McHale given the green and red light

It was a drawn-out process – and one that was fraught with controversy – but at a meeting of the Mayo LGFA County Board last Tuesday, Liam McHale was finally confirmed as the new manager of the Mayo senior ladies football team. The ratification of the Ballina man took place at the board’s monthly meeting which was held in the TF Royal Hotel.

In what was a secret ballot, delegates voted an overwhelming 49 to 5 in favour of McHale taking the reins.

The legendary football and basketball star, who stepped aside as coach to the Mayo senior men’s team earlier this year, replaces Michael Moyles who guided the Mayo ladies to three consecutive All-Ireland semi-finals.

McHale has assembled an impressive management team that includes his former Mayo teammates – and fellow All-Stars – Dermot Flanagan and Kenneth Mortimer.

Former Mayo underage and League of Ireland player Micheál Schlingermann will serve as goalkeeper coach while strength and conditioning is to be overseen by Clive O’Reilly. O’Reilly is also S&C coach to the Ballina Stephenites men’s team that this year ended the club’s 16-year wait to win the Mayo senior football championship. Completing the management team is selector Padraig Hennigan while several members of Michael Moyles’ extended backroom team have also agreed to remain in situ.

In a statement read to last Tuesday’s meeting on Liam McHale’s behalf, the new manager thanked the Mayo LGFA board for the honour of managing the senior team and also the executive committee for their “kind invitation” back into the selection process.

The executive had initially opposed the finding of its own interview committee that McHale should be appointed as manager but their actions were subsequently found to be flawed.

“We understand there was a procedural error but these things happen and we move on,” insisted McHale who added that he looked forward to working with the executive committee and continuing the “wonderful work” carried out by Michael Moyles in the years previous.

“Hopefully we can build on and add to that to help get the girls to the next level,” he concluded.

Liam McHale had emerged as the preferred candidate after interviews for the vacancy were held in early October but in contravention to LGFA procedures, the executive committee conducted its own secret ballot and opposed – by eight votes to one – the Ballina man becoming the new Mayo ladies senior football manager.

They were forced to backtrack on their stance however, issuing an apology and inviting Liam McHale to re-engage in the selection process, which he did. However, the Ballina man’s ratification was further delayed when the Mayo LGFA executive received a legal correspondence that sought clarification on a particular aspect of the interview process.

Eventually, the vote to determine whether or not McHale would be appointed was held last Tuesday with the focus now immediately turning to the 2024 Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 1 campaign which is due to get underway on Sunday, January 21.