James Horan steps down as Mayo senior football manager following defeat to Kerry
Mayo GAA are looking for a new senior football manager, following the departure of James Horan, who has stepped aside after completing his eighth season in charge: "Hopefully, there is a strong base for Mayo football to be moved forward to new heights."
Last Updated: 28/06/22 1:49pm
James Horan has stepped down as Mayo senior football manager, in the wake of the county's All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Kerry.
Horan has held the reins in the county for eight years across two stints.
"Now that the season has drawn to a close and my second four-year term as Mayo senior football manager has been completed, I am stepping aside from Mayo football," he said in a statement.
"It has been a brilliant journey and I feel very lucky to have worked with great players and people during that time. We had some great times and created brilliant memories that will live on.
"The initial focus was to make Mayo football consistently competitive on the main stage, I feel that has been achieved and the senior team have moved in the right direction. Hopefully, there is a strong base for Mayo football to be moved forward to new heights."
Over the past four years, Horan oversaw a steady rebuilding project in the county as several stalwarts of the last decade stepped away.
Nonetheless, they remained competitive at the top level, reaching the All-Ireland final in both 2020 and 2021. However, the Sam Maguire Cup remained elusive for the Westerners.
Despite a promising National League campaign, they were unable to hit top gear in the championship. They were eliminated from Connacht by rivals Galway, before regrouping with qualifier wins over Monaghan and Kildare.
However, they fell flat against the Kingdom on Sunday, with wayward shooting proving costly.
"I want to thank James for his dedication, commitment and contribution to Mayo GAA firstly as a player and secondly as a manager," said Mayo GAA chairperson Seamus Tuohy.
"James has given it everything and while the ultimate reward did not arrive, he cannot be faulted for his effort. Mayo have been consistently competitive under James and we have come agonisingly close on so many occasions. I regret his departure but appreciate the huge sacrifices he has made over this period.
"The Mayo GAA executive committee will now commence the process of considering suitable candidates to replace James and his management team in the coming weeks."
