Liam Kearns’ management style is revolutionising Gaelic Games in Tipperary and beyond

In the current GAA climate, Liam Kearns is a rarity and a gem.

He is a beacon of hope in the modern game that is caught up in a trend of professionalism and sport science. He doesn’t treat his players like children, and respects the fact that they have lives outside of football. Undoubtedly, his Tipperary team train as hard as any other current inter-county teams but the difference between Kearns and some other managers is that he realises that his players are also young men who are living the most enjoyable years of their lives. He feels the psychological benefits of team bonding through drinking or having the craic outweighs the supposed scientific negatives. “I want them to celebrate after a game… I want them to enjoy it and that’s our philosophy and that’s where it comes from," he once said. His team appear to have built a brotherhood on the back of this attitude. While some managers ignore this need for enjoyment, Kearns strikes the perfect balance. There is proof in the pudding with Kearns’s theory as his Tipperary side have made giant leaps forward under his guidance. An unprecedented All-Ireland semi-final appearance last year, followed up by promotion and a league title this year whilst exhibiting some free flowing attacking football. He must be doing something right. = Well, Kearns was back at it again last Sunday after his side's league triumph. Mirroring the abandon and confidence that his players exuded on the pitch moments earlier, he launched into a sing song in the dressing room. His loyal lieutenants showcased their admirable team spirit and sang their hearts out with him. https://twitter.com/paulcrackerfitz/status/850777484769546240 This was a topic of conversation on ‘The GAA Hour’ on Monday and the lads were absolutely loving Kearns’s attitude. As SportsJOE writer Conán Doherty said:

“Players especially buy into that positive attitude and even the confidence he’s exuding there. You saw him walking up the sideline high fiving his assistant after a sub they brought on scored. He does have this way about him; they wouldn’t go into any game being nervous and everything he’s doing is just such common sense. “Quinlivan was talking about him, letting him go away travelling and stuff at the end of the year, I mean that just keeps people happy and keeps people fresh. There’s no real need to be here training in November, it’s like alright, relax and everything he does is just refreshing.”

Host Colm Parkinson feels that songs in the dressing rooms and team anthems could be a revolutionary psychological and bonding tactic for GAA teams, following in the footsteps of Munster rugby and Aussie Rules clubs.

“It reminded me of the Aussie Rules or with Munster singing their song, and it’s like, he’s obviously trying to generate a team spirit and they got involved in it now. I’d say he was a bit worried that they weren’t going to join in. That’s lovely to see and more videos from inside dressing rooms and that kind of thing, it’s really nice to see.” “More songs in dressing rooms, you’d always have fellas who have their own song in the pub but there’s no harm having a team song and lashing it out or picking one at the start of the year; I think it’s a good bonding thing after a win. Especially, like with the Aussie Rules, they all have their own club songs and they all gather around and look at each other. Zach Touhy was telling us that they sing it with gusto, you know like this is our song, we’ve just won, we’ve come back in from war it’s like primitive stuff, this is our victory celebration, a rallying cry…let’s see more of that”

Cian Ward feels that Kearns’ more lenient and light hearted approach to management is of huge benefit to his players in terms of relieving them of pressure and would like to see more of what goes on inside the four walls of the GAA dressing room.

“It’d be a nice thing to get that exposure, yeah, a bit of insight into dressing rooms, even pre-match stuff and stuff like that. It is very interesting, I know nobody wants to give that kind of stuff away but it is interesting for the general viewer but Kearns is a big personality, he’s a good character and he’s done a very good job with Tipperary and he’s been able to keep it light and keep the pressure off them and you never get the impression that Tipp are going to freeze… "He’s obviously able to do the job, to keep it quite light, but still have them focused on the game which is a great thing for any manager.”

Just as Kearns is overheard saying, “We’ll finish it later on lads,” at the end of this video indicating the ensuing celebrations, Maybe his Tipperary side will finish it later on with a successful championship thanks to his revolutionary approach. Listen to the lads chatting about Kearns here from 1'05"20. https://soundcloud.com/sportsjoe-gaa-hour/david-moran-and-shane-walsh-plus-liam-kearns-the-singer