Liam Bradley, commonly known by his nickname Baker, is a

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

and former player for

Glenullin Glenullin was previously a rural area but has now expanded to become a small village in a valley between the villages of Garvagh, Swatragh and Dungiven, and lies in the borough of Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The nearest c ...

and the Derry county team. He twice managed the senior Antrim county team between October 2008 and August 2012 and from November 2013 until 2014.

Personal life

Bradley comes from a family with a strong footballing background. Two of his uncles, James and Paddy Rafferty had played for Derry. When Bradley won the Derry Championship with

in 1985, five of his brothers were also on the team. His brother

Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

won two Ulster Championship medals with Derry in 1975 and 1976. His cousin Colm Rafferty won the

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) ( ga, Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier competition in Gaelic football. An annual tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), it is contested by the county ...

with Derry in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

. He is father of Derry players

Paddy Paddy may refer to: People *Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname *An List of ethnic slurs#P, ethnic slur for an Irishman Birds *Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon *Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird ...

and

Eoin Bradley Eoin Bradley (commonly known by his nickname Skinner; born 31 December 1983) is a Gaelic footballer and association footballer. He plays the former for the Glenullin club and, previously, for the Derry county team. With Glenullin he won a Derry ...

. He is also an uncle to Glenullin and Derry player

Gerard O'Kane Gerard O'Kane (born 5 October 1984) is a Gaelic footballer who plays for the Derry county team, with whom he has won a National League title. He plays his club football for John Mitchel's Glenullin and has won a Derry Senior Football Champio ...

Playing career

Inter-county

Bradley represented Derry at minor, under-21 and senior levels. Frankie O'Loan and Harry Shivers drafted him into the senior panel. However, he was not part of

Mickey Moran Mickey Moran is a former Gaelic footballer and manager-coach, who has been manager of Kilcoo since 2019, with a background as an inter-county manager who most recently managed the Leitrim county team. He played at senior level for the Der ...

's plans when he became manager – Bradley held no grudge, saying "That is just the way it goes". His senior career was mainly limited to a few

Dr McKenna Cup The Dr McKenna Cup is an annual Gaelic football competition played between Counties of Ireland, counties and List of universities in Northern Ireland, universities in the province of Ulster GAA, Ulster. It is the secondary Gaelic football comp ...

games. He later recalled: "I never really cut it at senior with Derry as in the early '80s I was just down the pecking order a bit".

Club

When Bradley was growing up, his home-club

, did not have any underage teams at the time due to a lack of population in the area. He instead played for neighbouring club Pádraig Pearse's GAC Kilrea. His team-mates on the Kilrea team included a young

Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Starting his career in Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playi ...

, who would go on to play and coach professional soccer. He played in an under-16 final against

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is a hamlet and

He, however, played for Glenullin at senior level and experienced a long career with them. He won the

Derry Senior Football Championship The Derry Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by the top sixteen Derry GAA clubs. The winners receive the John McLaughlin Cup and qualify to represent Derry in the Ulster Senior Club Football Champi ...

with the club in 1985. He retired from playing in 1996 at the age of 36, he even played in the Reserve Championship semi-final against

Dungiven Dungiven () is a small town, townland and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is near the main A6 Belfast to Derry road, which bypasses the town. It lies where the rivers Roe, Owenreagh and Owenbeg meet at the foot of the B ...

that year alongside his son Paddy.

School

Bradley played full back when St Pat's,

Maghera Maghera (pronounced , ) is a small town at the foot of the Glenshane Pass in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Its population was 4,220 in the 2011 Census, increasing from 3,711 in the 2001 Census. It is situated within Mid-Ulster Distric ...

won the 1977

MacRory Cup The MacRory Cup is an inter-college (school) Gaelic football tournament in Ulster at senior "A" grade. The MacLarnon Cup is the competition for schools at senior 'B' grade. Players must be under nineteen at the start of the tournament. The win ...

final against Abbey C.B.S.,

Newry Newry (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Clanrye river in counties Armagh and Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011. Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, althoug ...

. It was the first time the school had won the competition – the most important in Ulster Colleges football.

Early managerial influences

When playing underage football for Kilrea, he played under Father Leo Deery, the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

Kilrea Kilrea ( , ) is a village, townland and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It gets its name from the ancient church that was located near to where the current Church of Ireland is located on Church Street looking over the tow ...

at the time. He described him as "a great GAA man" and one of the first people to introduce him to Gaelic football. Bradley also hails

Ballinderry Ballinderry () is a small civil and ecclesiastical parish on both sides of the County Londonderry / County Tyrone border in Northern Ireland. It is a rural parish of about 350 houses and lies on the western shores of Lough Neagh. The parish c ...

's Adrian McGuckin as an inspirational influence, who taught him most of what he knows about coaching football. McGuckin was manager when Bradley won a MacRory Cup playing with St. Pat's in 1977. He says "Adrian was a brilliant man. He was probably the greatest coach I ever played under, or the greatest coach I've ever seen". He continued "Adrian installed a will to win with us that was unbelievable".

