Tipperary are on the hunt for a new manager after U20 boss calls time on a successful tenure

Tipperary GAA are on the hunt for a new U20 football manager, with the news that Niall Fitzgerald has opted out of taking the group forward in 2026.

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It is understood that the Moyle Rovers manager has stepped aside after three successful years in charge, with positive results and steady progress a hallmark of his tenure.

Fitzgerald took the reins back in 2023, and despite a short championship campaign that year when the Munster Championship was straight knockout (losing to Clare by three points in the Munster quarter-final), the team improved with each passing season under the former Tipp senior players' tutelage.

With the introduction of the round-robin format in 2024, Fitzgerald led his team to two wins and one draw in Phase 1, before going on to deliver competitive showings against Cork and Kerry in Phase 2.

But it was this year's championship that was the most positive for Fitzgerald, with his team winning all of their Phase 1 games against Limerick, Clare and Waterford and despite a disappointing loss against Kerry in the first game of Phase 2, his players were desperately unlucky to miss out on a Munster final place with a highly contentious late free gifting Cork a tap over free to draw the game and deny Tipp a first decider appearance since 2021.

With the green shoots of this year's campaigns at minor and U20 level putting a good shine on Tipperary football, it was expected that Fitzgerald would continue in his role. However, that will not be the case as officials are currently in the process of finding his replacement for the 2026 campaign.

Currently, it is understood that there have been approaches made to two prospective candidates to ascertain their interest, but as of now, there is still work to be done behind the scenes to find Fitzgerald's successor.

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