By Cian O’Connell

“I've been involved in a few levels and I'm still only young enough,” Davy Burke laughs when asked about his interesting and varied managerial career.

Midway through his teens Burke had to stop playing after suffering two chronic knee injuries. The game, though, was central to life in his family and there wasn’t any other option except to embrace it. Some sort of role was always available.

Now in his early 30s, Burke is the youngest senior inter-county football manager with Wicklow. Enjoyment is still derived from trying to help others develop and prosper.

“I love coaching, I really, really enjoy coaching,” Burke admits. “Seeing the work you do on a Tuesday and Thursday come to fruition on a Saturday or a Sunday in a League game. There is no better feeling.

“You are watching and knowing what is going to happen. Even the other day my wife was watching a game on Sunday and said ‘why do you do the same thing with all the teams?’

“She wouldn't know the ins and outs of it, but it is effective sometimes. She can see the trends and different things.”

In Wicklow, Burke has been greeted by a welcoming footballing community, who remain anxious to make significant strides.

“I really enjoy coaching and feel the way the lads are applying themselves each night that we are getting a huge amount out of it,” Burke continues.

“There is an element of freshness to the coaching, they probably haven't seen a few of the ideas before too. I've learned my trade since I was very young. I was 14 when I did my cruciate, I did the second one at 15.

“That finished my playing career unfortunately, but I don't think I was ever going to be a star. I'm not sure anyone missed me. So ever since that I got involved in the club with Feile teams and worked my way up through the club in the Ladies Football ranks.

“I was managing there for a good while and got a good break from Confey GAA, who gave me a break with the senior ladies team. We went well with them and went through all the ranks then.”

Nuggets of information were filed and stored, but Burke is adamant about the fact that 2014 and 2015 was time well spent with the Dublin Ladies Football team. Greg McGonigle was in charge and Burke relished the opportunity to examine his skillset at that level back then.

“Probably the single most learning I did in my whole career was the two years with Dublin,” Burke acknowledges.

“It was phenomenal learning. One, I went in as an assistant to Greg McGonigle, I went in as number two to him.

“He was a very experienced ladies football manager and coach. I learned a huge amount off him. There was a core group of women in that Dublin senior ladies team, the likes of Denise Masterson, Sorcha Furlong, Sinead Aherne, Siobhan McGrath, who were serious leaders.”

Burke monitored how that Dublin panel improved. Several valuable lessons were learned. “They taught me about standards, they taught me so much about what is acceptable within a group and what is not acceptable,” Burke reflects.

“I really got my eyes open when I landed in with Dublin. They accepted certain things and certain things they didn't accept.

“If anyone stepped out of line them girls pulled them up, there was no need for management half the time at that level because it was so player driven.

“I would try to implement a lot of that in different teams as I go. Dublin was a huge eye opener for me, I'd like to think I contributed in a small way to them. Absolutely that was a huge springboard to push me on.”

Subsequently success has been attained by Burke. An All Ireland Under 20 title with Kildare in 2018 was followed by steering Sarsfields to Championship glory in the Lilywhite county last year.

While it simply isn’t just about triumphing those victories illustrated the work being carried out by Burke. “100%, at the end of the day only one team wins a competition,” Burke replies.

“When you are in a club environment like Sarsfields you are one of 16 senior clubs. Only one of them is going to be successful at the end of the year. It isn't always about winning, but it is nice. It is nice for a club to get rewarded and players to get rewarded because they do work hard.

“You do end up in the shop window. I've had a reasonably good couple of years success, but a lot of work goes into that. Nights and nights on the road. Last week alone seven of the nights I was out.

“There is a lot that goes into it now, but you are in the shop window. When Wicklow gave me a shout I did a small bit of homework on it. The underage structures they had in place, they have been very competitive for the last number of years.

“In my opinion every county has footballers, every county has good people and players, but can you manage them? Can you get the best out of them? That is the challenge for me and every other manager.”

Wicklow’s Allianz Football League Division Four start has featured a loss and a win ahead of Sunday’s encounter against Sligo in Aughrim. What Burke has been struck by is the manner in which the Wicklow players and public are willing to embrace his methods.

“Absolutely, since I've come in the positivity has been massive,” Burke states. “It is an absolute pleasure, the positivity every night going to training, it is enjoyable.

“You are looking forward to it and that is reflected in the players. You really see them bounding in the door to training. There is a good buzz, you get that from some of the more senior players like Rory Finn and Dean Healy, these lads, who are a long time around the squad. There is a freshness coming in this year between management and the new players.

“We have brought in four good young guys, 18 and 19, from the Under 20s. They are really, really good guys, who are very competitive. Two or three of them are starting or are very close to starting.

“That has brought a whole freshness. Wicklow have been good at underage over the last couple of years, very good work is being done in the Academy and other things. I obviously would have been aware of all of this before I came in. That was one of the main reasons I did come in.

“Definitely the future is bright there. It just probably needs to be married a bit together, the young and the old, the inexperienced with the experienced lads. I feel we are heading in the right way.”

With Seanie Furlong a key influence and others supplying valuable assistance Burke remains optimistic that Wicklow can embark on an adventure in 2020.

“100%, the likes of Seanie, Dean Healy, Darren Hayden, Rory Finn - they are warriors,” Burke says. “They are a long time playing and flying the flag. To be honest they probably looked like a group needing an injection of youth and an injection of energy and legs and freshness. More than anything competition.

“It is no secret, in my opinion, that any successful team or any team if they are going well, they are being driven. The reason they are driving in training is because they are watching over their shoulder. That is my opinion.

“The four younger guys have really brought that to the table. As a management we have shown that we aren't afraid to throw them in and straight away we have rattled a few cages with lads thinking that they are going to keep their jersey. If you up your game you will keep the jersey.

“That is very simple. I think the injection of youth and the injection of maybe 10 or 11 new lads on the panel. There is an injection of freshness in the whole thing.”

Growing up Burke was immersed in Gaelic Games. It carried huge relevance and meaning in the house. Watching how his late father Kieran managed and trained teams provided a rich sporting education.

“Absolutely, my dad was a very successful manager in his own right,” Burke recalls. “He was a head coach in St David's in Artane, a very successful team.

“He was involved with Kildare senior footballers and was Kildare senior ladies manager for a long time too. My mother was also the Kildare ladies club chairperson.

“We were steeped in it to be honest. There is no way out of it. Even when I was retiring at the ripe age of 15 or whatever from playing there was no other option. It wasn't as if I could tip off to play tennis, it was GAA all the way.

“To be honest I loved it. Whatever team they were with we were at every session. We'd be on the sideline running around, kicking around the ball from a very small age.

“I'd have followed my dad to every part of the country, be it womens or mens football. I would have learned a huge amount.

“Still to this day I'd use some of the games and old fashioned drills. There is huge merit in that too, while obviously bringing along the modern sports science stuff alongside it. That is where I learned a lot. I got a great grounding from them and I owe them a good bit.”

The respect and appreciation for Gaelic Football and trying to better teams has passed through the generations. Now taking his first steps at senior inter-county level, Davy Burke’s budding story is one worth following in the coming weeks, months, and years.