high performance managers based at SINI. He has experience of the modern game.

“Ensuring that essential services such as strength and conditioning, physiotherapy, physiology, nutrition, sports psychology and performance lifestyle are used to the full is essential, but equally important is ensuring that the modern players have individualised training programmes,” he added.

Ulster Council Secretary Danny Murphy expressed his support for the appointment and wished Keenan every success in the new post.

He said: “The partnership between the Ulster Council GAA and SINI has been very positive over the last three years. The council looks forward to further developing the partnership and to the opening of much-needed new facilities on the Jordanstown Campus.

“Roger’s enthusiasm and commitment will ensure that the excellent work started by Dr Eugene Young continues to the benefit of the athletes and the sport throughout Ulster.”

SINI is a two-member company (the Sports Council for Northern Ireland and University of Ulster) based at the Jordanstown campus.

It is funded through a revenue grant from the Sports Council for Northern Ireland.

SINI moved recently from a pilot phase to a Company Limited by Guarantee, providing support and services for 110 athletes from the core sports of rugby, Gaelic football, athletics and hockey, together with individual sports such as badminton, sailing, squash, rowing, judo, triathlon, swimming and bowls.