Flanagan ratified as Kildare manager

Brian Flanagan was ratified as Kildare senior football manager on a four-year term at tonight’s County Board meeting at Manguard Park, Hawkfield, along with his selectors Aidan O’Rourke, Damien Hendy and Daryl Flynn. Chairperson Mick Gorman also confirmed that O’Rourke and Hendy will coach the team.

There was wholesale support for Flanagan’s appointment with no dissenting voices although Rathcoffey delegate John Flood tried unsuccessfully to elicit details of the individuals who had made the recommendation with Mr Gorman advising him it was a decision of the Management Committee collectively.

Asked if there had been a lot of interest in the role, the Chairperson confirmed that there was but that Flanagan “ticks a lot of the boxes” and that they had only genuinely talked to two candidates.

He indicated that Flanagan’s appointment on a relatively long term was after a “long discussion” and was indicative of a desire to build a Kildare team and that “patience and support was important.” Flanagan will meet local media on Wednesday evening and the indications were that further detail concerning his backroom team would be announced by the new manager then.

Management appointments regarding Under 20 and Under 17 teams are under review although Gorman noted that Seán O’Dea was entering the second of a two-year term with the under-20 footballers.

In a longer than normal meeting stretching beyond the hour that covered topics such as cashless ticketing, the performance and assessment of referees and the absence of a scoreboard on Pitch 2 in Manguard Park, it was confirmed that St Conleth’s Park would be handed back to the County Board by the developers on 20 September and that all was on track for the Senior Football Final to be played there on the last Sunday in October.

Both the Chairperson and Treasurer Alan Dunney were at pains to point out that the project was on budget, while Dunney’s finance report showed a deficit of almost €300k to 30th June with income of just over €1 million and expenditure of €1.3 million. This was in line with expectations.

PRO Lorraine Woulfe raised the streaming agreement with Clubber and indicated that Kildare GAA were trialling it for this year with sixteen games, noting that the Intermediate and Junior Hurling finals would be streamed this weekend.

It was confirmed by CCC Chairperson Mick Mullen that all championship structures would be reviewed after the completion of this year’s competitions, commencing in November, and that the Under 23 competitions would take place again this year, commencing in October.