Gaelic games Gaelic games ( ga, Cluichí Gaelacha) are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the ...

, a manager or (in

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

) ''bainisteoir'' is involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of a team. The role entails the application of sport tactics and strategies during the game itself, and usually entails substitution of players and other such actions as needed. At games, the manager may sometimes wear a bib with the word "manager" or "''bainisteoir''" adorning it. Many managers were former players themselves, and are assisted in coaching the team by a group of

selector Selector may refer to: *Selector, electrical or mechanical component, a switch *''Selector'', music scheduling software for radio stations created by Radio Computing Services *Selector, of music, otherwise known as a disc jockey *Selector, a pers ...

s (in Irish ''roghnóirí'').

History

The term "manager" emerged in the 1970s owing to the influence of the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

programme ''

Match of the Day ''Match of the Day'' (abbreviated to ''MOTD'') is a football highlights programme, typically broadcast on BBC One on Saturday nights, during the Premier League season. The show's current presenter is former England international striker Gary L ...

''. A portion of the east coast of Ireland, including

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, was able to receive the channel and programme, which showed coverage of

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

, where "manager" was the common term used for the coach or supervisor of the team. This later played a role in changing the management structure of

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

teams as the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

revival of the 1970s evolved. Throughout the history of the GAA clubs and teams and were often influenced by selection panels. By the early 1970s, the GAA began to take note of the merits of having an individual

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

-style manager accompanied by assistants. In 1973 the Dublin County Board appointed Kevin Heffernan to lead their football team. It was the first time in the GAA's history that a manager with substantial powers was appointed. Other counties later followed suit by having a single manager supported by a smaller selection panel. While the GAA's current management and coaching model was influenced by other sports (like soccer), several differences with those sports do remain. During the 1970s and 1980s, a number of

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 ...

s held the role of manager - though this is rare as of the 21st century.

Appointment

The Gaelic Athletic Association publishes and maintains a set of guidelines for the appointment of managers. Managers of

county team A county is a geographic region within Gaelic games, controlled by a county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and originally based on the 32 counties of Ireland as they were in 1884. While the administrative geography of Ireland has ...

s can be appointed from within that county - though it is not uncommon for managers to be "brought in" from elsewhere. As of 2016, GAA rules also allowed for a manager (in Irish ''bainisteoir'') to be supported by a single assistant manager (in Irish ''maor foirne'') during games. Under GAA rules, an assistant manager to 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 ...

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

team could also be a member of the team's panel of

s, but not be one of the team's panel of players. Changes to these rules, including the "effective eradication of the Maor Foirne role", were agreed following the

2021 GAA Congress The 2021 GAA Congress was held on 27 February. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it took place virtually, a first in the history of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The public could also watch it live. The conference marked the formal transition of th ...

Noted managers

In inter-county hurling, the manager with the most championship wins is Kilkenny's

Brian Cody Brian Cody (born 12 July 1954) is an Irish former hurling manager and player and retired schoolmaster. He managed the senior Kilkenny county team between 1998 and 2022, becoming the county's longest-serving manager and most successful in term ...

, with 15 Provincial Championship and 11 All-Ireland Championship titles.

Tommy Maher Monsignor Thomas Maher (25 April 1922 – 25 March 2015) was an Irish Catholic priest and Irish Hurler who played as left wing-forward for the Kilkenny senior team. Born in Gowran, County Kilkenny, Maher first played competitive hurling during ...

, also of Kilkenny, has the second-most All-Ireland hurling championship wins, with 7 titles. In football,

Mick O'Dwyer Michael O'Dwyer (born 9 June 1936) is an Irish retired Gaelic football manager and former player. He most famously managed the senior Kerry county team between 1974 and 1989, during which time he became the county's longest-serving manager an ...

managed 4 different inter-county teams, including leading

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 ...

to 8 All-Ireland Championship titles. Jim Gavin is the second-most successful inter-county manager, with 6 All-Ireland titles for

- including a record-breaking 5 in a row between 2015 and 2019.

References

{{Reflist

External links

RTÉ: "How GAA managers have changed the landscape of the game"
by Dr Siobhán Doyle of TU Dublin Gaelic games terminology Sports coaches