The structure at Athlone Town "is not stable", according to former manager Colin Fortune, despite the club's CEO insisting a structured process is under way to identify a fourth manager for the women's team in less than two years.
Athlone opened the 2026 season by beating Shelbourne 1-0 in the President’s Cup, extending a run that already included back-to-back Women’s Premier Division titles and last season’s FAI Cup.
Even after John O’Sullivan’s resignation in March, they responded with a 5-2 win over Bohemians, with Dana Scheriff scoring four times.
On the pitch, the level has held.
Athlone still look like a side capable of competing for everything again.
Off it, however, the situation remains unresolved.
The club are continuing their search for a new manager, with chief executive Steven Gray telling RTÉ Sport they have been "keeping the board, staff and players updated on a consistent basis" as the recruitment process continues.
Gray said a structured process is under way, involving discussions across football, HR, and finance, with candidates identified both in Ireland and the UK.
"The women’s team is a top priority for the football club," he said.
"We have spoken to five of the top people in women’s football in Ireland and will be speaking to two people based in the UK.
"We will be patient in the search for the best possible candidate and hopefully at the end of the process we will secure the right person."
For now, a short-term coaching group of Anthony Faye, Dan Byrne and Brian Shelley remains in place, with Gray and Shelley leading the recruitment process.
O’Sullivan’s exit is the latest in a sequence that is becoming difficult to ignore.
He follows Ciarán Kilduff, who stepped down after delivering a league title in 2024, and Fortune, who left in 2025 while the team were still competing strongly both domestically and in Europe.
Three departures, each at different moments, but all against a backdrop of success.
Fortune (above) questioned the delay in appointing a successor, suggesting the current setup raises concerns from his perspective.
"John is gone a few weeks now.
They’ve put coaches from the younger LOI academy teams in and they seem to be fronting it while football decisions are made elsewhere.
Was this the plan all along?
I hope not.
The lack of transparency and updates from the club is also a bit strange.
"They promised to be more open to supporters."
Despite that, he acknowledged the strength of the squad but warned that, in his opinion, the current situation may not hold over time.
"They still have the best players in the league, so they’ll be fine domestically.
The players are great and they just get on with it.
But the lack of a manager will catch up with them.
When they get to Europe or a one-off cup game and need a tactical change, that’s when they’ll suffer and it won’t be the players' fault."
He also pointed to concerns around player development and long-term planning.
"These players need to be challenged and developed.
They need a gameplan and a style of play.
Currently it’s all off the cuff.
They need a proper qualified and experienced manager.
There has to be a management structure in place.
The players need goals and targets.
That’s not present now."
Fortune described the broader structure, in his view, as "not stable" and raised questions about the club’s long-term direction, including academy support and player retention.
"The academy players are your club’s identity.
If those players are allowed to leave, how do you compete?
The structure is not stable and that’s the concerning part."
The club have not publicly addressed those specific claims around the academy, but maintain that their recruitment process is ongoing and structured.
The questions around the women’s team do not exist in isolation.
Athlone’s men’s side have faced their own challenges in recent seasons, particularly around squad turnover and contracts, but without the results to match.
While one side continues to deliver trophies, the other has struggled to establish the same level of clarity or progression.
The contrast has sharpened the focus on the club’s overall structure.
For now, Athlone are balancing two realities.
A team that continues to win, and a situation around it that still feels unresolved.
The next managerial appointment will be decisive.
Until then, the results remain strong.
The questions, however, have not gone away.
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Source: This article was originally published by RTÉ News
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