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Could a GAA kicker like Seánie O’Shea make it in the NFL?

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by Adam Moynihan

The path from Kerry to the NFL is not well worn but this week Tadhg Leader is hoping to unearth a local ‘Kicking King’ who has the potential to make it big in American football.

Leader, a former Connacht and USA rugby player, is the man behind Ireland’s Kicking King, a nationwide search to find future American football kickers. Players from all codes including GAA, soccer and rugby are encouraged to enter the contest and see if they have what it takes.

Speaking to the Killarney Advertiser, Leader said that while it’s extremely difficult to make it all the way to the NFL, Irish sportspeople have the natural kicking talent to at least give it a go.

“You don’t know unless you try. Just show up. If you can kick a 45 in Gaelic, you’ll probably be pretty handy at this too. And you never know where it might take you.”

The Galway native founded Leader Kicking in 2022 to create a pathway for potential Irish punters and kickers. Under Leader’s guidance, former underage GAA stars Ronan Patterson (Cavan) and Ross Bolger (Laois) have already secured Division 1 scholarships in top US colleges.

Separately, Castleisland man David Shanahan, a former Kerry underage footballer, managed to secure a scholarship at Georgia Tech, where he plays as a punter.

CROSSOVER

There is an obvious crossover between the kicking skills needed in GAA, rugby and soccer and the kicking skills needed in American football, but there are obvious differences too. Kerry free-taker Seánie O’Shea saw that for himself when he participated in a promotional video for Leader Kicking alongside Galway’s Shane Walsh in 2022.

“Lads find that the distance they’re standing from the ball in Gaelic football versus American football is the biggest struggle,” Leader explained. “I think Seánie stands nine paces off the ball; in American football you have two-and-a-half.

“Thankfully, you don’t need nine steps. It’s just a thing that we’re used to doing [in Ireland]. Once you get a few repetitions of two-and-a-half, you find that it’s the last two steps where you’re generating power. So guys can get over that hurdle quickly.

“The actual art of ball striking is very similar in American football, rugby and Gaelic football. It’s all about your foot angle – like in golf, what does your club face look like? And then how does it transition out of the shot over the yard after impact.”

Jack O’Connor will probably want my head on a plate for even asking the question but I had to know: if someone like Seánie O’Shea gave up Gaelic football and tried to become an NFL kicker, how would he fare?

“In today’s landscape, American football kicking is global,” Leader said. “The standard of competition is really, really high and the level you need to be kicking at is very difficult.

“I think Seánie O’Shea would be capable to compete but he’d probably need months of training to be seriously considered at that level. The raw athleticism and ball striking ability is definitely there. And you know that guys like Seánie can kick under pressure, which is a really good thing to be able to tell American scouts and college coaches.

“But if you want to break into the NFL, there are only 32 people in the world who get to do it, so you can just imagine how competitive that is.”

KILLARNEY

The Killarney event takes place Friday at 7pm at Killarney Rugby Club and anyone over the age of 15, of any gender, is encouraged to attend. Whether you’re a talented young person or you're a 50-year-old who has a good strike of a ball, all are welcome. Registration costs €20.

The top performers from each regional location will compete in Energia Stadium on August 25 in front of thousands of fans as part of the half-time entertainment for aglobal football showcase, which features teams from across the world.

Ireland’s Kicking King 2023 winner and their plus-one will also get flown to America where they will be put up in a hotel and brought along to a Pittsburgh Steelers game.

But Leader’s ultimate goal is to help young Irish athletes secure a prize far more valuable than a trip abroad: a free ride and a top-class education at a major American college. Do you have what it takes?

Sign up for Ireland’s Kicking King at LeaderKicking.com.

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Kerry’s All-Ireland heroes launch new football camp for girls

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Legendary Kerry ladies’ player Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh will be inspiring the next generation of superstars at the new Laochra football camp, which takes place in Killarney in August.

Aimed at girls aged 12 to 16, the camp is being run by three leaders who were central to Kerry’s magnificent All-Ireland triumph in 2024: Darragh Long (joint manager), Declan Quill (joint manager) and Anna Maria O’Donoghue (selector).

Camp ambassador Louise will be on hand to offer guidance in a coaching capacity, as will some members of the current Kerry team.

“We want you to train with your heroes so you can be the next hero,” explains Darragh Long.

“We feel very strongly about ladies’ football. It has been brilliant to myself and Declan over the last five or six years, and it has been brilliant to Anna Maria and Louise over their full careers, so we just see it as an opportunity to give something back to a sport that gave an awful lot to us.

“We’re aiming at an age group of 12 to 16, girls who will hopefully be starting on their intercounty journey. We will be able to give them a skillset they will be able to use as their steps to success. To try and be the next Louise or the next Síofra O’Shea.

“We have three workshops planned. One with Eric McDonnell, who was our strength and conditioning coach when we won the All-Ireland. One with Michelle O’Connor, an All-Ireland winning performance coach. And one with Claire O’Sullivan, our nutritionist when we won the All-Ireland.

“It’s all about giving the girls the skills and the bits and pieces they’ll need if they want to make it to the top. We really think we can give them a good grounding. We’ll also be providing a huge amount of coaching throughout the week.”

Many teenage girls give up on sport around the ages of 15 or 16. Long and his fellow camp founders are hopeful that attending Laochra might encourage girls to stick with it that bit longer.

“We would see it as a huge success if 10, 15, or 20 of the girls who come to the camp continue to play football after the camp because they got a bit of a buzz or a bit of energy from us during the week.”

The Laochra camp will run from August 12-15 at Dr Crokes GAA grounds in Killarney. You can register here.

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St Paul’s sign 6ft American guard Burnham

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Having really found their feet in the Women’s Super League in the second half of the season, culminating in a drive to the final, Utility Trust St Paul’s have signalled their intent to push on for the 2025/26 season by announcing the signing of American guard Maisie Burnham.

Burnham (24) comes to Killarney following an honour-laden time in the Liberty High School where she also excelled at volleyball. She went to the Eastern Washington University where she led the team in scoring in the 2020/21 season with over 14 points per game – the highest PPG ever for an EWU freshman.

She moved onto the University of Portland where she really found her feet with the team and as her time progressed with the Pilots her stats went north, peaking in the 2024/2025 season when she averaged 16.3 points per game.

Maisie, a guard and standing at 6ft, is a native of Spangle City in Washington and the club will welcome her to the Kingdom in plenty of time ahead of the new season.

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