Galway set for underage shakeup, FRC to continue trials with sandbox games
Following a County Board meeting on Tuesday night, the positions of Galway U20 hurling and football manager, as well as minor football manager, will be opened up for expressions of interest.
Galway U20 football boss Derek Savage has already confirmed he will step down after two years in charge. It follows a disappointing 2025 campaign that saw the Tribesmen miss out on a place in the Connacht championship top three.
Fergal Healy's U20 outfit bowed out in the Leinster semi-final against Dublin last May. The Galway football minors, under Neil McHugh made it to a Connacht semi-final where they were beaten by Mayo.
Pádraic Joyce's future is yet to be resolved with discussions expected to take place in the coming weeks. Speaking after their quarter-final exit to Meath, the Connacht four-in-a-row winning boss said he would take his time before making a call.
'We've just gone out of the Championship so I'm not going to make any rash decisions. We'll sit and chat. There's a lot of lads in there with decisions to make about next year as well, as we have as a management, so we will do that in due course.
'The county board have always been very supportive of me and the players so we will sit down and get things properly organised.'
Meanwhile, the Football Review Committee are set to host another series of sandbox games as they move towards a final report on the new Gaelic football rules.
The first game is scheduled to take place in Dublin this weekend with a few adjustments to existing enhancements expected to be trialled.
Special Congress will take place in October to agree on the final amendments.
'I think overall the rules have worked well,' said FRC member James Horan, speaking on the Irish Examiner Gaelic football podcast.
'They are not perfect in any way, there is maybe things that need to be looked at. But overall, I think it has been hugely positive.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
4 hours ago
- The Journal
Charlie Bird's wife supporting All-Ireland morning walk in aid of Motor Neurone Disease
THE PUBLIC HAVE been urged to come together and walk 'shoulder to shoulder' by joining a sponsored walk on Sunday, the day of the All-Ireland football final. The walk will take place in Offaly. Organised by a group of Irish sports stars and sporting clubs, the 'Shoulder to Shoulder' walk is in aid of those suffer from ALS, the most common form of Motor Neurone Disease. It will begin the morning of the final at St Brigid's GAA Club, Croghan, Co Offaly starting at 9am. The wife of Charlie Bird, Claire Bird, is supporting the cause. Charlie, the former chief news correspondent with RTÉ, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2021 and passed away in March last year. He raised €3.6m in aid of the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association and Pieta before his death. Claire said that there is now more awareness around MND and progress has been made in improving the quality of life for ALS sufferers and their families, but 'more is needed'. 'In particular, funds are urgently needed to discover the cause and potential treatments for this cruel disease and that's what we are asking for today. Advertisement 'Every donation and every act of support will make a difference in the fight against ALS and MND so please, wear your jersey for your teammate on 27 July and donate whatever you can afford to support the research that will bring hope to future generations.' One of the organisers of the walk, former Galway GAA player Michael Meehan, said, 'All Ireland Final day is a special day in Irish sport and on this special day, we call on you to join us in a heartfelt show of solidarity to support all our 'teammates' who are facing ALS.' He invited everyone to wear their jerseys and join the walk on the morning of the All-Ireland. 'Anyone who can't join the walk can still support the cause by donating to iDonate and all funds will go towards Research Motor Neurone,' Michael added. The walk is to raise funds for Research Motor Neurone, an Irish charitable organisation, led by Orla Hardiman, Professor of Neurology at Trinity College Dublin, and an international authority on Motor Neurone Disease and related neurodegeneration. MND is a progressive neurological condition in which the nerves that control voluntary muscles stop working. In Ireland, around 155 people are newly diagnosed with the condition every year; there are currently more than 470 people living with MND and ALS in Ireland. It is a challenging and debilitating disease for which there is currently no cure. Galway GAA, Mountbellew-Moylough GAA, Cu Chulainns GAA (London), Leinster Rugby, [Connacht Rugby], Ireland U20 Rugby, Garbally College are among those supporting the walk. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Ross Tierney rescues draw for Bohemians away to Derry
League of Ireland: Derry City 1 (Akinyemi 45+5) Bohemians 1 (Tierney 52) Shamrock Rovers emerged the biggest winners at Brandywell as Bohemians came from behind to clinch a share of the spoils against Derry City . Former York City striker Dipo Akinyemi put Derry ahead on his Brandywell debut with a header from Michael Duffy's cross five minutes into first half stoppage time. That lead didn't last long as Ross Tierney blasted home from James Clarke's cross on 52 minutes to rescue a point for the second-placed Dubliners. Both teams have now played the same number of games as Rovers, who finished the night seven points clear of the Gypsies and eight ahead of Derry, who meet Stephen Bradley's side in Tallaght in their next outing. READ MORE There were reports of clashes between both sets of supporters outside the ground in ugly scenes which marred a match between two sides hoping to ignite a title race. But it was the Brandywell turf that ignited when a flare was thrown over the Southend Park stand during the first half, scorching the artificial surface and causing a lengthy delay in play. Play stops at the Brandwell after a flare is thrown onto the pitch. Photograph: Lorcan Doherty/Inpho Tiernan Lynch handed a debut to former Hull City fullback Brandon Fleming, who was one of three changes