Aoife Downey: Warrenpoint general manager brings big plans to new job

Aoife Downey is delighted with the support she has received since arriving at Milltown four months ago

Warrenpoint Town general manager Aoife Downey is enjoying the challenge of being a rare female face in a top Premiership club position

The 30-year-old was appointed to the post in November and her ambitious plans including setting up a girls football academy at the club.

"I know I'm the only female general manager in the league and it is obviously quite a big deal," she said.

"It's been strange, but nice to have so many people supporting me."

"At the start I never thought my gender would be such a talking point - it was not something I never really considered when I went for the role, that it might have been an issue or a talking point," Downey told BBC Radio Ulster's Sportsound Extra Time.

"I've been introduced to people as the 'female' general manager, so it's starting to hit home a little bit with me. It kind of made me a bit more anxious, because you have a sense of self-doubt, like did I get the job because I'm a female or was it on merit?'

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Downey, who is originally from Belfast but now lives in Newry, has a multiplicity of roles including overseeing the daily operations of the Co Down club and being a link between volunteers and the board.

A five-year plan to establish a girls academy was launched on Monday and it's a goal Downey is determined to achieve,

"I aim to bring a lot of new things into the club - we're trying to introduce women's and girl's football at the minute," she said.

"It's a big operation, it will be a case of starting small and we are gauging interest in it.

"It will most likely start off with a couple of teams of various age groups and we hope to build it up and eventually have a girls academy at the club, to complement the academy we already have.

"I'm quite patient, I'm a big believer in goal setting and breaking it down into smaller goals - so as long as we are achieving goals along the way to get to the end goal of that academy, I'll be very happy."