By Cian O'Connell

Kildare Gaelic Football has been a key component in Johnny Doyle's life.

Such a distinguished performer for Allenwood and the Lilywhites. Doyle is now Kildare's GAA Community Development and Participation Officer.

The important role, co-funded by Kildare GAA and Kildare County Council is also supported by Leinster GAA.

Coaching was something that always interested Doyle. "I suppose I was always doing a little bit with the club. We are only a small country club and I suppose you are always keeping an eye on what’s coming behind because every number counts. 

"We’ve had players play important roles in our teams that probably wouldn’t have made a lot of teams, because we were there on a Saturday morning throwing stones at the window to get them out of bed to go play a minor match. 

"You had to, because you needed every player. In that regard, you’d always be looking at what’s happening, I’d have done a bit of getting involved with the Under-14s and just doing a bit of coaching with them and trying to get them up to speed. 

"So I always had that involvement – even when I was playing with Kildare I’d be keeping an eye on things because the numbers coming through to senior were important."

Now Doyle is relishing his post in Kildare, trying to get youngsters involved in the sport. "As I finished (with Kildare) I got involved with Maynooth Sigerson and then in the last few months I’ve been employed by the Leinster Council, doing a bit of coaching and stuff, particularly in urban areas in Kildare and trying to get playing numbers back up.

"You have huge numbers there so it is just about going into the schools and seeing what’s happening, if there are any other ways you can get more teams participating and stuff like that.

"You are totally dependent on teachers and with teacher numbers maybe they are not able to facilitate all the students you’d have. And maybe try get clubs involved then, if it’s a feeder school get somebody involved from the club."

Doyle is optimistic that Kildare and Meath can seriously compete for provincial honours in Leinster soon. "We have been relatively competitive all the way up at underage, but I suppose we all lock onto minor as the first national stage you come to," Doyle says.

"At Under-21 we are there or thereabouts every year within Leinster, we’ve yet to go to the next level. Our minors were heavily beaten by Kerry in an All-Ireland Semi-Final this year, which was disappointing.

"So we’ve another tier to go, but I think that’s the big challenge, I even know from my own playing days, the gap from inter-county to even playing with a very successful club.

"Lads who are really good players at club level just can’t make the step up for whatever number of reasons. I think that’s the challenge now, to bring them on."

It is something that Doyle has discussed with Meath's Trevor Giles. "Yes, you go back over successful minor teams and under-21 teams and a lot of lads have come through, but they've come through at the one level. It's to try and to get it to the next level is the challenge and it is a big challenge.

"Just talking to Trevor about it, they would see the same thing. Sometimes when you're on the outside of a senior team you say, 'They should be doing this, should be doing that', - as Trevor was saying to me, when you're actually in there, you can see the problems, but it's just trying to find the solutions for them is difficult.

"I think that's the next thing. Obviously Leinster need challenges for Dublin. Eleven of the last 12 Leinster titles doesn't make for good reading for the rest of us.

"We can get fixated on Dublin this and Dublin that, but I think there will come a time and you'd be hoping from a Kildare point of view that you have enough character to say, 'We need to stop this and let's start looking at ourselves', because it does come down to the individual players.

"That's what you're striving to do, to get that crop of players that have tasted success and I suppose that want to bring it to the next level themselves and hopefully over the next couple of years they'll see that, but it is a big challenge in Kildare, there's no doubt about it."

Thirty eight year old Doyle is adamant about how crucial it is to influence youngsters.

“I always feel that with the senior team going well – look, you have to have the structures in place – but with the senior team is your flagship it does trickle down," is Doyle's assessment.

"I always use the example of when Kildare were successful back in the '98 to 2000 period, the Paul Cribbins, Daniel Flynns, Padraig Fogartys, these were nine and 10 years of age.

"These were the lads that were influenced by that group and a huge number of that team were successful at minor, successful at under-21 and are the backbone of your senior team now.

"Maybe there's no link between it, but I would have felt, even when I was that age, I could name teams."

The Meath and Cork rivalry was one that captured Doyle's imagination. "When I was 10 Meath and Cork were the two teams and they were big influences.

"Even to this day I'd nearly name both teams that played in the All-Ireland and I can barely name teams that I played on myself, but they were huge influences.

"They were the teams on the telly and Larry Tompkins was the main man for Cork and the link with Kildare.

"I was out in the garden at 10 years of age kicking frees off the ground, I was Larry Tompkins.

"That's the influence it had and I continued to do that throughout my career, is to kick frees, and a lot of that was because Larry Tompkins was my influence.

"So that's what I'm saying. Yes, I think when the senior team it just drives everything and a successful team from the point of view of trying to fundraise.

"I remember in my own club, my Da was chairman when we won the one and only county championship we won.

"He said for years they'd be there with flag days outside Mass and a biscuit tin trying to get a few euro and when we were going well there was people coming up to him giving him money because they wanted to be associated with success and I think it's the same at county level.

"If you can get to a level where you're competing, it mightn't necessarily be bringing home silverware, but you're there on big days, I think it just drives everything."