Dublin U20 manager, Ciaran Farrelly, pictured at the launch of the 2024 EirGrid GAA Football U20 All-Ireland Championship. EirGrid, the operator of Ireland’s electricity grid, is leading the transition to a low carbon energy future. 2024 marks the 10th year of EirGrid’s sponsorship of the competition.
By Cian O’Connell
“Our biggest aspiration for the year is to give them an opportunity to develop as best as they possibly can,” Dublin U20 manager Ciarán Farrelly says ahead of the EirGrid Leinster Championship.
“Whatever that brings results wise, it will nearly look after itself. Our job and our focus is providing the best opportunity to them to be able to succeed and to develop themselves.
“Whether that is physically or the mental aspect of the game or just tactically becoming really in tune with different aspects that are required at senior level. You are prepping them for that too.
“From a management team point of view for the Dublin U20s it is just making sure we provide every single opportunity to each player to be able to push themselves as hard as they possibly can.”
Farrelly is well versed in the balancing act that is needed at this level. The proud Thomas Davis clubman worked as a coach under Tom Gray when Dublin reached All-Ireland U20 finals in 2019 and 2020.
Valuable lessons were learned during those campaigns and beforehand with Dublin academy and minor teams. “Without a doubt,” Farrelly responds instantly.
“I was working for the Dublin County Board a couple of years previously as a development officer. I was always involved with coaching and would have been involved in the club coaching for a long time before moving up to that level with the development squads.
“I've had a good time with the coaching role and progressed on to the management. That is a lot different.”
It is especially so in the U20 ranks. Players are at different stages in school or college, so an accommodating approach is required. “Big time,” Farrelly says.
“You have lads doing their Leaving Cert, you have lads playing Freshers or Sigerson football, schools games. That is away from the pressures they have in school or in college too. You're trying to get that balance between study, that part has been tough, without a doubt.
“You're trying to make sure that they have the opportunity to be afforded the time required for their studies, which is hugely important.
Former Thomas Davis senior football team manager Ciarán Farrelly. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
“Even this Saturday we are due to train, the Irish orals are taking place for the Leaving Cert. You're balancing that stuff all of the time. It is challenging at times, but there hasn't been any major problems so far, thankfully.”
As a player, coach, and manager Farrelly served the Thomas Davis cause with distinction. During the past decade the club has progressed according to Farrelly. “It has been excellent with Davis', we played in the county final in 2019, the year after we didn't get out of the group, which was disappointing at the time,” he reflects.
“We had a couple of good years, we got to a semi-final against Kilmacud, who went on to win the All-Ireland. We were competitive against them and probably were disappointed on the day we didn't push them a little bit harder.
“The club, certainly the volunteerism up there is absolutely incredible. There is a huge amount of work going on at every level and at every age group.
“You have hundreds of kids up on the Astro pitch every single night. The club is progressing really well, that is starting to come through at senior level, where we seem to be in a position to be really competitive again, hopefully.”
Farrelly is simply relishing taking charge of the Dublin U20s. It has been a hectic few months, but Farrelly wouldn’t have it any other way. “The U20s is probably a bit different to being at senior or senior club.
"We just have this small period of time to try to first bring a team together, put training programmes in place, plans in place, and put it together as quickly as we possibly can for the start of the championship,” he says.
“It has been tough. It is challenging because you're not inheriting a team that is an established team or that has worked together before. You're bringing a whole new group of players together, you're trying to amalgamate them as best as you can from different age groups.”
Advice is available. A couple of conversations with Dublin senior football manager Dessie Farrell have taken place. Farrell knows all about improving young players in the capital. “He is fully supportive of the team,” Farrell says.
“That is all we can hope for. He has been there at minor and U21 level when he was there, so he has a great understanding of the competition and how it works.”
Farrelly is embarking on his own coaching and managerial journey. An interesting few months beckons.