Gaelic Games

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI senior journalist

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Armagh's Mark Shields its coming out as a gay inter-county footballer was "daunting", but says it was "important to tell my own story" as he publicly discussed his sexuality for the first time.

An All-Ireland winner with the Orchard County in 2024, Shields spoke about coming out in the GAA world at the Gaelic Players Association's annual Pride Brunch last weekend.

Shields is the first active male inter-county player to speak about being gay since former Cork hurler Donal Og Cusack, while Kevin Penrose - who plays for Tyrone club Aghyaran - spoke about his experience on The GAA Social earlier this year.

Shields says he hopes his story will help young Gaelic games players who are struggling to express their sexuality.

"I feel it's just important to tell my own story of 12-15 years playing inter-county, my experience of coming through the ranks, being a senior inter-county player in the male GAA environment," said Shields in a video posted on the GPA's Instagram .

"It was a daunting task coming out, whenever it was, about 10-12 years. The culture has changed within society, within the group in Armagh. I feel that I can express myself more. The group are more accepting.

"The language used around the group is changing. There's people standing up for people, for myself in the group, whereas maybe that didn't happen that much before. I think the culture is changing within the GAA itself."

'I hope telling my story will help younger players'

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Whitecross club-man Shields says some of the language previously used in changing rooms was "hurtful", but that he feels more ed within the GAA now.

"It's been excellent to have allyships and people advocating for it in social media, and around GAA set-ups, and the GPA," he said.

"I hope speaking out and telling my story will help that younger player, be it male or female, non-binary to express themselves in the GAA environment."

Shields added that speaking to his sister helped him before he came out.

"I had to find someone I trusted in, that was my sister," he said.

"I spoke to my sister a lot, and would have a close relationship with her, my partner as well. It's finding that someone you trust and you want to express yourself to them.

"I found that very helpful whenever I was trying to tell my story and trying to come out. They were the ones that stood by me throughout and ed me whenever I felt down or low in the dumps or in a dark place.

"It doesn't have to be in front of a group; it can be a one-to-one conversation with someone. That's how I found it easier, to have that walk on the beach, in a forest or just chatting to someone over a coffee. That was the easiest way for myself."

This week's GAA Social podcast sees Oisin and Thomas ed by All-Ireland winner Johnny Glynn.

The Galway hurler helped his county lift the Liam McCarthy in 2017 and also played Gaelic football for New York.

Along with stories from playing in the US and in an All-Ireland final, Johnny and host Thomas share some of their more personal experiences with miscarriages in a discussion described by co-host Oisin as a "privilege" to listen to.

You can and listen to the GAA Social on BBC Sounds here

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Pairc Esler will host Derry and Dublin's crucial All-Ireland fixture next weekend.

Dublin go into the concluding games of the round-robin series, all of which will be played at neutral venues, on two points from two games played.

After their dramatic draw with Galway on Sunday, Derry have a solitary point.

Throw-in on Saturday, 14 June is set for 18:30 BST.

In the pool's other fixture, throwing in at the same time, Armagh's repeat of last year's final against Galway will be staged at Breffni Park in Cavan.

Kieran McGeeney's All-Ireland champions are the only side already through to the quarter-finals.

Earlier on 14 June, Kerry will play Meath at O'Connor Park, while Roscommon against Cork will take place in Laois (both 16:15 BST).

The next day, top spot in Group Three will be up for grabs when Down meet Monaghan at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh with a 14:00 BST throw-in.

Elsewhere in the group Louth and Clare, both still searching for a first win of the series, will meet at the same time at O'Moore Park.

The finely poised conclusion in Group One sees all four sides having won one and lost one so far.

With 16:00 BST throw-ins on Sunday, 15 June, Ulster champions Donegal will play Mayo at Dr Hyde Park in Roscommon, while Tyrone and Cavan meet at Brewster Park.

In each group, the winners will progress straight to the last eight, with those finishing second and third advancing to the preliminary quarter-finals.

