Paul Kelly appointed manager of Tipperary senior football team

The management committee of Tipperary GAA have agreed to appoint Paul Kelly as new senior football manager on a three-year term.

Kelly brings considerable experience, recently he was part of Oisin McConville’s Wicklow management team gaining promotion from Division 4.

He managed his own Club Thomas Davis GAA in Tallaght to their first Dublin Senior “A” County Championship Final in 28 years back in 2019. He previously led the Club to its first Dublin Minor “A” Championship Final in 1987.

He also managed Naas during 2021, and the Kildare women’s team for three years. During those terms, the team played in two Leinster Championship Finals and one National League Final, while participating in Division One of the National League for two seasons.

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A native of Tallaght, he now lives in Eadestown, Co Kildare.

Commenting on the management the appointment, Football Committee chairman Conor O’Dwyer said: “I am delighted with the management team we have put in place for the next three years. All involved bring a wealth of experience across all aspects of football coaching and management and places Tipperary Football in a strong position to progress and prosper.

“In particular, in Paul Kelly, I believe we have a man with the footballing experience, organisational ability and passion to succeed, to successfully lead Tipperary Football over the next few years. We wish him and his team well as they start out on this journey and will do all we can to support them along the way.”

The appointment will now go to the next county committee meeting for final ratification.

Meanwhile, Cork GAA has secured an extension to its current partnership with retailer Sports Direct, which has been extended from five to eight years.

The deal was first announced in February 2021, to run to 2025, and will now carry through to the 2028 season, far beyond the normal range of sponsorship agreements with county boards.

The deal will include the continued sponsorship of the Cork senior hurling and football teams as well as the minor and under-20 teams; it will also see the launch of a new training jersey for the 2024 season.

“Our partnership with Sports Direct has had a really positive impact for Cork GAA,” said Marc Sheehan, Chairperson Cork GAA. “Having the backing of Sports Direct lets us embark on our future journey with confidence.”

Páirc Uí Chaoimh will also benefit from the income from staging the return tour of Bruce Springsteen next year, the May 16th date one of four announced for Ireland next year, along with Boucher Road in Belfast, plus Nowlan Park and Croke Park.

Elsewhere, Kildare are expected to get confirmation of their request to play their home games in the Allianz Football League next year in Croke Park.

With St Conleth’s Park in Newbridge, currently undergoing major redevelopment work, Kildare are homeless for this coming season, where they will play in the division two. They will likely have four home games, the aim being to play them as double-headers in Croke Park on the Saturday evenings along with Dublin, who are back in division one, after playing in division two for just the one season earlier this year.