Down appoint Cunningham

Down appoint Cunningham

24 February 2021

PAT Cunningham has been named as the new boss of the Down minor football team.

The Burren clubman has been selected to replace James McCartan. His appointment was confirmed last Tuesday night.

The management team will include DJ Morgan, Ambrose Rodgers, Conor O’Toole, Aaron Branagan, Davy O’Hare and Paddy Doherty.

Cunningham has said he wants to create a culture in his reign with Down where young people will develop, both as footballers and as people.

“It really is a privilege and honour to be offered the role and for the Down clubs to ratify the management team at the county board meeting,” he said. 

“In terms of coaching, Burren gave me the opportunity to coach right through the club structure, and since 2016 I have been involved with the Down development squads. I just hope to continue and build on that progress.

“Like all counties, there is definitely a lot of talent there to work with. It will be good to work with the young players and to help bring them through.”

He added he and his back room team cannot wait to get their teeth into the job. “All the people in the management team have been involved in some shape or form over the years in Down development squads,” he said. 

“We are all looking forward to getting started. Like all coaches, we will enjoy interacting with the players and trying to develop and improve them. It should be a bit of fun.”

Having started with the Down U-14 squad in 2016, Cunningham will already have encountered many of the talented youngsters in the county.

That will be of particular significance this year as the Covid-19 lockdown has meant that trials and meetings are ruled out - at least in the short-term.

“What all the players want to do now is to get back to playing the game they love,” said Cunningham. “That is what we all want to do, but in the current climate there are a lot of unknowns. We just have to wait and be guided by what the government guidelines are, and then in-turn by what the GAA roadmap lays out.”

Down last won an Ulster Minor Championship back in 1999. However, participation and development are also key factors in which Cunningham is seeking to bring out the best from his young talent, to the overall benefit of the county.

“People have to remember that these guys are 16 and 17 years-old,” he cautioned. “They have to deal with a lot of pressures and distraction in their lives. 

“In my view, it is our responsibility to offer some form of relief from that pressure, and create an environment that is psychologically safe. We want to create one where they can really express themselves and genuinely grow and develop on the field.

“In this current climate, the main hope and target we have is to get back on the pitch and to be playing football safely because the players enjoy going to games, participating, having the craic and meeting mates. Getting back to that, is the only target we have at the minute.”

Cunningham added: “Everybody involved in football and every parent just wants their kids out on the field playing football, or hurling, or camogie, or whatever it is.

It has to be in a safe and controlled manner but.”

McCartan announced his exit from the role just before Christmas.

He did so in the wake of the Ulster Championship defeat to Fermanagh at Brewster Park.

That result was a shock one, with the Mourne boys expected to progress to the last four, but the Erne boys pulled off a result no one saw coming. McCartan is steeped in Down GAA history. 

He was part of the playing squad that lifted the 1991 and 1994 Sam Maguire Cup as Down were crowned All-Ireland champions. He also won two Ulster Championships.

At under-age level, McCartan claimed All-Ireland and Ulster Minor honours, as well as picking up two All-Stars in his career.

Former Ballymartin player Cunningham will now take the reigns. And as he has pointed out already, he is looking to bring the best out of the talented panel available to Down.