All-Ireland round-robin round three fixtures

Saturday, 14 June

Group Two: Kerry v Meath, O'Connor Park (16:15 BST); Roscommon v Cork, O'Moore Park (16:15 BST)

Group Four: Armagh v Galway, Breffni Park (18:30 BST); Dublin v Derry, Pairc Esler (18:30 BST)

Sunday, June 15

Group Three: Louth v Clare, O'Moore Park (14:00 BST); Monaghan v Down, Athletic Grounds (14:00 BST)

Group One: Donegal v Mayo, Dr Hyde Park (16:00 BST); Tyrone v Cavan, Brewster Park (16:00 BST)

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Derry boss Paddy Tally said their thrilling 2-20 to 4-14 draw with Galway on Sunday in their All-Ireland round-robin meeting in Celtic Park was "one that got away" for his side.

The Oakleafers let the game slip away after leading by eight points on two occasions as their search for a first win in 2025 goes on.

Matthew Tierney scored a last-minute goal to put Galway one ahead heading into the final play of the match before Conor Doherty kicked an equalising point for Derry after the hooter to salvage a draw.

"It was a rollercoaster. I'm happy with the way the players played, I can't complain about that, but there will be that feeling that this was one that got away," Tally told BBC Sport NI.

"A lot of the game depended on kickouts and who controlled the midfield. We were very good in midfield in the first half and gave ourselves a good platform.

"Galway got the run on us for 10-15 minutes and had us on the backfoot, but we got ourselves in a really good position and didn't close the game out which is really disappointing."

Despite two defeats in their first two games in Group Four, it is still all to play for heading into the final round of games in the group in a fortnight's time.

Galway take on All-Ireland champions Armagh, who are already through to the quarter-finals after their win at Croke Park while Derry meet Dublin.

The three remaining sides are all still harbouring ambitions of progressing alongside the Orchard County and Tally knows the game against the Dubs is a must-win.

"The Dublin game is one we have to get something out of, and we have a fortnight to get ready."

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Armagh forward Rory Grugan said that the All-Ireland champions "have not gone away" after their 0-24 to 0-19 victory against Dublin at Croke Park.

Their second victory in Group Four of the All-Ireland round-robin series, coupled with Galway's draw with Derry saw the Orchard County top the group and progress to the quarter-finals.

And Grugan believes their smooth age through the so called 'group of death' will show critics they are well in the hunt to retain the Sam Maguire after losing the Ulster Championship final.

"A lot of people probably had us written off at the start of the year but we haven't gone away," he told RTE after being awarded man-of-the match against the Dubs.

"After the disappointment of the Ulster final, coming to this group was daunting but we knew how important the first game was, and we produced a really good performance [in a win against Derry] and it meant we could really come at it here today.

"We didn't know the other result would work that a win today would see us top the group but it's a good position to be to get that quarter final and that extra week's rest."

Armagh's efficiency in front of goal proved to be the difference and Grugan was pleased with their performance once they got over a slow start.

"I think we got to grips with the game after a shaky start. We knew Dublin were going to come at us hard, they were cutting through us, but we started to put a bit of control in the game and built a lead," he explained.

"They came fighting at us but maybe that bit of better conversion from our side won us the game."

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Ulster champions Donegal picked up their first win of the All-Ireland round-robin series as they beat Cavan 3-26 to 1-13 at Breffni Park.

After a shock defeat by Tyrone last time out, Jim McGuinness' side bounced back in style, scoring an unanswered 1-5 either side of the break which proved crucial.

A late Finbarr Roarty fisted goal after the hooter gave Donegal a comfortable seven-point half-time lead after a physical first half in which there seemed little to separate the sides.

But McGuinness' side pulled away in the second period as Cavan began to tire in the last 20 minutes.

Conor O'Donnell fired home a second goal, with Caolan McColgan adding a third with the final play of the game.

Donegal will now look to book their place in the next round with a win against Mayo in their last Group One game.

Monaghan made it back-to-back wins in Group Three with two-pointers key to their 1-25 to 1-16 victory against Clare at Clones.

It was Clare who led 0-14 to 0-7 at half-time, using the wind to their advantage to kick a flurry of two-pointers of their own.

Monaghan roared back in the second half and Conor McCarthy's calm finish soon after the restart gave them the lead and they kicked on from there to win by nine points.

Monaghan now face Down in their final game with the winner set to top the group and progress straight to the quarter-finals.

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Antrim will play Wexford in the preliminary quarter-finals of the Tailteann Cup.

The Saffrons advanced to the knock-out stages with victory over London at Pairc Esler on Sunday as they finished as one of the best third place sides.

