*Doonbeg’s David Tubridy tries to keep tabs on Éire Óg’s Dara Walsh. Photograph: Raymond O’Mahony
An increase in competitive adult games is needed in Clare before ‘there are no GAA players left’.
Kilkee native JT Larkin called on Clare County Board to add extra games to their calendar in an effort to hold on to players. Although the competitive nature of the Clare SHC has been praised since the introduction of a revamped format in 2015, this year’s Clare SFC which has twelve teams fighting to win the Jack Daly from the outset has not received as much warm reviews.
“We need to look at what we’re doing,” Larkin announced at the September meeting of the County Board. “The Chief FAI man in Clare said at the Clare Soccer AGM last year that they need to head hunt the best minor footballers. We have to do something”.
At underage blitzes in which his grandchildren are lining out, JT said they were playing three to four games in the one tournament per day. He stated that Páraic Duffy has led the way in Monaghan since stepping down as Director General of the Association with eighteen league games now played in the Farney County.
“Look at Newmarket-on-Fergus, Kevin Harnett one of our best footballers is playing soccer with Newmarket Celtic because he has no football to play. What are we doing as a county board,” he asked.
A former senior footballer with the county for many years, Larkin confirmed his club will be submitting a proposal for Convention on the matter. “If we don’t do something fast there will be no players, give our players more games, what they want is games”.
Chairman, Joe Cooney replied, “We the CCC committee work hard to get dates”. He added, “If delegates want more games, we’ll do our best to fit in more games”.
