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Gavin Cummiskey: "I think we are going to see more women coaches in gaelic games and rugby"

Gavin Cummiskey and Kieran Shannon joined Richie McCormack for Off the Ball's Sunday Paper Review...



Gavin Cummiskey: "I think...
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Gavin Cummiskey: "I think we are going to see more women coaches in gaelic games and rugby"

Gavin Cummiskey and Kieran Shannon joined Richie McCormack for Off the Ball's Sunday Paper Review.

The discussion turned to the progress made in the coverage of women's sports recently but also addressed the lack of women in managerial roles around the country across a range of sports.

"I actually interviewed Ann Downey (Kilkenny Camogie manager) at the start of this year's league and she's a fascinating character," Shannon told McCormack, adding: "And, one thing that deters slightly sometimes I find when you're covering women's sport is that the coaches are often men.

"Ann Downey is about the only major GAA figure of a leading inter-county ladies team that is coached by a woman so sometimes you're there when you're weighing up who do I interview here at a women's sports day but the manager of the team happens to be another man."

Kilkenny manager Ann Downey celebrates after the 2016 final. Image: ©INPHO/Tommy Dickson

However, the Irish Times' Cummiskey believes a shift in women's sport is on the way. "I think that's going to change in the next generation across all sports. I think we are going to see more women coaches in gaelic games and rugby - especially in rugby. There's coaches beneath the surface and without them, women's sports in all these pursuits can't go to the next level. 

"If the current players and the stars are getting more promotion than ever before do not transfer into - and again it comes down to time and if there's money invested in it and all that - if they don't come back into the sports as coaches, you can't ask for the sports to evolve any further. I think it will happen though.," he added.

The full discussion can be heard here:

Gavin Cummiskey: "I think we are going to see more women coaches in gaelic games and rugby"

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

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