By the time you read this, it could already be official: Mayo FC may have been named as one of the teams to compete in the ‘third division’ of the Airtricity League of Ireland (LoI).

The Mayo News understands that the club has been told they will be part of the new tier when it kicks off next year.

The league is enjoying boom times recently, and it is a great time for Mayo to join. The trigger for the boom was probably the appointment of Damien Duff as manager of Shelbourne in 2021.

Though he has since departed, his presence while it lasted, raised the profile of the League hugely. Suddenly, everyone was interested in the League.

Duff was a celebrity manager having performed at a high level in the UK as a player and had played for Ireland at senior international level. He had played for Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Fulham.

And not just a handful of appearances here and there; he was a major figure at each, scoring 61 goals along the way. And then there was the small matter of his 100 international caps for Ireland, to take into account.

There have been other Irish internationals managing in the League of Ireland down the years.

His replacement in the Shelbourne dug-out, Joey O’Brien, played for Bolton Wanderers, Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham United, but he hasn’t anywhere near the profile of Duff.

Another Irish international, Jeff Kenna, had a season in charge at Galway United, and in the rear view mirror, Johnny Giles and Liam........

© The Mayo News