GAA:KIERAN McGEENEY has indicated he would like to be involved in the wider development of football in Kildare.

The Mullaghbawn native will meet county chairman Pádraig Ashe this week to discuss whether or not he will continue as manager of the senior footballers after a successful three-year term that has seen them reach two All-Ireland quarter-finals and this season’s semi-final.

Ashe is on record as saying McGeeney will get what he wants and it is expected that a two- or three-year extension will be announced possibly by the end of the week. “It would be nice to be there but there’s still a lot of things to be worked out,” said McGeeney. “They’re a great bunch of lads and my loyalty to them will never be in question.”

Speaking on Kfm radio after receiving a Kildare Sports Award, the 38-year-old gave an insight into his wish to see the county competing at the top level on a consistent basis.

For that to happen, he argued, structures would have to be improved and long-term strategies would have to be established and that is an area he has always had a keen interest in.

“We brought (minors) Fionn Dowling, Tommy Moolick and Cribbo (Paul Cribbin) in, three great players and to be honest, they were a lot closer (to the team) than people would actually have given them credit for. There are some fine footballers coming through.

“I still think we can work so much harder on what’s there as well and I think there’s probably another two or three minors from that team that are capable of making the grade up.

“There’s also structures to be put in place. Alan Barry’s done a great job last year with the under-21s. People just see results but that isn’t what structures and development pathways are all about. It’s about providing players to play at the ultimate level and that’s what (minor manager) Bryan Murphy, Alan Barry and Glenn (Ryan) when he was here (with the under-21s) have done.

“You’re bringing players through that want to play for their jersey. They’ve passion, they’ve pride, they want to work hard and they come through to the senior team with a different ethos that maybe players in the past have come through. That’s what you’re looking to do, and you step back into the development squads.

“I suppose all those things have an impact on the future of Kildare. It’s part of what I do for a living. I’ve been involved in sports development and sports strategic planning for a long time both north and south of the border and I think with a few small tweaks here and there Kildare can really make huge leaps and bounds towards being one of the top-tier counties in the country on a consistent basis and not maybe every other decade or something like that.”

Meanwhile, Mick O’Dwyer will tonight be ratified as the Wicklow senior football manager for a fifth successive season.

The county’s loss to Cavan in the first round of this year’s All-Ireland qualifiers seemed to signal the end of the Kerryman’s tenure in charge, having committed for an extra year on top of his original three-year term.

He was linked with numerous managerial vacancies around the country, including Mayo, Limerick and Monaghan, having indicated earlier in the year he would be involved with some county in 2011.

However the manager for next year will be revealed in Arklow tonight and sources close to the senior team have confirmed the 74-year-old will be staying on.

Roscommon footballers have been given a huge boost with manager Fergal O’Donnell committing to the job for another two years.

There was intense speculation that O’Donnell – who led them to a surprise Connacht title this year – was poised to step down due to work and family commitments.

But O’Donnell, a garda based in Boyle, has informed the Roscommon County Board he is willing to stay on if he is ratified.

That is certain to be a formality when it comes before the next board meeting.

“Fergal has told us he wants to stay and that’s great news for Roscommon . . . It is a great boost given all that he has achieved in the past few years,” said a spokesperson for Roscommon County Board.