Football

Derry board to hold off appointment until after second club meeting

Current Derry under 20 manager Mickey Donnelly (centre) is among the contenders for the vacant Derry manager's job. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin.
Current Derry under 20 manager Mickey Donnelly (centre) is among the contenders for the vacant Derry manager's job. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin. Current Derry under 20 manager Mickey Donnelly (centre) is among the contenders for the vacant Derry manager's job. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin.

DERRY will not appoint a new senior football manager until after the county board has held a follow-up meeting with clubs in two weeks’ time.

The clubs and county board had a constructive meeting in Owenbeg on Tuesday evening, in which a number of issues were raised by clubs, who had called for the gathering amid concerns over various issues including the process of appointing a new manager.

That topic ended up taking a secondary role on the night to other issues, such as the structures and accountability relating to underage inter-county squads and coaching.

The county board have committed to making a presentation to the clubs on the current structures when they reconvene on Monday, August 19.

A number of prominent clubs were not in attendance, although the meeting clashed with U14 club championship fixtures, but it’s hoped that they will be at the second meeting.

County board officials, led by chairman Brian Smith, were also quizzed by club delegates on reports that they were struggling financially, as revealed by The Irish News earlier this summer, but they again dismissed the claims.

The Irish News had made a request to be allowed to attend the meeting, but were refused access by Derry county board, who cited the need to “maintain the confidentiality of the [recruitment] process”.