Mayo GAA to appoint full-time Chief Executive as part of investment and growth plan

A new €15million COE will be built on a 26-acre site donated to the county board.

FUTURE PLANS: Mayo GAA are to appoint a full-time chief executive as part of their multi-year investment and growth plan to underpin future success on and off the pitch for the county. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Mayo GAA are to appoint a full-time chief executive as part of their multi-year investment and growth plan to underpin future success on and off the pitch for the county.

At their annual convention held on Sunday December 7 officials from the Mayo GAA unveiled to delegates the plan to futureproof the county's training infrastructure and underpin future success.

The multi-faceted plan will comprise of significant investment in new training facilities alongside the appointment of a permanent chief executive for the first time to oversee the running of commerical operations for Mayo GAA. 

The chief executive will report directly to the Executive of the Mayo County Board and will implement a new strategy to grow and expand commerical opportunites for Mayo GAA going forward. The process for the appointment has commenced with the county board hopeful the position will be filled in the first quarter of 2026.

The core project in the new investment will be the new state of the art Centre of Excellence (COE) which will include four playing pitches, dressing rooms, gym facilities and other ancillary meeting rooms and facilities. The new COE will be on a 26-acre site in Bohola which was gifted to the county board and will comprise of an estimated capital investment of €15million with the county board to give a progress update on the planning over the coming year.

Mayo GAA have already started work on the development of a new all-weather training pitch adjacent to MacHale Park in Castlebar. The new 4G pitch at Mulvey Park is set to be completed in February 2026 and is part of an €800,000 investment which is fully funded from the county board's financial reserves and will not require external lending.

The new training pitch was signed off by the county board earlier this year following extensive engagement with all county teams that requested a dedicated training base beside MacHale Park.

Speaking on the investment plan Chair of Mayo GAA Seamus Touhy said “I’m pleased to announce this new multi-year investment and growth plan for Mayo GAA, which will set the foundations for future success in this county both on and off the pitch.

“The new Centre of Excellence is the most exciting project ever undertaken by Mayo GAA and who is to say it won’t prove to be the missing brick in our ultimate dream for this county since 1951. A significant investment is required to make this new Centre of Excellence a reality, and Mayo GAA will undertake a wide-ranging fundraising campaign in 2026 to generate the funds necessary to develop the facility.

“We’ve also listened to the feedback of the players and management of all our county teams, who all wanted a dedicated training base beside MacHale Park. Work has already started on the development of a new 4G training pitch at Mulvey Park and that new facility will be ready by February next year.

“The final piece of our strategy is to appoint Mayo GAA’s first ever full-time chief executive, which I feel is a key resource that our county needs. The new chief executive of Mayo GAA will be a full-time role tasked with managing the commercial operations of Mayo GAA, while providing much-needed professional support to our clubs, volunteers, players, and stakeholders across the county.

“Overall, this multi-year investment and growth plan will futureproof the training and playing infrastructure within the county and ensure all Mayo GAA teams have everything in place to achieve their maximum potential each and every year.”