Patience and belief ensure Limerick football in a healthy place

There is a great deal of talk nationally about the importance of long-term player development and the role of county academies.

From what I have read from former players like Seanie Buckley and Pa Ranahan, Limerick are working hard to raise standards at underage level in football.

However the positive effects of these talent academies have not been felt fully by Limerick at senior level yet.

So how have the Limerick footballers been so competitive over the last 20 years?

Sport at senior inter-county level is results driven. Public patience with managers, players and County Boards can be very thin. Limerick's football board’s shrewd appointments and patience with managers has helped to create a strong football culture that may have gone slightly under the radar.

Since Liam Kearns was appointed in 2001, Limerick have had five managers. They have been there for an average of just over four years each. That is in contrast to the normal life cycle of inter-county GAA managers.

The tenure of managers is becoming shorter all the time, especially for teams in the lower divisions. Limerick’s managers have been given time to work with players, build relationships, develop collective understanding and explore systems of play.

There has been challenging days, four of the five managers have experienced relegation. While Billy Lee may not have experienced relegation, he did experience tough league campaigns in 2018 and 2019 where they finished in the bottom three in Division 4.

Yet following poor results or poor league or championship campaigns the management and players have been allowed to regroup, refocus and work hard to improve. There seems to have been a real 'We are either winning or learning’ environment.

The football board deserve