Wexford, finished second in group four after they were beaten by Fermanagh on Sunday at Croke Park.

The Ernesiders will enter the competition at the quarter-final stage after finishing top of the group, alongside Kildare, Wicklow and Limerick.

The other preliminary ties see Offaly face New York, Sligo take on Carlow and 2022 winners Westmeath play Laois.

The dates, kick-off times and venues for all four preliminary quarter-final meetings will be confirmed on Monday.

Tailteann Cup preliminary quarter-final draw

Offaly v New York

Sligo v Carlow

Wexford v Antrim

Westmeath v Laois

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Tyrone manager Malachy O'Rourke felt his side did not "get to the pitch of the game" in their 2-17 to 1-13 defeat by Mayo.

Coming into the All-Ireland round-robin contest off an impressive win over Ulster champions Donegal seven days prior, the Red Hands found themselves 1-9 to 0-4 down at half-time.

Although they would cut the deficit to a point in the second half, Mayo, under the charge of Stephen Rochford after Kevin McStay stepped away for health reasons, pulled away to bounce back from their opening-round loss to Cavan.

"We'd a great win last week and we came here knowing, after the disappointment of the Cavan game, Mayo would be coming here with real hunger," said O'Rourke.

"We knew we'd have to meet that head on and I suppose that's the most disappointing thing, we felt in the first half we didn't get to the pitch of the game.

"We were a bit flat and left ourselves with a lot to do. In fairness to the boys, we dug in well, we got it back to a point but we made too many mistakes, we weren't playing well enough and Mayo deserved the victory. We've no excuses."

While Tyrone were in action on consecutive weekends, Mayo had a week's break from their last outing, although O'Rourke did not feel that was the telling reason for his side's flat performance.

"There's no doubt that the week turnaround is very small and it could have some effect, but we're not using that as an excuse either," he added.

"We knew what the story was, we knew exactly what Mayo would bring and we were hoping we'd be able to meet that and get another really good performance.

"For all of us in the changing room, we didn't get to the level that we need to get to and the level we expect of ourselves."

Tyrone will conclude their round-robin action against Cavan at a neutral venue during the weekend of 14/15 June.

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Down made it two wins from two in the group stage of the All-Ireland series as they survived a late Louth fightback to win 0-25 to 0-24 at Pairc Esler.

After a delayed start to the game in Newry, Odhran Murdock kicked a fine two pointer a minute into the game to set Conor Laverty's men on their way.

They added two more points before a free from Sam Mulroy got Louth on the board after eight minutes.

Two two-pointers from Danny Magill and Murdock further stretched Down's lead and they eventually moved nine clear before Niall McDonnell was thwarted by Ryan McEvoy in front of goal.

Louth rattled off four points in a row to cut the gap, but a late scoring blitz helped Down to lead 0-16 to 0-7 at half-time.

Two two-pointer and another effort from Mulroy helped the Leinster champions to chip away at Down's lead, reducing it to six points, but three in a row from the hosts helped them to re-establish their advantage.

Donal McKenny hit the post for Louth with Mulroy, Craig Lennon and Tommy Durnin scoring three straight two-pointers for the visitors as they moved to within three points of the Mournemen.

Louth had the momentum and got back to within one, before Mulroy's attempt after the hooter was blocked as Down held on for a narrow win.

Having comfortably dispatched Clare in their first game, the Mournemen are in a commanding position ahead of facing Monaghan at a neutral venue in the final round of group games in a fortnight.

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Derry boss Paddy Tally has urged his players to rise to the challenge of facing a fired-up Galway in Sunday's crucial All-Ireland Group Four game at Celtic Park (14:00 BST).

With Dublin to come in a fortnight, the Oak Leafers must beat last year's All-Ireland finalists to keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.

Derry are winless in 2025, having struggled to cope with injuries to key players, but Tally says there will be no excuses when they host a Tribesmen outfit who lost to Dublin last time out.

"Galway are one of the top teams in the country," Tally told BBC Sport NI after his side's defeat by Armagh in round one.

"They got their shock against Dublin. You'll not see that Galway team again. You'll see a much more motivated and focused Galway.

"But we have them at home. It's on us to make sure we perform. There is no other way of looking at it. There will be no excuses so the performance is key and let's hope we can get a result."

Tally insisted Derry must improve their kick-outs after being dominated by Armagh in the middle third at the Athletic Grounds.

