‘Sligo’s problem has never been a lack of quality’
ground. He says that people in the GAA have to stop whinging about this ‘gap’ between Dublin and everyone else.
The All-Ireland champions, who won a sixth successive title last December, are working harder, making fewer mistakes and choosing the right ball in the white heat of battle. Dublin, of course, have some very, very good players.
Rooney, however, argues that every county has good players. This was a point that his late father always made. Dublin are a glowing example of what happens when structures are in place to facilitate teams’ growth.
For a county team to prosper, says Rooney, there has to be a shared vision between the players, manager, clubs, supporters and County Board. This ‘one vision’ approach isn’t just applicable to sport, but also business and life. “I saw comments by Eamonn O’Hara recently where he said Sligo were a top 12 team. Eamonn could be right on that but in order for Sligo to achieve this other structures have to be in place.”
“Sligo’s problem has never been a lack of quality players.”
“We have to start analysing more deeply – what is the difference? Is it attitude? This word ‘resources’ is going around at the minute. But there has to be a mindset in Sligo that we have to work harder than in other counties.”
“Sometimes Sligo teams would have been guilty of being overconfident, a mentality of them thinking they are better than they are – that would come from my perspective of being a Leitrim player – other times teams from Sligo wouldn’t be confident enough in their own ability.”
Rooney is adamant that the likes of Sligo and Leitrim have to be allowed to aspire to take on the Kerrys, Dublins and Tyrones of this world.
“You have to match up all the variables before you say ‘we’re not good enough’ or that there is this so-called gap and we can’t compete.”
“The worst thing is when players begin to think that the gap is too big.” “The Dublin players are absolutely relentless at the moment but there will be a team to beat Dublin in the coming years.”
HE MISSES his younger brother, Mark, who died from cancer when aged 38 in September 2016. They were teammates at Glencar-Manorhamilton and St Mary’s. “Mark was gone too early and it has left a huge void in our lives. He has too little boys growing up, Zach and Oscar, and their mum, Natalie, is doing a fantastic job in raising them.”
“He was a hugely popular lad – he played soccer, Gaelic football and was a golfer.”
“I meet his friends and former teammates all the time, it is heartwarming to hear people talk so well and so highly of him. It is a solace to know that they miss Mark as much as I do.” “It [his passing] was unbearable but
FLASHBACK: Aidan Rooney when he was Sligo Minor boss in 2015.
you become used to it. I play a lot of golf now. He played off scratch.”
“We would regularly play golf together at Rosses Point or Strandhill. I miss that regular contact with him.” Rooney, who talks passionately about the GAA, management and the idea of constant improvement, wants to pass on his love of sport to his children, Nathan, Eli and Eden, similar to how he embraced sport when growing up in Leitrim.
When he stopped playing, the buzz of coaching took hold.
“Coaching is never about the coach. I had some great days as a player, some very enjoyable days but once I left that I was no longer Aidan Rooney the player.”
“What the Sligo Minor team achieved in 2015 wasn’t about me – it was about the players.”
“I love to see teams being successful and I love to see teams that are capable of being successful getting to win things.”
“If a team has the ability to be better, I would love to see that team doing better. You are in management for the betterment of the players.”
During his inter-county career his managers in Leitrim included PJ Carroll and John O’Mahony (who would later oversee Galway’s All-Ireland wins in 1998 and 2001).
“My management style is based on a lot of what I’ve seen as a player. For example, a manager that would have got more out of me as a player, made me a better player – those are the things I try to transfer to my own role.”
He stresses that there is always scope to make players better, be they club standard or inter-county players. “I care so much about football. Lessons have to learned all the time.” “When you are in the throes of it and things are going well, you don’t look any further. Sometimes there is no forward planning – but that is human nature.”
“Often clubs or County Boards don’t look ahead. They end up in a good place, things are going well, but they don’t forward plan.”
He added: “I have friends everywhere in sport because I value people. Players have to feel valued. A coach has to have empathy.”
“Why do people do extraordinary things – not just in sport, but in life? Because they feel empowered.”
“We have to be positive in Sligo in terms of what we’ve achieved and our potential.”
“For me, coaching is about providing an environment for players where they want to do their very best for themselves and the team.”
After a conversation with Rooney, it is easy to get enthused. Sport needs people like him – both Leitrim and Sligo are lucky that he has made GAA his life’s work.
NIGHT OUT: Aidan Rooney, at the St Mary’s GAA Club dinner dance in March of
2019 at the Sligo Park Hotel. Also pictured are Francis Fidgeon and Brendan Leonard, then chairman of Sligo GAA.