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Éamonn Fitzmaurice has been named Galway senior football manager for three years. The former Kerry boss returns to intercounty management after leaving Kerry in 2018.
Éamonn Fitzmaurice has been appointed as the Galway senior football manager for a three-year term. The former Kerry manager confirmed the news at a media briefing in Loughrea on Saturday morning. The appointment marks his return to intercounty management after stepping away from the Kerry job in 2018 following six years in charge.
Fitzmaurice said the call from Galway GAA chairman Paul Bellew came at the right time and turned his head. He had no intention of going back into intercounty management before the approach.
Background and Coaching Career
Fitzmaurice had been content with media work and coaching roles. He is principal at Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne in Dingle and has coached a couple of clubs in Kerry with which he had ties.
As a player, he won three senior medals with Kerry. He guided the Kingdom to All-Ireland glory in 2014 as manager. He left the Kerry job in 2018 after six years at the helm.
Reflecting on the initial contact, Fitzmaurice said Paul Bellew reached out the weekend after Pádraic stepped down. He noted that similar calls over the last couple of years had never gone beyond the phone call, but this time his head was turned and he decided to explore it, perhaps out of curiosity.
He met Bellew a few times and they spoke on several occasions. Fitzmaurice said there was balancing to be done on his side to see if he could make it happen. Eventually he sat down and interviewed with the selection committee, and it went from there.
Considerations and Kerry Connection
Fitzmaurice said there were a few factors he had to address. After speaking to family and work colleagues at Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne, he could consider the football side of things.
The Kerry side of things was a big consideration. He admitted he would never have thought he would end up managing against Kerry, even up to a couple of weeks ago. He said he had to get through that part and wrestled with it a lot.
He explained that there is a cohort he had at school with whom he won a good bit of stuff and whom he taught. He feels a bond with those lads. There is also a host of players still playing to whom he gave their first start, and he believes there is always a special bond with the manager who gives a player their first Kerry jersey.
Fitzmaurice pointed out that he is not the first Kerry man to take charge of another county and play the Kingdom. He cited Mick O'Dwyer, Páidí Ó Sé, Mickey Ned O'Sullivan, Peter Keane and even current manager Jack O'Connor as examples of those who have gone to outside counties.
He said that former Kerry managers have gone beyond the county boundary, so he is not the first, which gives him a bit of comfort. He added that all those men were welcomed back into the county afterwards. He acknowledged he might not be flavour of the month for the next couple of years but thinks people know him well enough in Kerry to accept the decision.
Galway Football Project and Future Plans
Fitzmaurice said the other key factor in his decision was the Galway football project. He described it as very exciting from the off. He has seen a lot of Galway over the last couple of years, attending many of their games while working with the media, and he had a good bit of time for them. He sees good potential there, and that side of it pulled him hardest towards the role.
He also mentioned his age as a factor. He will be 50 next July, and he feels these kinds of opportunities, particularly at the top level of the game, will not keep coming. He believes he is young enough and has enough energy to go at it. His kids are a good age now, and he is looking forward to getting stuck into the job.
Fitzmaurice is currently putting his backroom team in place. He was meeting a selection of squad members for the first time this weekend. The appointment is for the next three years.
Éamonn Fitzmaurice Galway GAA Kerry GAA Paul Bellew Senior Football Manager Loughrea Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne
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