from last week's FAI Cup win over Treaty United. He replaced Shane Ferguson, while hat-trick hero Liam Boyce regained a starting berth at the expense of Gavin Whyte, who was a notable omission from the squad. Carl Winchester was also back at the expense of Adam O'Reilly, who dropped to the bench. Alan Reynolds made sweeping changes, seven in total from the team which thrashed their Leinster Senior League opposition Killester Donnycarney in the cup. Bohs were enjoying plenty of possession in the early stages but Derry almost capitalised on a quick counter attack on 12 minutes with a move started and finished by Akinyemi. The Londoner found the run of Duffy with a clever ball over the top and when the ex-Celtic winger cut it back to Liam Boyce the striker fluffed his lines. Akinyemi tried his luck again from distance two minutes later but Chorazka saved comfortably. SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Derry 25/7/2025 Derry City vs Bohemians Derry's Michael Duffy with Bohemian's Niall Morahan and Ross Tierney Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Lorcan Doherty The striker was in the thick of the action once again when he found Duffy in space with a neat flick, but the Derry winger dragged his strike on his right foot narrowly wide of the post. The flare caused a five-minute delay on the half-hour mark, much to the annoyance of the players, but eventually the flame was extinguished and play resumed. Bohs carved out a great chance in stoppage time when Ross Tierney's delicate touch from Mounteny's cross set up James Clarke but his strike from 12 yards was saved by Maher. Derry broke when Liam Boyce played a ball over the top for Akinyemi to run on to and the striker got in behind the last man but his shot was saved brilliantly by the outstretched leg of Chorazka. The Polish goalkeeper couldn't do anything about Akinyemi's next effort on goal though, as the Englishman towered above his marker and headed Duffy's cross into the corner of the net for a timely breakthrough. Diallo tried his luck from just inside the penalty box with the last action of the half but drilled his effort wide of the post. SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Derry 25/7/2025 Derry City vs Bohemians Derry's Afolabi Akinyemi reacts after a missed chance Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Lorcan Doherty Bohs were back on level terms just seven minutes into the second half as Tierney got on to the end of James Clarke's cross from the right and volleyed past the helpless Maher. Duffy's curling free-kick from 25 yards was gathered comfortably by Chorazka and substitute Adam O'Reilly fired a blistering effort over the bar as Derry tried to get back on top. Robbie Benson came agonisingly close to finding the corner of the net in front of a packed North Stand with a glancing header from Duffy's cross with 10 minutes to go. The second-half subs were making an impact and Danny Mullen raced on to a ball over the top of the Bohs defence but his effort on the half volley was beaten away by Chorazka at the near post. From the resultant corner kick Alex Bannon rose at the back post but again Chorazka parried it clear. It was as close as Derry came to finding a winner as the teams shared the spoils. Elsewhere, Sligo Rovers came from two goals down to clinch a 3-2 win over troubled Cork City at Turner's Cross, while Waterford defeated Galway United 4-2 on the road. DERRY CITY: Maher; Connolly, Bannon, Todd; R Boyce (Benson 69), Diallo (Frizzell 90), Winchester, Fleming; Duffy, L Boyce (Mullen 69) Akinyemi (O'Reilly 57). BOHEMIANS: Chorazka; Mountney (Smith 67), Byrne, Kavanagh, Flores; Morahan, Devoy; McDonnell (Parsons 74), Tierney; Clarke (Whelan 74), Rooney. Referee: Damien MacGraith.
Irish Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
GAA fans fume over All-Ireland final ticket allocation for Donegal v Kerry clash
The biggest weekend in the Gaelic football calendar is here and the All-Ireland final is upon us. Over 82,000 will be at Croke Park on Sunday to witness the clash between Kerry and Donegal in a final that pits undoubtedly the two best sides in the country this year against each other. But while Croke Park will be heaving, plenty of fans have been left disappointed at being unable to get their hands on tickets. It has been reported that of the 82,000+ fans in Croker this weekend, only 13,748 will be from Donegal. That represents a paltry 17% of the entire expected attendance at GAA HQ. The reason for such a small Donegal contingent is due to administrative errors by a number of the 40 clubs in the county. As reported by Donegal Live, some clubs in the county have failed to correctly log their LGFA and Camogie members in the 'Foireann' system - the portal used by GAA players, coaches and clubs. This has led to reduced tickets as the allocation was based on the adult membership on the portal. 1,230 extra Donegal fans will be in attendance on top of the 13,748 number as they are season ticket holders. That brings Donegal's total tally of fans to 14,978 - bringing the percentage of the stadium filled by official Donegal supporters up to 18.1%. This is despite the GAA's annual report from 2025 showing that 59,212 tickets were set to be given for county allocations in the final. Many clubs within County Donegal have posted on Facebook about failing to be able to acquire tickets to meet the demand. CLG Baile na ngalloglach stated: 'The demand for tickets far exceeded our allocation. 'Some will be disappointed not to receive a ticket and some will be disappointed with the location of their ticket, this totally out of our control as we can only allocate what we have been given. We have done our best to accommodate everyone.' CLG Chloich Cheann Fhaola also stated their disappointment in not receiving more tickets. They stated: 'We had hoped to receive a second allocation to meet our order, which unfortunately we haven't been able to secure.' Fans have also voiced their displeasure on social media: 'Shocking. Feel so sorry for all the Donegal fans who have been to every game this year and can't get a ticket for the final', said one. 'It should be 40% at least for both teams', said another.
