Rory Kilgallen of John Mitchels has been appointed to the newly created role of Coaching and Academy Coordinator for the Kerry LGFA.

In the role Kilgallen will be responsible for the the development and structuring of all Kerry LGFA academies, and one of his major briefs will be the upskilling of coaches involved in the academy process. It is believed that Rory is the ideal person to raise the bar and improve standards of coaching in the county, and to ensure that all players are developed to the level necessary for intercounty football.

Kilgallen brings a vast amount of experience to the role. As a player he distinguished himself as a goalkeeper with his club John Mitchels for many years, winning an U21 County Championship medal in the process. Rory also represented Kerry at the U21 grade, and he played with the Kerry senior team during the 1984 National League campaign.

His coaching pedigree is even more impressive. Kilgallen’s record with Kerry underage teams reads as follows ;

• 2014 – Assistant manager to the Kerry U/14 team that claimed Munster and All Ireland honours.
• 2016 – Manager of Kerry U/14 team that claimed the Munster title and were beaten All Ireland finalists.
• 2018 – Manager of Kerry U/16 team that claimed the Munster title and were beaten All Ireland finalists.

Kilgallen has been involved with underage Development squads since 2011 and has been Chairman of the North Kerry Ladies Board since 2013. He is also currently the club secretary with John Mitchels GAA ,and is also a member of the Austin Stack Park Development Committee.