His hand may be strengthened, however, by the return of goalkeeper Odhran Lynch, who has been named on the bench for the Galway game.

"Armagh looked good, at times they were cutting us open and getting scores," added former Tyrone and Kerry coach Tally.

"We were loose defensively at times, which wasn't good enough. We struggled on kick-outs. Armagh are strong around the middle and it's something we have to work on.

"You can see at times where our players were coming into it. I do think it comes down to not playing for a while but that will not be an excuse against Galway."

Derry rallied from nine points to draw against Galway at Celtic Park in Division One earlier this year, but lost 2-14 to 0-15 in last year's All-Ireland round-robin tie.

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Antrim hurling boss Davy Fitzgerald has been handed an eight-week ban for comments he made after his side's defeat by Galway in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship earlier this month.

Fitzgerald criticised officials after Declan McCloskey was sent off for an off-the-ball incident in the game in Salthill, which Antrim lost by 28 points.

The former Clare and Wexford boss was subsequently charged by the GAA with "misconduct considered to have discredited the association".

At a hearing on Friday, which was requested by Fitzgerald, the Central Hearings Committee (CHC) upheld the infraction and handed him an eight-week suspension.

Fitzgerald has the option of appealing the decision.

The ban came into effect from the date of the hearing (29 May).

Antrim suffered relegation from Leinster to the Joe McDonagh Cup for the 2026 season with last week's defeat by Offaly.

Following the game, Fitzgerald said he needed time before making a decision on his Antrim future. He took over as boss last year following Darren Gleeson's departure.

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Dublin captain Con O'Callaghan has not been included in Dessie Farrell's squad for Sunday's All-Ireland round-robin contest against holders Armagh at Croke Park (16:00 BST).

The three-time All-Star forward was forced off injured in Dublin's win over Galway on 17 May and has been replaced by Tom Lahiff.

Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney has also been forced into a change with Oisin O'Neill replaced by Conor Turbitt in attack.

Crossmaglen club-man O'Neill was withdrawn after just 11 minutes in the Orchard's opening Group Four win over Derry at the Athletic Grounds last week.

Rian O'Neill - Oisin's brother - has been named to start at corner-forward after making his return against Derry.

Having not featured since last year's All-Ireland final, O'Neill replaced Aidan Forker just prior to throw-in last week.

Dublin: Stephen Cluxton; David Byrne, Theo Clancy, Sean MacMahon; Alex Gavin, Brian Howard, Tom Lahiff; Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne, Killian McGinnis; Ciaran Kilkenny, Lorcan O'Dell, Sean Bugler; Brian O'Leary, Cormac Costello, Colm Basquel.

Subs: Evan Comerford, Luke Breathnach, Nathan Doran, Lee Gannon, Davy Keogh, Greg McEneaney, Eoghan O'Donnell, Dan O'Leary, Niall Scully, John Small, Paddy Small.

Armagh: Ethan Rafferty, Paddy Burns, Barry McCambridge, Peter McGrane; Ross McQuillan, Tiernan Kelly, Jarly Og Burns; Jason Duffy, Ben Crealey; Darragh McMullan, Rory Grugan, Oisin Kelly; Rian O'Neill, Andrew Murnin, Conor Turbitt.

Subs: Blaine Hughes, Tomas McCormack, Greg McCabe, Connaire Mackin, Cian McConville, Joe McElroy, Niall Grimley, Callum O'Neill, Stefan Campbell, Shane Martlan, Jemar Hall.

Derry unchanged for Galway encounter

Derry boss Paddy Tally has named an unchanged starting line-up for Sunday's Group Four game against Galway at Celtic Park (14:00 BST).

Goalkeeper Odhran Lynch and forward Lachlan Murray return to the Oak Leafers' bench after recovering from their respective injuries.

There is one change for the Tribesmen after their opening defeat by Dublin with Jack Glynn named to start at left corner-back as Cian Hernon drops to the bench.

Glynn was also originally named to start against Dublin but was replaced by Hernon before throw-in.

Derry: Ben McKinless; Diarmuid Baker, Eoin McEvoy, Patrick McGurk; Conor Doherty, Padraig McGrogan, Ruairi Forbes; Conor Glass, Brendan Rogers; Ethan Doherty, Paul Cassidy, Ciaran McFaul; Shane McGuigan, Anton Tohill, Niall Toner.

