Athlone GAA appoint new ladies team manager

Athlone GAA have appointed Tom Browne as manager of the club's ladies intermediate team ahead of the 2026 season.

It is the second managerial vacancy filled by the club this week, following the appointment of a manager for the men's senior football team on Tuesday - see here for separate article.

Browne must recently served as manager of St Malachy's who suffered relegation from the senior championship grade at the end of the 2025 season.

The Maryland clubman will be assisted in his managerial role by Clare Turner.

In a social media post confirming the appointment, Athlone GAA said "the new management team will aim to carry on the excellent work done by our previous management team".

"Clare begins her coaching career having played top level football and rugby while Tom has managed Naomh Ciarán to Offaly senior championship wins in 2022 and 2023 (including a Leinster final appearance against Kilmacud Crokes that year) and managed St Malachy’s in the Westmeath men’s senior football championship last year. Tom and Clare will also be joined by Dylan Hassett on the strength and conditioning side," said Athlone GAA.

"We are proud of how the LGFA side of our club is growing and developing at both adult level and underage levels. This is a credit to the players, the families, the coaches and the volunteers of Athlone GAA," the club added.

Despite advancing to the semi-finals of the 2024 intermediate championship, in which they were narrowly defeated by eventual champions Coralstown/Kinnegad, Athlone failed to progress to the last four of this year's competition.