Niall Moyna stepped down as DCU coach following Saturday's Sigerson Cup final defeat to UCD, bringing to an end a hugely successful 15-year spell in charge of the college's football teams.

The Monaghan man confirmed the news after UCD defeated DCU 0-10 to 2-2 in Saturday's final at Jordanstown to win the prestigious competition for the first time since 1996.

“I'm 15 years at it and I just thought it needs a change,” he said. “This is maybe the fifth or sixth team I've built.

“We won the Freshers League and Championship this year and there’s a great group of players coming along, so I could be selfish and stay at it because I think we have a good enough team to win next year. But that’s not the right thing to do.

“The right thing to do is to let the next generation come through," said Moyna, who also said he has someone in mind to replace him, without naming the individual. “I have one person in mind...if I can convince him to take it.”

Moyna enjoyed huge success with Dublin City University's football teams, turning the institution into the most respected and indeed most feared team in colleges' football over the last decade.

DCU won Sigerson Cups in 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2015 under Moyna's guidance - the most successful run of any team over the last 15 years - and they also achieved the considerable success of winning the O'Byrne Cup in 2010 and 2012, defeating Louth and Kildare in those finals.

Now identified as a centre of elite performance for colleges' GAA, DCU will continue to have the benefit of Moyna's experience in his role as Professor of Health and Human Performance at the college.