Atlantic Technological University (ATU) is pleased to welcome the appointment by Connacht GAA of top GAA coach Damien Coleman to the role of ATU Galway GAA Development Officer, succeeding Damian Curley who has moved to a new role within Connacht GAA.
Mr Coleman, who was appointed to the role in Auguust (2024), works in partnership with ATU Galway Sports Development Officer Molly Dunne, Camogie All-Star, All Ireland winner with Galway Senior Camogie, who oversees the running of sports activities for all clubs in ATU Galway campuses. “ATU Sport Galway is delighted to continue its relationship with Connacht GAA and welcomes their appointment of Damien Coleman as the new GAA Development Officer to our campus. Damien succeeds Damien Curley who made a profound impact on GAA on our campus for 27 years and had a hugely positive influence on many students and staff during his time. We now look forward to a new chapter with Damien Coleman leading the GAA clubs in ATU Galway and are excited to see what the future holds with the abondance of talented GAA, Camogie and LGFA players on our campus.” says Molly Dunne. Damien Coleman brings with him a wealth of experience, having worked with Connacht GAA as a Sports Development Manager (Provincial Hurling Director), and Galway Games Manager over a 28-year period. These roles covered national, provincial and county personnel and project management, strategies and operations.
The seeds of most of Galway’s hurling successes in this time – in particular multiple All-Ireland minor victories and the All-Ireland senior win in 2017 – can be traced back to the underage Academy structure that Damien managed.
He was responsible for the implementation of the infrastructure and platforms that allowed future sporting stars to thrive in a nurturing environment, no more so than within the framework of the GPO (Games Promotion Officers) system, which, alone, catered for 240 primary and 40 secondary schools in County Galway.
A hugely respected figure, not just within GAA circles, but among the wider sporting community – the former Connacht Director of Hurling has contributed to the expansion of coaching and games development structures internationally, in particularly in New York, for over a decade.
In recent years, Damien, who is a Trainer of Coach Developers with the GAA and Coaching Ireland, successfully completed a Master degree in Sport Management at UCD, underlining his commitment to self-development and his dedication to continually improve sporting standards. He also, based on his love of all things education, learning and development, took up a part time lecturing role in UCD on the Master of Science Sports Coaching as module lead on the “The Science theory and Practice of Coaching”.
At UCD, Damien studied such subject areas as Leadership and People Management; Strategy and Operations; Sports Marketing; Governance and Law; Event Management and Sustainability; and High-Performance Management.
Since then, he has worked as “Head of Operations” with Offaly GAA on a short-term contract in organisational change, and as a Senior Training Manager in a learning and development role with multi-national company Dexcom.
A member of Portumna GAA club in Galway, he has served as Club Chairman and Club Coaching Officer over a 12-year period, while he also played hurling for club and county at all age grades.
