David Power has been appointed as the new Tipperary senior ladies football manager.
Kilsheelan-Kilcash club man, Power, takes over from Ed Burke, who stepped away after a successful 2025 campaign which saw Tipp contest an All-Ireland senior quarter final for the first time in over four decades.
The appointment of Power, who guided the Tipperary men's senior footballers to Munster championship glory in 2020 and the county's minor team to All-Ireland success in 2011, is a significant one.
He stepped down as the men’s team manager back in 2023 and says he can’t wait to get started.
"I met the county board officers around three weeks ago and we’d a lovely chat," he said. "Tipp ladies football is going in the right direction. I had previous experience in the sport with Comeragh Rangers in Waterford and teams in Waterford IT and I really enjoyed my time with those squads."
Aside from his success in the men’s game and that minor title in 2011, Power also managed the Tipp minor footballers to back-to-back Munster titles in 2011 and 2012.
There was further success when his teams won provincial titles at U-16 and U1-7 level.
From 2020 to 2023, he managed the county senior team and delivered their first provincial title in 85 years, beating Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Tipp earned promotion from Division 4 in 2022 before he stepped away in 2023.
He took a break from the game for a while but now says his batteries are fully recharged.
"After Tipperary in '23, I had a rough time personally with my mum passing away and then very soon after my father-in-law passed.
"So, we had a very tough summer personally.
"I took 13 or 14 months off after Tipperary, but last September, Jason Coffey, from UL asked if I would get involved with the UL freshers and that has really got me going again."
He also is in charge of Waterford side Gaultier and will manage the UL Sigerson side next year so it’s all hands on deck again.
"Well, I have that hunger built up again, and I have a busy accountancy practice as well, so it will be busy, but look, I just love being involved with teams. I love coaching teams, I love managing teams, and I suppose when Tipperary came calling, it's Tipperary ultimately and that's my county at the end of the day."
For the past number of seasons three top Tipp players have been in Australia playing in the AFLW – Aisling McCarthy, Orla O’Dwyer and Aisling Moloney.
Rosegreen native O’Dwyer is in the midst of her sixth season with the Brisbane Lions and will go in search of a third premiership title.
Cahir’s Moloney is with the Geelong Cats and will be looking to continue on from her form last season where she won All-Australian team honours.
Meanwhile, McCarthy is with Fremantle in what is the Cahir woman’s seventh season in the AFLW.
"Serious players," Power says. "I suppose the way I look at it, Tipperary beat Meath back in 2019 in the intermediate final and look what Meath have done since so there is plenty of potential in this Tipp squad and that’s what we will work with.
"A lot of hard work has been done with this team, and I just noticed from minor level and under 16 level, they're competing very highly at the top grades and they've been very competitive which is also a very good sign."
