Jack Cooney has stepped down as Westmeath football manager to take up a role as the GAA's National Player Development Lead.
Cooney leaves the county setup after guiding Westmeath to victory in the inaugural Tailteann Cup this summer.
The 51-year-old brings an end to a four-year spell in charge of his native county to pursue a full-time position at Croke Park.
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He said: "The player development area is one in which I have invested a lot of time academically in the past few years, and this is the opportunity for me to work in the area in a full-time capacity.
"I have had an extremely enjoyable spell involved in inter-county football, commencing as a selector with Westmeath almost 20 years ago, the highlight of that period being the annexing of the first Leinster title, under the leadership of the great Páidí Ó Sé.
"Since becoming manager of my native county, I have worked with a fantastic bunch of players, whose commitment to playing and preparation at this level is second to none; they certainly deserved the success they achieved this year when we overcame Cavan in the first-ever Tailteann Cup final."
Cooney steered Westmeath to the Division Three title in 2019 and they just missed out on another promotion to the second tier this season.
But this led to them going on a run in the Tailteann Cup that culminated in a four points victory over Cavan in the final.
Westmeath GAA chair Frank Mescall paid tribute to Cooney: "We are extremely disappointed to lose Jack Cooney as county team manager but are very proud he is taking up this prestigious role with the GAA at national level.
"Jack's commitment to Westmeath football has been magnificent throughout his career, from the time when he wore the maroon himself, through his period as a selector in the mid-noughties, and his time as senior manager for the past four years, culminating in our annexing of the Tailteann Cup this year."
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