More respect for Referees as Club Coaching Support announced by Tipp GAA CEO

By Shane Brophy

Tipperary County Board CEO/Secretary Murtagh Brennan said a concerted effort is needed to help referees going forward.

In his first address to County Convention on Saturday night, the Loughmore/Castleiney native said that 490 games were scheduled in 2023 at county board level with a refereeing pool of 107. 145 notices of discipline were issued by Tipperary CCC which led to 35 appeals (hearings), four of which were for mentors who were reported by referees.

Murtagh Brennan’s brother is a referee in another county and revealed that while he finds refereeing enjoyable, the level of abuse shocked and appalled him.

“Respect is something we have to take seriously,” Brennan said.

“Clubs have to be brave enough to pull their own supporters, mentors and players when abuse takes place.”

In a comprehensive report, despite little on-field success in 2023, Brennan said Tipperary GAA was in “a healthy state” pointing to the success of the county’s underage teams in 2023 in winning the Tony Forristal (U14) and Arrabawn Cup (U15) and Celtic Challenge (U17) which “indicate steady progress through a capacity to compete,” he said, as well as early signs that the link-up with Setanta College in terms of strength & conditioning is already bearing fruit.

Club Coaching Scholarship

The County Board are also soon to announce another project in conjuction with the Thurles based Setanta College for the benefit of clubs through an Athletic Development Scholarship. This programme will see the county board subsidise a series of club workshops and coach development programmes.

“It aims to develop the massive potential of our club coaches within our county.

“By improving coach education in the community, Tipperary GAA hopes to minimise the financial costs often associated with seeking qualified coaches at club level,” Brennan said.

With the appointment of Sean O’Meara as new county games manager in 2023 and three new GDA’s fired to bring the number in the county to seven, there is an increased focus on underage player development with exposing more players to higher levels with the target going forward to field, 4 teams in the Tony Forristal annually, 3 teams in the Arrabawn & John Doyle Cups annually, and 2 teams in the Celtic Challenge alongside the minor team while there will also be a new Under 19 Development squad being launched.

In terms of aiding that underage preparation, it will see a decentralisation of training from Thurles to four divisional hubs to reduce travel time on players, parents and coaches, which Brennan hopes will “create an environment that fosters a culture of high performance in our underage teams.”

Commenting on the first year of Liam Cahill’s tenure with the Tipperary senior hurlers, Murtagh Brennan said the team “made huge progress in a short space of time.”

He added: “The age profile of the team was significantly reduced through the introduction of ten debutants, and this contributed to an energy, intensity and work rate that brought with it big performances and encouraging results.”