Teddy Holland

Teddy Holland (born 1948 in Ballinascarty, County Cork) is an Irish former Gaelic football manager and former player. He played football with his local clubs Ballinascarthy and St. Finbarr's and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1969 until 1970. Holland is best known in recent times for his short-lived managerial appointment of the Cork senior football team during a period when they were on strike.

Playing career

Club

Holland played his early club football with his local Ballinascarty side. He also lined out with the Carbery division in the county senior championship before moving to the famous Cork club St Finbarr's club in the early 1970s. It was with 'the Barr's' that Holland enjoyed much success. It was here that he won his first Cork Senior Football Championship medal in 1976. He won two further county medals in 1979 and in 1980. The latter victory was converted into a Munster Senior Club Football Championship title as well as an All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship title. Holland won a fourth county medal in 1982.

Managerial career

Early experience

Holland's time off the field with Cork GAA began as a selector with the county senior football team in 1993. It was a great era for Cork as the team captured three successive Munster titles, however, the team failed to capture an All-Ireland crown. Holland later moved onto the Cork under-21 team where he worked as a selector again. In 1998 Holland took over as manager of the Cork minor football team. His first season in charge brought a surprise loss to Limerick. The following year saw Cork win the Munster title before going on to be defeated by Mayo in the All-Ireland semi-final. Holland's team retained their provincial title in 2000 before going on to win the All-Ireland title.

He was appointed manager of the Cork football team in 2007 while the players were on strike protesting about the process for picking selectors. The players refused to play under Holland as he was appointed during the strike. The player strike lasted until February 18, 2008 when he resigned as manager as one of the conditions of resolving the strike without ever actually working with the players. He was succeeded as team manager by Conor Counihan

References

• Independent Newspaper