By John Harrington

In the past year the Fermanagh footballers have won promotion from Division Three of the League, reached the Ulster SFC Final, and are now well positioned to gain promotion from Division Two of the League.

An unbeaten League run after four matches has included wins over 2018 All-Ireland Quarter-Finalists Kildare and Donegal, and leaves them level on points at the top of the table with Meath knowing a win over Clare in Brewster Park this weekend will put them in a very strong position.

Were they to gain promotion to Division One of the Allianz League it would be a serious achievement for a small county of such relatively shallow playing resources, but don’t tell them they’re punching above their weight.

Fermanagh’s GAA’s Games Development manager, Teresa McNabb, is adamant they are where they are because of hard work and natural ability so regards that particular platitude as a slight rather than a compliment.

Senior team manager Rory Gallagher is maximising the potential of the players at his disposal, and McNabb and her small but very hard-working Coaching and Games Development staff in the county are doing the same to ensure a steady supply of talented young footballers are always available to him.

Rising stars like Jonny Cassidy, Ultan Kelm, Darragh McGurran, Lorcan McStravick, and Cian McManus to name a few have come through Fermanagh GAA’s well-run coaching academy structures where the mantra is always to make the most of what you have.

“There is a massive will and desire and we are getting good backing from clubs from a coaching and games point of view in terms of what we're trying to do within our schools, our academies, and our county teams,” McNabb told GAA.ie

“When you get buy-in from clubs and players and you see the players displaying the right attitude and wanting to do all they can, it's encouraging and makes our job that bit easier.

“Everyone wants to improve and get better, we all have the one goal.

“There is a lot of excellent coaches in Fermanagh between schools and clubs. We can identify the players that do feed into our senior inter-county game. It's about trying to support them.

“We try to get them out and working on the ground as opposed to having to do too much on the administration side in an office. We want them working with teachers in the schools and the club coaches.

“There is a flexible approach there. Because I suppose the county is so small there is a major buy-in from clubs and players are prepared to work and put the effort in.

“Maybe that's because there's a knowledge we don't have much resources or facilities then there's an attitude that we have to work twice as hard. You would have a bit of that mindset that we have to fight for everything we get here.”

If there’s any advantage to having small numbers to work with it’s that it makes talent identification somewhat easier.

If you’re a good young footballer in Fermanagh then your potential will be noted and you’ll be given every opportunity to develop it.

And because every player with the raw ability to perhaps some day play at the highest level is a precious commodity in a county like Fermanagh, McNabb and her coaches are careful to nurture their talent rather than over-expose it.

“You have to be very mindful of player welfare,” she said. “They are being pulled by various teams, schools, club and county, and they also play other sports.

“We know who our pool of players are and we can identify them, but it's also knowing how much we can work with them and develop them with their other demands.

“You want to make sure they avoid injury as much as possible by ensuring they're not over-trained. There's a lot of conversations that go on between players, club coaches, school teams and that.

“We have structures set up where we have Sean Doherty who is our Football Development Officer and he's linking the work we're doing in the academies with these boys with the work they're doing in their clubs and schools.

“Himself and Eoin Bradley, our Head of Athletic Development, are the guys who are working with these players the most and they're able to say, right, we need to ease up here or this guy is after doing this many sessions already.

“They're managing players as best as they can and they know the players really well. So, they'll know if they had a MacRory Cup session during the week so don't need to do something with the minors the next day.

“I think that has been key to trying to bring as many players as we can through while working with them and developing them.”

The appointment of Sean Doherty and Eoin Bradley was made possible thanks to the fund-raising of ‘Club Eirne’, Fermanagh GAA’s well-run fund-raising wing.

Launched in 2015 and headed up by Devenish native Ger Treacy who was formerly a Fermanagh selector when Peter Canavan was team manager, Club Éirne has exceeded its goal of raising €50,000 in Year One, €100,000 in Year Two, €150,000 in Year Three, and €200,000 in Year Four.

An USA equivalent of Club Éirne has also been set up which has enabled Fermanagh GAA to form very positive links with the county's ex-pats in America.

So vibrant is Club Éirne now, that Treacy is confident he’ll have no problem getting 500 people to come to their race-day fundraiser in Fairyhouse on June 14.

“It’s been a great success and that’s down to hard work and effort of a group of people together who have pride in their county and want to help Club Éirne raise the money that's needed to develop the county,” Treacy told GAA.ie.

“The County Board are spending the money very wisely, we believe. We're starting to see some of the benefits accruing now.

“I believe some of those benefits might not accrue fully for another three, four years, but we're starting to see some of the benefits from having those two full-time coaches.

“Eoin (Bradley) and Sean (Doherty) are getting the coaching structures right in the clubs, coaching the coaches, and also working with the academy squads and the schools.

“We have a focus, we have a vision, we have unity. Everybody is working hard with a clear mind, clear vision and clear strategy to enhance and develop Fermanagh GAA.

“Our motto is 'Be the best we can be'. That's what we're trying to do as people heading up these organisations but we also want the youth of Fermanagh to be the best that they can be.

“We need unity of purpose to make that happen and thankfully we have had this this past number of years.

“And now we're seeing that come to fruition with the commitment of our players.”

The competitiveness of inter-county teams can usually be reliably index linked to the health of the game in the county at secondary-school level.

It’s no surprise then to hear that working in secondary schools is a primary focus for Fermanagh GAA’s coaches.

For many years St. Michael’s, Enniskillen has been a real hot-house for the development of young footballers at secondary school level and their progress to this year’s MacRory Cup Final proves young footballers are continuing to blossom under the watchful eye of Dom Corrigan.

McNabb is hopeful that in the coming years they can help other schools where there’s a strong tradition of Gaelic Football like St. Aidan’s High School, Derrylin and St. Kevin’s College, Lisnaskea operate at the same level so more young Fermanagh footballers are developed by exposure to top-quality football.

In terms of winning hearts and minds and convincing young footballers they should be aspiring to be the best they can be, it always helps when your senior inter-county team is doing well.

If Rory Gallagher’s senior footballers can win promotion to Division One of the Allianz Football League, it would provide a serious shot of adrenalin for both coaches and players at all levels of the game in the county.

“For the players it would be a massive boost for the effort they have put in,” said McNabb.

“For the clubs, it obviously inspires the next generation coming through because they'd know we're capable of that level.

“It would create a real feel-good factor and success breeds success. If we can get that mentality into them early and our players are being exposed to good, competitive football, then that will bring them on.

“They're capable of it, it's getting the mindset right. It would be a massive boost if we could gain that promotion but I also think it just emphasises even more the work that needs to go in and that must continue to go in to try to compete and be up there.

“The desire is there and that, but it's just about making sure we're doing everything we possibly can and within our means so we can keep competitive.”