SPORT ROUND-UP

Ex-Sligo boss gets a role in Westmeath

Offaly native Pat Flanagan, who was the Sligo senior Gaelic football manager for one year, 2014, when he succeeded Kevin Walsh, has a new managerial role – in charge of Caulry in Co. Westmeath. Caulry, who cover the areas of Mount Temple and Baylin, were beaten semi-finalists in this year’s Westmeath GAA Senior Football Championship. This was Caulry’s first Westmeath SFC semi-final since 1946. Flanagan, who also managed Westmeath and Offaly, had a successful time as boss of Padraig Pearses – he guided the Roscommon club to a Connacht GAA Club Senior Football Championship title in 2022 as well as two Roscommon SFC titles in 2019 and 2021.

Basketball arena will be redeveloped

The National Basketball Arena in Tallaght, Dublin, where Sligo All-Stars Basketball Club have won and lost national finals over the years, is set for a €35m redevelopment. Basketball Ireland have revealed plans to upgrade the venue into a multi-sport and multi-use arena and double its capacity to 3,300. Proposed works will get under way in the summer of 2025 and be completed for the start of the 2026-27 season.

When redeveloped, facility (8,000 metres square) will have space for four basketball courts, be fully accessible and an inclusive facility for all sports participants. It will also house a gym and café along with corporate facilities and office space for Basketball Ireland staff.

Also supporting the project

IMPORTANT GATHERING: The top table from the recent Sligo LGFA annual general meeting that was held at the Clayton Hotel.

are Badminton Ireland, Irish Squash and Volleyball Ireland, with these governing bodies interested in using the new state-of-the-art amenity.

Away game in Sigerson Cup for ATU Sligo

ATU Sligo’s senior Gaelic footballers will be away for their 2024 Electric Ireland GAA Higher Education Sigerson Cup round one game against St Mary’s University College (Belfast). This game is due to take place next month, on Thursday, January 11, at The Dub (throw-in 8pm). Victory in round one will give ATU Sligo a round two fixture against either University of Galway or TU Dublin. Success in round two will secure a quarter-final place. However, if ATU Sligo lose in either round one or round two there is at least one more

game for them in the competition.

ATU Sligo, who are managed by ex-Sligo player Con O’Meara, last won the Sigerson Cup in 2005 – this was their third success in four years, having also won the competition in 2002 and 2004.

Former Rovers star Cawley joins Harps

David Cawley, the former Sligo Rovers midfield ace, has signed for SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division outfit Finn Harps. The 32-year-old was given a testimonial by Rovers last August to mark 10 years at The Showgrounds over two spells.

The Ballina native, who was club captain during his time with the Bit O’Red, won three major honours when with Rovers – League of Ireland Men’s Premier Division (2012), FAI Men’s Cup (2013) and Setanta Sports Cup (2014). He also played for Galway United and St Patrick’s Athletic, winning a League of Ireland Cup with the latter in 2016. Cawley, speaking to finnharps.ie, said: “I’ve had many battles with [Finn] Harps during my career and Finn Park has always been a tough place to go – so I’m excited to have it as my home ground now. “Hopefully we can make the place a real fortress next season and kick on up the table. It is a great club, with great people behind the scenes and on the terraces.”

Finn Harps, who were relegated from the top tier last year, finished ninth (from 10 teams) in this year’s SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division – they won nine of their 36 games and finished 57 points behind champions Galway United. Grange native Seamas Keogh, a former team-mate of David Cawley’s, played for Finn Harps this year.

Publication features local GAA stadia

Three famous GAA grounds in Sligo – Markievicz Park, Sligo town, Tubbercurry’s Kilcoyne Park and Corran Park in Ballymote – feature in the book ‘A Place To Play’ by Humphrey Kelleher.

This publication – which was shortlisted in this year’s An Post Irish Book Awards in the Best Irish Published Book of the Year category – details the history of GAA stadia in all 32 counties and beyond, with 101 GAA county grounds covered. Markievicz Park is Sligo GAA’s county ground but inter-county championship games have also been hosted by Kilcoyne Park and Corran Park.

The other grounds from Connacht that are in ‘A Place To Play’ include Pearse Stadium (Salthill), Kenny Park (Athenry), Duggan Park (Ballinasloe), St Jarlath’s

Park (Tuam), Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada (Carrick-on-Shannon), Páirc Sheáin Uí Eislin (Ballinamore), St Mary’s Park (Cloone), MacHale Park (Castlebar), James Stephens Park (Ballina) and Fr O’Hara Park (Charlestown).

The book’s author Humphrey Kelleher is a former manager of the Dublin senior hurlers (he was in charge in 2004 and 2005) and he played for his native Waterford in both Gaelic football and hurling at various levels.

Striker Emma re-signs for the next campaign

Buncrana’s Emma Doherty has re-signed for the Sligo Rovers senior women’s team for the 2024 season. The striker, a sports scholarship student at ATU Sligo, was Rovers top scorer last year and this year and has tallied 24

goals in 51 appearances for the club. The goalscorer was also chosen by the Bit O’Red as the Senior Women’s Player of the Year for 2023.

Both the player and her new manager, Tommy Hewitt, are looking forward to the next campaign.

“I have spoken with Tommy [Hewitt] a few times and can see that he wants us to push on and challenge for trophies – I want to be part of that,” Doherty stated. “Getting to the FAI Women’s Cup semi-final this year gave us a taste of what it is like to challenge for major honours and we all want that feeling again.” Hewitt, meanwhile, is enthused to be working with a player of Doherty’s calibre. He said: “Emma is a top quality player and is getting better every season – she has an incredible hunger to succeed.”

Increase in attendances at LOI games

According to figures released by the FAI, League of Ireland attendances rose 20% in 2023, with over 135,000 more people at games compared to last year. A total of 935,415 fans attended domestic soccer matches this year and attendances for the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division increased by 22.4%. Attendances in the League of Ireland went up 20% in 2023, with 826.086 people attending fixtures across all three divisions (Men’s Premier Division, Men’s First Division and Women’s Premier Division) compared to 688,272 in 2022. When factoring in attendances from the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup final, Sports Direct Women’s FAI Cup final, Avenir Sports All-Island Cup and the President’s Cup, the number is almost one million (935,415).

Sligo Rovers’ average attendance for their home games in the SSE Airtricity