Club management

By the early 1980s, despite only being in his early 20s, Bradley was part of Glenullin's underage management team with Danny McIlvar and Gerard O'Kane. He says "That's when I started coaching and it's just progressed from there." His first stint as Senior manager of Glenullin came in the late 1980s, when both he and Gerard O'Kane were player-managers. He coached St Matthew's GAC Drumsurn when

Richard Ferris Richard Ferris (died 1649, aged 67) was a wealthy merchant from Barnstaple in Devon, England who served as a Member of Parliament for Barnstaple in 1640 and served twice as Mayor of Barnstaple in 1632 and 1646.Lamplugh, p. 156. He founded th ...

was manager. and has also been manager of

John Mitchel's GAC Claudy John Mitchel's GAC Claudy ( ga, CLG Seán Uí Mhisteil Clóidigh) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Claudy, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of Derry GAA and currently caters for Gaelic football. The club ...

between 2002 and 2004. Bradley took over as manager of home-club

in 2005, and guided them to success in the 2007 Derry Championship, where they beat

Bellaghy Bellaghy () is a village in County Derry, Northern Ireland. It lies north west of Lough Neagh and about 5 miles north east of Magherafelt. In the centre of the village (known locally as The Diamond) three main roads lead to Magherafelt, Port ...

in the final after a replay. It was Glenullin's first victorious Championship since 1985. He also led them to victory in the Ulster Club Football League earlier that year. He was manager of

Banagher Banagher ( or ''Beannchar na Sionna'') is a town in Ireland, located in the midlands, on the western edge of County Offaly in the province of Leinster, on the banks of the River Shannon. It had a population of 3,000 at the height of its econ ...

in 2008.

Inter-county management

Derry roles

When

was manager of the Derry minor team, he brought Bradley in as coach / joint manager. And along with Ferris he has managed

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

Under 21s in the past. He applied for the Derry Senior manager's job in late 2004 for the 2005 season, but the role eventually went to Mickey Moran. He was also involved in the Derry Senior set-up for a season under manager

Paddy Crozier Paddy Crozier ( ga, Pádraig Crúiseír) is an Irish people, Irish Gaelic football Manager (Gaelic games), manager and former player who managed the Derry county football team, Derry county team between 2006 and 2008, guiding the county to a Nat ...

. Bradley was a selector in 2006, but stood down from the role in February 2007, stating he wanted to concentrate on managing Glenullin. He applied for the vacant Derry job in 2008, with the position eventually going to

Damian Cassidy Damian Cassidy (born 22 July 1965) is a former Gaelic football manager and former player for the Derry county team in the 1980s and 1990s, who was part of the county's 1993 All-Ireland Championship winning side, starting at left half forward. ...

Antrim seniors

Shortly before the nomination deadline of 17 October 2008, on the advice of his sons Paddy and Eoin, "good friend" Richard Ferris and

Tony Scullion Tony "The Tiger" Scullion (born 6 February 1962) is a former dual player of Gaelic games who played Gaelic football and hurling with Derry in the 1980s and 1990s. He is chiefly known as a footballer and was part of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland Ch ...

, Bradley applied for the vacant Antrim senior football manager's job. Interviews for the position were held on Wednesday 22 October, and a day later the Antrim County Board secretary Frankie Quinn released a statement stating Bradley had been installed as new Antrim manager for three years, subject to an annual review. Also applying for the job were Brian White, Frank Delargy and Conor MacSherry. Bradley commented "I wanted he job because I see a lot of potential in Antrim," and went on to say "But I am under no illusions about the work me and my backroom team will have to do." Bradley chose Niall Conway of the

club in Derry as his assistant manager. Conway guided the Derry minor team to the finals of both the Ulster Minor and All-Ireland Minor Championships in 2007 and Bradley described him as "one of the best young coaches in Ulster". His other selector was Paddy McNeill of Rasharkin, and Creggan's Tony McCollum served as liaison officer. The new physio was Patrina Scullion. Bradley's first season in charge of Antrim was seen as a hughly successful one. He stated their aim at the start of the year as gaining promotion from Division 4 of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. Antrim achieved this feat by going undefeated and finishing top of Division 4. Along with second-placed

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

they qualified for the National League Division 4 final. They were defeated in the final. The 2009 Championship was Antrim's best in many years. Against the odds they defeated both

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

and

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Bally ...

to qualify for the county's first Ulster Championship

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

in 39 years. Antrim were aiming to win their first Ulster title since 1951. They were beaten in the decider by reigning All-Ireland champions Tyrone, but Antrim gained a lot of admiration for their performance in the match. They exited the Championship following a defeat to

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

in Round 4 of the Qualifiers. Contrary to most predictions (Kerry were expected to win comfortably), the game was very close and Antrim were unfortunate not to win. On 27 August 2012, Bradley's departure as Antrim's senior football manager was announced. On 5 November 2013, Bradley's return as Antrim's senior football manager was announced. On 10 September 2014, Bradley's redeparture as Antrim's senior football manager was announced, having led Antrim to a first championship win in five years during his brief return.

Return to club management

Since leaving Antrim for the second time, Bradley has managed Donegal side Malin. Bradley joined Ballinascreen in 2018 during a

relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

battle. He managed the team to beat the drop. In 2020 Bradley was joined by Ballinascreen minor winning manager Jerome Bradley. Jerome moves up his minor winning team into the first team set-up, including notable players such as Noel Rafferty, Ruairi O'Hagan, José Heron and Daniel Flet.

References

External links

Interview with ''Irish Independent'' (June 2009)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Liam Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Derry inter-county Gaelic footballers Gaelic football managers Glenullin Gaelic footballers