Ger Gilroy’s new RTÉ sports podcast is set to launch next week amid continuing tensions within the broadcaster’s sports department over his hiring, Extra.ie has learned.

The former Newstalk presenter was poached by RTÉ earlier this year to front a new daily sports podcast covering GAA, soccer, rugby, athletics, boxing and other sports.

But Gilroy’s arrival at RTÉ has put the cat among the pigeons, with frustration remaining among some staff at the national broadcaster.

‘Gilroy’s podcast is starting next week,’ an insider told Extra.ie. ‘And some people are not very happy. RTÉ are ploughing massive resources and money into his show and the sports department aren’t best pleased.’

‘Ger Gilroy slagged off RTÉ for years on Off The Ball, and then all of a sudden RTÉ are giving him a job, and he says he is looking forward to working with the team? How does that work?’ the source said.

There are also concerns that the daily podcast will be in ‘direct competition’ with analysis already produced by RTÉ’s sports team.

‘Staff in RTÉ are constantly being told management don’t have money for different things, and then all of a sudden they are able to find a wedge to bring in an outsider?’ the source added.

Members of the sports department previously held a showdown meeting with RTÉ’s Director of Audio Patricia Monahan after learning of the appointment.

Key members of the department were not informed of the decision until shortly before it was made public.

‘Sports management only found out on the Thursday, June 25, and were told it was already a “done deal”,’ one source said. ‘Then the news came out the following Monday, June 29. The rest of the sports team only found out when the announcement was made.’

His arrival is the latest in a string of high-profile moves from Newstalk to RTÉ, following Mark Simpson’s appointment as managing editor of RTÉ Radio 1 and Kieran Cuddihy’s move to present Liveline.

When his hiring was announced, Gilroy said he was ‘thrilled’ to be joining, while Monahan said the appointment was part of an ‘ambitious’ new audio strategy.