New York’s new man “excited” by Green and Red visit

Alan O’Mara has an incredible story to tell, the sort that were the New York team he manages to cause the upset of all upsets and beat Mayo, could easily be turned into a Hollywood blockbuster. O’Mara could even write the screenplay.

At 17, he was appointed Sports Editor of The Cavan Post. By 22, he had a feature article in the Sunday Independent explaining his traumatic thoughts of suicide. Three years later, during a three-month break in San Francisco, he wrote his first book in which he documented his journey to overcome depression. It’s title? The Best is Yet to Come.

Mayo supporters will hope that best doesn’t come next Sunday.

Now 33, the former Cavan goalkeeper ranks as one of the youngest inter-county managers but to take charge of the New York footballers was, in his words, a “natural stepping stone”.

O’Mara had only been a 2nd Year student himself when managing DIT’s Freshers team and the following year served as selector when DIT lifted the Sigerson Cup. He parked his own inter-county career early and became Player Development Coach to the Cavan senior football team and upon arrival to New York in 2020, managed Westmeath to both intermediate and senior club championship titles.

“It’s something I’m really passionate about and love doing,” O’Mara admitted during a teleconference at last Wednesday’s official launch of the 2024 Connacht SFC.

He has taken over the management of the Empire State from Johnny McGeeney who last year masterminded New York’s victory over Leitrim – their first-ever Connacht championship victory.

“Breakthrough victories like that are massive,” admits O’Mara. “You saw the scenes afterwards, the joy, getting that monkey off your back, doing all the work and getting the reward, it’s huge.

“But like it or not, it’s the 2024 season now and if you don’t keep your house in order and if you don’t put in the work or are not prepared, you’ll get put on your backside fairly quickly.

“We’ll take confidence from it but it’s about kicking forward and using the lessons from successes and failures of the past to drive us forward,” stated O’Mara, a holder of a Masters in Sports Psychology and whose day-to-day work is as a mental performance coach.

“There’s doors here, there’s windows here, there’s colleges, professional teams all around me and it’s something that I’m very excited about.

“I’ve done some stuff with NCAA colleges and here you find yourself in dressing-rooms with kids from South Korea, Spain, from Texas, from California, and working to bring those people together and unite them behind a team identity and team goals and push them forward, it’s been a hugely exciting chapter for me.” 

It was through several trips to the USA during his time as Fundraising Manager with Cavan County Board that Alan O’Mara first developed a curiosity for life stateside but little did he imagine just how quickly a “career break” in the Big Apple would turn into something more permanent. As a player, he swiftly won a New York senior championship with the Longford club while off the pitch, he made new friends, made work connections and met his now fiancée.

“There’s a real magic to the GAA here. It’s a different landscape, there are different challenges, but there’s also a real beauty to it that brings out a lot of what’s best about the GAA.

“Logistically, everything is more challenging but we all make it work because we want to. I wouldn’t be managing the New York team if I didn’t want to. The players wouldn’t be playing if they didn’t want to. And like anything in life, there are many reasons why not to do things, there are many barriers to doing something or doing something well, but the challenge is always to find solutions and from a management and a playing group point of view, that’s what we do. We just find solutions to make it work.” 

And the only solution to having 3,000 miles of Atlantic Ocean between you and a challenge match is to make do without.

“To be frank, our preparation is like no other team,” admits O’Mara. “It’s a very self-motivated experience. All we have is each other, there’s no challenge games, there’s no National League games, and there’s no one around of sufficient calibre that can play us so we have 40 players in the squad and I’ve spoken to them all year how iron sharpens iron.

“What we’ll get out of it is what we put into it. We train against each other, we train with each other, we play in-house games and we compete as much as we can, as best we can, and prepare as best we can for the challenges that lie ahead.

“There is a huge challenge ahead but I also believe there’s big opportunities ahead for the group,” adds the manager who rates Mayo as “one of the best” teams in Ireland.

“I’ve had David versus Goliath mentioned to me but some might even say we’re David’s little brother,” jokes O’Mara.

“If I had a dollar for every time it’s been said to me ‘ye haven’t a chance’. But there’s always a chance and I think it takes a lot of courage for players to want to step up to this sort of opportunity and embrace the challenge and from what I’ve seen, every one of our group wants to go toe to toe with and to test themselves against one of the best teams in Ireland.” 

The core of the New York squad that created history in 2023 by reaching a Connacht semi-final where they subsequently lost to Sligo in Markievicz Park, has, according to Alan O’Mara stayed together. The 2011 All-Ireland U21 finalist says he has been working with a committed group of 40 players since before Christmas in preparation for next Sunday’s game and in the event of defeat, for the Tailteann Cup to follow.

“They’re 40 brilliant players from my perspective and the core of that squad wants to build on the success of last year and try and cement what they achieved, and to push on and make sure they leave the jersey in a better place when their time does come to an end.

“The Tailteann Cup is a huge part of our season and New York have never won a game in that competition so that’s on the horizon, but the most important game you prepare for is the next one and for us that’s Mayo. The excitement is starting to build here and we’re really looking forward to opening our championship campaign and welcoming championship football to New York.”