Hero
Elite Sports
Building the connection, trust and belief behind some of the biggest achievements in Irish and international sport.
The record
The record
Since 2019, Ronan has worked inside some of the most demanding environments in sport:
- Ireland Rugby under Andy Farrell
- Liverpool Football Club (For LFC logo, could you change to the old fashioned one please)
- Leinster Rugby - back-to-back URC titles in ‘25 & ‘26 season.
- Dublin Senior Footballers through the historic 5 and 6-in-a-row era
- Na Fianna GAA Club - All Ireland club title ‘25.
- Cork GAA · Galway GAA · Shelbourne FC · Drogheda United
The idea (uses the gym metaphor + waterline)
The idea
Talent and tactics get teams close. Connection gets them over the line.
Most team talk lives at the surface: tactics, injuries, analysis, banter. All necessary, none transformative. The real trust is built beneath the surface, in who people are, what drives them, and what the jersey means to them. Just as the gym builds physical strength, a connection session builds collective strength. Ronan's workshops lower the waterline, deliberately and safely.
What the work looks like
What the work looks like
Season Programme (Voyage) - Workshops mapped to the rhythm of a season: pre-season foundations, mid-season resets, decompression after losses, and sharpening before finals. Delivered face-to-face, with space held for the unplanned moments every season throws up.
One-Off Session (Basecamp) - A single 2 to 3 hour workshop for teams needing a boost of connection, energy and alignment.
Also part of the work: backroom team sessions which a) build deeper togetherness and cross-functional collaboration, b) upskill coaches on running engaging player-led meetings through the craft of facilitation.
The research
The research
The approach draws on Personal Disclosure, Mutual Sharing (PDMS), tested with teams worldwide and shown to enhance communication, trust, empathy, group efficacy and on-field performance.
Link: Ronan's FMPA article on connection, performance and player availability, and Connection Building in Elite Sports parts 1 and 2.
Stats from athletes
Stats from athletes
Proof
Proof
- Andy Farrell as hero testimonial
- Jack McCaffrey, Declan Darcy, Eoin Cadogan, Laura Donovan
- Brian Fenton 5-in-a-row photo
- Can also add Caelan Doris pic of us both if you like.
The corporate bridge (closing section)