The upheaval at Donegal GAA’s Academy deepened on Thursday after it emerged that the coaches, performance support and logistics support teams involved in the county Academy have stepped down from their roles with immediate effect.
Their departures follow the resignation of Karl Lacey last Friday from his role as Head of Academy Development, citing a lack of support in the role.
Ocean FM Sport understands that the coaching group communicated their decision to step away from their roles to the Donegal county board on Thursday.
In that communication to the county secretary, they expressed their full support for Lacey – and their deep unhappiness with how he was treated in his role.
The statement said the group had lost all confidence in the governance of Donegal GAA.
The county’s under-20 and under-17 coaching teams are staying in place as their pre-season schedules are already up and running.
There are 40 coaches on the Donegal GAA Academy profile as well as five senior player mentors.
The Academy has 267 registered players for the 2023 season – and had received wide praise for the work that’s been doing over the past two years in nurturing underage talent from under 14 upwards.
There’s been no public response yet from Donegal GAA to the latest Academy departures.
