John Kiely: 'The club season is extraordinarily long, too long in my view'

Kiely calls for an official off-season for clubs

Pictured at the launch of of the "Champions Under Lights" senior hurling and football challenge games, hosted by Fethard Town Park and sponsored by Clonmel Credit union in aid of the Dylan Quirke Foundation, Dan Quirke Dylan Quirke Foundation, Peter Twiss Kerry SF, Stephen O Brien Tipperary SF, Noel McGrath Tipperary SH, John Kiely Limerick SH, Tommy Sheehan Fethard Town Park. Pic: John D Kelly photography

John Kiely believes there is a need for a collective training ban to apply to clubs as well as counties.

As the likes of Kiely’s Limerick are officially permitted to train together from today, the five-time All-Ireland SHC winning manager says clubs’ preparations are starting earlier than ever and their activity periods also require regulation and an off-season.

“There is a lot of expense involved in the game,” acknowledges the Galbally and Garryspillane man. “I think the club situation is a far more serious issue because it affects every club in the country. Clubs are very constrained by the resources they can put towards that cost.

“For me, the club season really hasn't gotten any shorter. I see the clubs around us at home, they're going back training earlier than we did in our day.

“The club season is extraordinarily long now and too long in my view. That's something that needs to be looked at in terms of a date of return to training for clubs.

“It would be a very positive move seeing as they've installed one for the inter-county. I think there should be a limit on when clubs can go back because some of it is absolutely crazy.” 

Kiely is raring to commence his ninth season in charge after a hectic few months getting his preparations in shape for the new year of hurling. “It's a remarkably busy time, would you believe it, when you're away from the group. There's an awful lot that happens away from the group during this time of the year and before.

“There's a lot of organisational pieces that have to be pulled together in terms of obviously going to all the matches, club matches, watch for up-and-coming talent. That's a really big part.

“I love going to the club matches. I really love that part of that time of the year. It's great to have the time to do it then as well without overlapping with our own championships. That's one clear, distinctive advantage to the split season. When you're out of it, you can focus in on the club players.” 

Kiely is placing a large emphasis on the next five weeks before the festive period. “You only have that window before Christmas to get a block of work done to try and come into the new year in reasonable shape. I think players are after realising that you need to do a little bit more that side of Christmas than heretofore.” 

Recruiting non-playing personnel, Kiely finds, is one of, if not the most challenging aspect of his position in the off-season. “You’re trying to do the best you can for the group and get the best people you can around them.

“There's no recruitment agency that you can ring up and say, ‘I'm looking for this type of person, somebody with this skillset or that skillset.’ You have to go and hunt them down, and that takes a lot of time.” 

Kiely wasn’t surprised to see Moycullen claim a Galway SFC title with his friend and Limerick’s former performance coach Caroline Currid in tow, but the Sligo native, who was part of all Limerick’s All-Ireland successes in his time as manager, won’t be returning to the fold. “Moycullen are the beneficiaries now. She did a fantastic job for us when she was there.” 

Kiely’s first game of the season takes place on December 13 when Limerick travel to face Tipperary in Fethard Town Park in a Champions Under Lights game in aid of The Dillon Quirke Foundation.

He and Limerick have been supporting the foundation since its inception following the death of former Tipperary hurler Dillon from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome while playing for his club Clonoulty-Rossmore in August 2022.

“I can see the great merits in the work being done by the Dillon Quirke Foundation partly because my family has benefited from it. My daughters [Aoife and Ruth] are among the 20,000 young women and children in Ireland who have been cardiac screened and I can’t say enough about the assurance that service provides to parents.

“We all want our children to participate in sport and the Dillon Quirke Foundation is providing a piece of the jigsaw that was probably missing in helping to ensure the health and safety of our children. It’s a wonderful charity and one we in Limerick are honoured and proud to support.” 

* Tickets for the Dillon Quirke Foundation’s “Champions Under Lights”, which sees Tipperary face Kerry in football and Limerick in hurling on Fethard Town Park on December 13, are available on eventbrite.ie