Connacht CEO Kelly set to call it a day

Connacht Rugby’s first serving CEO Gerry Kelly, has announced he will retire at the end of the season.

Kelly, a former Garbally College teacher, served as a volunteer on many Connacht committees before stepping into the role in 1999 and ushering in the professional era. He has been at the helm ever since but decided to retire early to enable a new CEO take over at the beginning of next season.

Kelly has presided over some particularly difficult times for Connacht Rugby, most notably the IRFU’s threat to axe the province’s professional team. He acknowledged that a considerable amount of his time had been spent “wondering if we are going to be around the following season”.