RTÉ Sports Manager of the Year Award
The RTÉ Sports Manager of the Year Award is an award given annually as part of the RTÉ Sports Awards ceremony each December. The award is given to the manager who was considered to have made the most substantative contribution to Irish sport in that year. The award is decided by an extensive panel of print and broadcast journalists.
The award was introduced in 2011 in recognition of the huge effort made behind the scenes and on the sidelines.[1] The first recipient of the award was association football manager Giovanni Trapattoni. The award has been presented to people representing a wide range of sports. It has been awarded to two Irishmen, and one Italian. The most recent award was presented in 2015 to Michael O'Neill.
Winners
By year
| Year | Nationality | Winner | Sport | Manager of | Rationale | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 |  ITA |
Trapattoni, GiovanniGiovanni Trapattoni | Football |  Republic of Ireland national football team |
for guiding the Republic of Ireland to Euro 2012 qualification, the team's first appearance at a major tournament in ten years. | [2] |
| 2012 | IRL |
Walsh, BillyBilly Walsh | Boxing | Olympic team |
for guiding the Irish Olympic boxing team to four medals in total in London, including one gold. | [3] |
| 2013 | IRL |
Fitzgerald, DavyDavy Fitzgerald | Hurling |  Clare senior hurling team |
for guiding the Clare senior hurling team to the All-Ireland title for the first time since 1997. | [4] |
| 2014 |  NZL |
Schmidt, JoeJoe Schmidt | Rugby union | Ireland national rugby team |
for guiding Ireland to RBS Six Nations glory and ending the year with a highest ever ranking of third in the world. | [5] |
| 2015 |  NIR |
O'Neill, MichaelMichael O'Neill | Football | Northern Ireland national football team |
for guiding Northern Ireland to win their group and qualify for Euro 2016. | [6] |
By nationality
This table lists the total number of awards won by managers of each nationality based on the principle of jus soli.
| Nationality | Number of wins |
|---|---|
| Ireland |
2 |
| Italy |
1 |
| New Zealand |
1 |
| Northern Ireland |
1 |
By sport
This table lists the total number of awards won by managers' sporting profession.
| Sporting profession | Number of wins |
|---|---|
| Football | 2 |
| Boxing | 1 |
| Hurling | 1 |
| Rugby union | 1 |
References
- ↑ "RTÉ Sports Awards shortlist revealed". RTÉ Sport. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "McIlroy, Leinster and Trap win RTÉ awards". RTÉ Sport. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "Katie Taylor named RTÉ Sports Person of the Year". RTÉ Sport. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "Davy Fitz' scoops Manager's award". Hogan Stand website. 22 December 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ McCahill, Elaine (22 December 2014). "Year of triumph ends in more glory for Rory, Joe and BOD". The Hearld. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
- ↑ "Michael Conlan named RTÉ Sport Person of the Year". RTÉ Sport. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.