Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny has been named as the RTÉ Sport Manager of the Year.
Kenny led his team to their third SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title in-a-row and to the FAI Cup final, with Dundalk’s exploits in Europe his crowning achievement.
Under Kenny’s stewardship, the Lilywhites qualified for the group stages of the Europa League and became the first Irish team to first earn a point in European group competition and then the first to win a game.
Dundalk were within 90 minutes of progressing to the knock-out phase of the Europa League and Kenny took them further than any other Irish team had been in Europe.
The Lilywhites manager saw off tough competition for the award, edging out Connacht head coach Pat Lam who lead his side to a dramatic Guinness PRO12 title.
Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny was named RTÉ Sport Manager of the Year for 2016. #rtesportawards https://t.co/A17esX6ov7
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) December 17, 2016
Kenny was quick to pay tribute to his players and insisted that they deserved the award as much as him.
“I accept it on behalf of the Dundalk players,” he said. “The players have been magnificent over the last two-and-a-half years, particularly this year when we’ve had unprecedented success.”
The Dundalk boss has already set his sights on further improvement next season and wants a place in the group stages of the Champions League.
“Obviously we qualified for the Europa League and had a great run this year and the next step is the Champions League. We have to think like that.
“We are asking a lot to compete with the level of resources the clubs have at thatlevel but we must certainly strive to have that”
“We mustn’t accept mediocrity, we must have a desire to get better all the time and constantly improve,” he insisted.
Elsewhere on the night, Conor McGregor was the RTÉ Sport Sportsperson of the Year, Anthony Foley was inducted into the Hall of Fame, while the O'Donovan brothers claimed the RTÉ Sport Team of the Year.
