GAA considers restricting full-time staff from coaching outside their own clubs and counties

Potential conflicts of interest are a concern for the GAA's leadership.

This season, the GAA's national player development lead Jack Cooney assisted Castleknock while also managing his own club Coralstown-Kinnegad. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

The GAA are expected to frame proposals regulating the area of full-time employees coaching and managing teams outside their own clubs and counties.

Potential conflicts of interest are a concern for leadership who have noticed a growing number of staff taking up positions in clubs to which they have no ties and non-native counties. The proposals could tie in with the national games development committee’s plans to phase out the outside manager.

In August 2022, Jack Cooney stepped down as Westmeath manager as he took up the role of the GAA’s national player development lead. However, at club and county level, individuals have been freer to pick up roles. This past season, Cooney assisted Castleknock as well as managing his own club Coralstown-Kinnegad.

This year, Dermot McCabe, a games development manager in his native Cavan, managed their fellow Division 2 side Westmeath before he was appointed Breffni boss in August.

Wicklow games manager Hugh Kenny was part of the Tipperary senior football management team as skills coach in 2024, while his equivalent in Laois Shane Keegan has recently joined up with the Wexford senior hurlers for 2026.

Previously, such movement was restricted. Nineteen years ago, Pat O’Shea was eventually given permission to manage Kerry by his employers the Munster Council for whom he worked and continues to work as games manager. It was a lengthy process, which for a period didn’t appear to favour O’Shea succeeding Jack O’Connor. In 2013, then Wexford senior hurling manager Liam Dunne attempted to bring Paudie Butler into his coaching team but was prevented by Croke Park as Butler was then a GAA employee.

Last month, national games development chairman Micheál Martin told this newspaper of discussions to curb outside managers. “We’re looking at the concept that coach eligibility may, either in the short term or longer term, be linked to the same type of restrictions as player eligibility.

“In other words, there will be some level of restriction on whether you could coach clubs that are not your own. And that's something the amateur status committee has explored. Clare brought a motion in 2018.

“You could phase it in. Clubs with large membership would be the first clubs to be required to adopt such a policy. Many of them are either in Dublin or greater Dublin area and they've also benefitted to the largest degree from Central Council game development funding over the last 20 years. It's something for consideration and discussion.”