Declan Kelly and Mickey Harte have informed Offaly GAA of their intention to step down as joint-managers of the county’s senior football squad.

After guiding Offaly to Leinster and All-Ireland U-20 Championship success in 2021, Kelly was handed the reins of the senior squad in 2023. A year later he was joined by Harte on the ticket, this after the Tyrone All-Ireland winning boss stepped away from his season in charge of Derry.

2025 saw the Faithful achieve promotion to Division 2 of the Allianz League before defeat to eventual champions Kildare in the Tailteann Cup.

This season began with relegation back to Division 3 as Offaly toiled amid an injury crisis.

The Tailteann campaign, however, brought an upturn of sorts, with victory over Down setting them up for what many thought would be a right go at the secondary competition. They were fancied to prevail against Wicklow in the semi-final last month and were in control at the break. However, Oisín McConville’s side found renewed vigour after the break, winning in the end by five points.

It was reported since that defeat that Harte was keen to remain on for another year, but today’s statement confirms his departure after Kelly decided that he would not continue.

“Once Declan had made his decision to step down, Mickey felt it was the appropriate time for him to move on,” the statement read.

Watch the Tailteann Cup final, Down v Wicklow, on Saturday from 3.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on all matches on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1

Watch the All-Ireland Football Championship semi-finals, Louth v Mayo on Saturday from 5.30pm and Dublin v Kerry on Sunday from 3.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on all matches on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1

We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

Listen to the RTÉ GAA Podcast on the RTÉ Radio Player, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and email us at sportpodcasts@rte.ie