FORMER MAYO PLAYER Michael Moyles has been appointed as the county’s new ladies football senior manager.

Moyles, who won an All-Ireland senior club title with his native Crossmolina Deel Rangers in 2001, was ratified at last night’s county board meeting and succeeds Peter Leahy in the role.

Leahy stepped down three weeks ago after being confirmed as part of the Meath U20 footballers star-studded backroom team.

The Westmeath native spent three years in charge, guiding the Green and Red to an All-Ireland semi-final appearance in 2019 where they narrowly lost out to Galway. That came after a turbulent 2018, in which 12 players and two members of the backroom team left the set-up.

Moyles, who has enjoyed a colourful coaching journey, will now steer the ship as Mayo look to bounce back from a disappointing 2020 championship exit at the hands of Armagh.

The Crossmolina native previously coached the side in 2015, was Mayo junior men’s manager in 2013 and has had various other posts in the men’s game within the county and further afield. 

Moyles coached Knockmore, reigning county senior champions, to the Division 1 title in 2019, while he was Crossmolina manager in 2012. He was also Leitrim senior coach in 2017 and 2018, involved with the U20s in ’18 and has spent a stint in charge of Sligo IT.

Mayo LGFA would like to congratulate Michael Moyles on being appointed as the Mayo Ladies Senior Manager, @mmoyles09 was ratified at tonight’s County Board meeting.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish Michael & his backroom team the best of luck for the 2021 season. pic.twitter.com/pyLNSWTQmu

— Mayo LGFA (@Mayo_LGFA) January 30, 2021

“Mayo LGFA would like to congratulate Michael Moyles on being appointed as the Mayo Ladies Senior Manager, Michael Moyles, was ratified at tonight’s County Board meeting,” a statement from the county reads.

“We would like to take this opportunity to wish Michael and his backroom team the best of luck for the 2021 season.”

Included in the backroom team are administrator and selector Aidan McLoughlin (Swinford), and team selectors Tom Carney (Ballinrobe), and Marita McDonald, (Castlebar Mitchel), with The Connacht Telegraph reporting that Terry Kennedy, Ger Cafferkey, Austin O’Malley, Paul Jennings, Evan Regan and Conor Finn are also on board.

“It’s always great when you get a new coach because when you get a new coach it puts everyone in the exact same position, everyone has to start from scratch and everyone ultimately has to impress,” as Mayo star Sarah Rowe, who’s currently at her Collingwood base for the AFLW season, recently told The42.

“It’s really good for team culture because it gets really competitive, even more so than it was before because you don’t live off what you did before. The starting line is the same for everyone so I just think that’s always really refreshing.”

2016 All-Star midfielder and Carnacon great Fiona McHale says she is open to a potential return to the panel under new management.

“If they [new management saw me being able to add something to the squad, and if they saw me as part of their plans, I’d be definitely willing to have a conversation or think about it for sure," she told Midwest Radio last week.