Subs: Odhran Lynch, Niall Loughlin, Ryan Mulholland, Danny McDermott, Dan Higgins, Tommy Rogers, Ben McCarron, Lachlan Murray, Caolan Devlin, Charlie Diamond, Cahir McMonagle.

Galway: Connor Gleeson; Johnny McGrath, Sean O Maoilchiaran, Jack Glynn; Dylan McHugh, Sean Kelly, Liam Silke; Paul Conroy, John Maher; Matthew Thompson, Cillian McDaid, Cein Darcy; Matthew Tierney, Robert Finnerty, Shane Walsh.

Subs: Conor Flaherty, Daniel O'Flaherty, Cathal Sweeney, Kieran Molloy, Sean Fitzgerald, Sam O'Neill, Peter Cooke, John Daly, Johnny Heaney, Colm Costello, Cian Hernon.

Harte named on Tyrone bench

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Fresh from stunning Ulster champions Donegal in Ballybofey, Tyrone boss Malachy O'Rourke makes one change for Mayo's visit to Omagh on Saturday (19:00 BST).

Peter Teague is drafted into the full-back line as Padraig Hampsey drops to the bench. Teague was named to start against Donegal but was replaced by Hampsey before throw-in.

Peter Harte is again named on the bench after making a significant impact when he was introduced against Donegal, while Eoin McElholm is among the substitutes after starring in Tyrone's All-Ireland Under-20 triumph on Wednesday.

Stephen Rochford, who is leading Mayo while Kevin McStay steps back to focus on health issues, makes one change from the loss to Cavan as Rory Brickenden replaces Sam Callinan at left corner-back.

Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Cormac Quinn, Peter Teague, Niall Devlin; Michael McKernan, Rory Brennan, Kieran McGeary; Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick; Seanie O'Donnell, Mattie Donnelly, Ciaran Daly; Darren McCurry, Mark Bradley, Darragh Canavan.

Subs: Oisin O'Kane, Padraig Hampsey, Aidan Clarke, Frank Burns, Shea O'Hare, Ben McDonnell, Aodhan Donaghy, Conor Meyler, Peter Harte, Ruairi Canavan, Eoin McElholm.

Mayo: Colm Reape; Jack Coyne, Donnacha McHugh, Rory Brickenden; Stephen Coen, David McBrien, Enda Hession; Dylan Thornton, Matthew Ruane; Jack Carney, Darren McHale, Jordan Flynn; Aidan O'Shea, Davitt Neary, Ryan O'Donoghue.

Subs: Adrian Phillips, Bob Tuohy, Conal Dawson, Eoin O'Donogfhue, Fenton Kelly, Fergal Boland, Frank Irwin, Paddy Durcan, Paul Towey, Sam Callinan, Sean Morahan.

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Eoin McElholm has had a busy few weeks chasing trophies with Tyrone at two different grades.

On Saturday, the Loughmacrory talent was with the senior as they stormed Ballybofey and beat Ulster champions Donegal to begin their All-Ireland series in the best possible manner.

While McElholm came off the bench for the last 15 minutes in Ballybofey, he played a starring role in Armagh on Wednesday evening as the Tyrone Under-20s retained their All-Ireland crown with a thumping 5-16 to 0-17 win over Louth.

McElholm hit 2-4 for Paul Devlin's youngsters, eclipsed only by Noah Grimes' 2-6, after hitting 0-7 in last year's final victory over Kerry.

"I'm absolutely over the moon, just a pure euphoric feeling," said McElholm, whose sparkling performances attracted interest from the Australian Football League (AFL) last year.

"Coming back to the 20s for another year and doing back-to-back is absolutely massive."

McElholm is now expected to make a swift return to the senior for Saturday's Sam Maguire contest against Mayo in Omagh and help Malachy O'Rourke's side tighten their grip at the top of Group One.

"It absolutely doesn't [get much better than this," he added.

"It was a great win against Donegal but it's only two points at the end of the day so now we have to focus on Mayo.

"It was an unbelievable night. All the things I dreamt of when I was younger have become reality."

Tyrone have now won three All-Ireland U20 titles in the past four years, and with the minors winning the Ulster title on Sunday, the county's conveyor belt of young talent showing no signs of stopping.

