Connacht Rugby’s first-serving CEO Gerry Kelly took centre stage at this year’s annual awards at The Galmont, winning the Lifetime Contribution to Rugby Award.
Kelly, a former Garbally College teacher, who, having served as a volunteer on many Connacht committees, took the lead role in 1999. As the first CEO, he ushered in the professional era, during which he presided over some particularly difficult times for Connacht Rugby, most notably the IRFU’s threat to axe the province’s professional team.
“I was very lucky I went to school in Garbally College,” he says. “It was steeped in rugby history - the likes of Fr Christy Glynn and several others - and then in Ballinalsoe Rugby Club, which was 150-years-old this year.”
However, it was not long before Kelly was roped into administration by the late Fr Glynn when the committee was “short of delegates”, he says. That was some 57 years ago and the start of a long association with Connacht.
“Old enough” to have selected the likes of Eric Elwood, Joe Gorham, Paul Casserly and many more on Connacht school teams, he was also involved with the Irish Schools which included a tour of Australia - a memorable occasion when they beat their counterparts in Canberra - the home town of current Connacht star Mack Hansen.
It was Connacht’s stand against dissolution by the IRFU that marked his career.
“I remember sitting in the office setting out a plan of survive, sustain and success,” he says.
Although that on-the-field success came after his retirement when Connacht won the PRO12 Trophy under Pat Lam, he says it was a “very proud day for us all”, and “probably testament to the great success and the building blocks we had put in place”.
When completed Dexcom Stadium will be a far cry from an upstairs office in the Liosban Industrial Estate, he says, where the late Pat Cawley and himself set out to try to build some facilities in the Sportsground.
“We successfully built an office which Willie [Ruane] has since knocked down,” he says. However, he says, the new High Performance Centre, driven by Karl Boyle, is testament to the work of CAO Willie Ruane, Mick Turley, and the Professional Games Board.
Kelly is now looking forward to seasons ahead watching from the new stand where many of the players and management he introduced to the Sportsground continue to flourish, including current team manager Tim Allnutt.
“I hear commentators talk about the Connacht front row and the number of caps they have. I'm happy to say I signed Finlay Bealham, Dave Heffernan and the great Denis Buckley.
“I congratulate all the award winners, and particularly Creggs Rugby club. They are an example to every club in the country.”
Ben Murphy and Orla Dixon were the big winners of the 2025 Connacht Rugby Awards, presented by Globalization Partners. The pair won the coveted Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year awards, while Murphy was also named Fans’ Player of the Year, and Shayne Bolton took home the Try of the Year award.
