First Semple Stadium visit made 'the hairs stand up on the back of my neck' admits new Tipp boss Kelly
SEMPLE WELCOME: New Tipp football boss Paul Kelly. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
New manager Paul Kelly insists the Tipperary footballers will continue to use their “theatre of dreams” Semple Stadium as a home venue for National League games.
With the Premier county’s relegation to Division 4, it had been suggested in some quarters that a return to the southern football heartlands would provide a greater home advantage.
Prior to John Evans’ tenure over a decade ago, Tipperary played their home games in Ardfinnan or Clonmel Sportsfield but they have favoured the Thurles venue since then.
Playing games at the historic stadium is what got Kelly really excited for the challenge ahead.
“I’m a Dub by birth and very proud of it but the first evening I walked into Semple Stadium with the guys to have a look around the facilities, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck,” he told in his first interview since being appointed.
“If there was a doubt about why I wanted to come here, there wasn’t after that.
“Why would you not want to play in a theatre of dreams which is Semple Stadium?”
Kelly has previously managed the Kildare women’s team, his home club Thomas Davis, and Naas, while he was involved in Wicklow’s promotion from Division 4 last year.
He intends to use that opposition knowledge to help Tipperary bounce straight back up from the bottom tier and he has higher ambitions beyond that goal.
“Unashamedly, our vision is to put Tipperary football consistently in the top three in the Munster area,” said Kelly.
“We obviously want to achieve promotion out of Division 4 and ultimately at least get into Division 2.
“But Division 4 is where it’s at now and we need to get out of there.
“We’ve a three-year journey, please God, ahead of us but there’s no point in saying anything other than the League at the end of January, Carlow here on the first night, that is our Championship and it has to be treated like that.”
His aim is to “redevelop” a team that has lost a number of big names by moulding the current crop with some fresh faces.
“We have a group of 58 currently including the Clonmel lads. There’s a very competitive group there.
“The panel will be open into January as we form a group so the door is open to people who may not have declared until now.
“There’s lads who have decisions to make and we want to be open to those decisions.
“We want to take as long as we possibly can, within reason, to get to know the chaps around the county and to give them a fair opportunity.
“Then we’ll look at what’s there for 2024 with a view to ’25 as well.”