"There's great footballers in every position," said McElholm.

"That's what you need. You need the whole thing flowing in the right direction and it looks like it is."

On this week's GAA Social, the duo are ed by Mickey Niblock.

As you can probably guess, Mickey is related to podcast host Thomas but this chat is more than a family reunion as the trio get stuck into Mickey's career on both sides of the Atlantic.

The former Derry player won an Ulster title for the Oak Leafers in 1970 before a stint playing football in the USA for the famous New York Cosmos in North American Soccer League where he was replaced by none other than footballing royalty Pele!

You can listen to the GAA Social right now on BBC Sounds.

Odhran Crumley
BBC Sport NI Journalist at the Athletic Grounds

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Tyrone retained the All-Ireland under-20 title with a 5-16 to 0-17 win over Louth at the Athletic Grounds.

The victory marks a third title in four years for the Red Hands at the grade.

Tyrone's ability to find the back of the net proved the difference against a Louth side appearing in their first ever final at the level.

Noah Grimes (2-6) and Eoin McElholm (2-4) along with a late goal from substitute Shea McDermott marked a blistering attacking display.

Paul Devlin's side led 2-7 to 0-8 at half-time, Grimes hitting his first goal on 12 minutes after a fine from Matthew Quinn.

Louth responded to lead by one with five to the break, Sean Callaghan's two pointer the pick of their efforts.

McElholm latched onto a poor kick-out to feed a composed Grimes, who scored a second goal as the Red Hands landed 1-3 just before the whistle.

Tyrone could have ended the game as a contest early in the second half but Conor O'Neill had his effort for a goal remarkably saved by Tiarnan Markey.

Louth responded with a two pointer from Tadgh McDonnell and scores from Lennon and McDonnell to cut the deficit to three.

Despite the fright, McElholm who featured for the senior side in Saturday's win over Donegal showed his class with two goals in five minutes before substitute McDermott added gloss with a classy fifth goal on the whistle.

Tyrone: C McGarvey; F Nelis, B Hughes, C Devlin; C Daly, J Clarke (0-1), C Donnelly (0-1); C Devlin, C O'Neill (0-1); C Sheehy, E McElholm (2-4), M Quinn; N Grimes (2-6), R McCullagh (0-2 1f), L Og Mossey.

Subs: Eoin Donaghy for Sheehy (52), Cormac Mallon for L Og Mossey (55), Shea McDermott (1-1) for C Devlin (58), Liam Lawn for McCullagh (60), Sean Broderick for Nelis (60).

Louth: T Markey; M Reid, K Martin, P Tinnelly; T McDonnell (0-3 1 2pt), C McGinty; S Callaghan (0-3 1 2pt), J Maguire (0-2 1 2pt); S Lennon (0-1), C Mac Criosta, P Grimes-Murphy; A Gillespie (0-1 1f), T McDonnell (0-2 1f), D Dorian (0-1).

Subs: Ben McKeown for Reid (43), James McGlew for McGinty (50), Dylan Shevlin (0-1) for D Dorian (50).

Referee: N Mooney (Cavan)

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Mayo manager Kevin McStay says he is stepping back from his role for the immediate future to deal with some personal health issues.

In a statement issued by Mayo on Monday night, they confirmed that assistant manager Stephen Rochford would take charge in the interim and that McStay intends to return to his role when he has recovered.

"We extend our best wishes to Kevin and thank him for all his work to date," said Mayo county chairman Seamus Tuohy.

"We look forward to him returning to the role as soon as it is practical for him to do so. We also stand fully behind Stephen and everyone involved in the set-up."

McStay is in his third season in charge of the Mayo senior team, having led his native county to the Football League Division One title in his first term at the helm in 2023.

Mayo lost their opening All-Ireland group match to Cavan and will face Tyrone in Omagh on Saturday, before playing their final game of the round-robin series against Donegal on 14 June.

McStay offered his to Rochford taking over the reins during his period of absence.

"Mayo GAA Board and I are in strong agreement that current Assistant Manager/Head Coach Stephen Rochford will lead our preparations for games," said the 63-year-old.

"We are blessed to have a man of Stephen's calibre and, as a valued member of the management team for the past three seasons, he ensures continuity.

"While I will not be on the training field or on the sideline on match day, I will be with management and players in spirit every step of the way."