*Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLARE GAA’s top table have been told that Cusack Park’s stand is “not fit for purpose”.
Club delegates gathered in Clareabbey on Tuesday evening for the May meeting of the County Board.
Chairman of Clare GAA, Kieran Keating in response to criticism from delegates over Cusack Park said any future investment for the county grounds is not the immediate focus.
Ticket distribution:
The hardy annual of ticket distribution was raised again with Clonlara’s Flan Mullane asking why Clare clubs got so few seated tickets for the meeting of Clare and Limerick in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg for the third round of the Munster SHC.
Head of Operations with Clare GAA, Ann Marie Moran explained, “every club got two seated tickets” while chairman Kieran Keating told the gathering that “7,000 of the 8,200 tickets for the North Terrace went to Clare and Limerick fans. Players, referees etc have to get tickets”, he said.
Following on from that Mullane said ”the stand is not suited for purpose and we need to put a proper stand in place sometime soon. If one manages to get a ticket, the seats are too tight together. We have a fabulous pitch but we need a proper stand. We also need to do something with the toilets, the stadium needs development”.
Chairman Kieran Keating said he didn’t “see this happening this year or next year. The focus is on Caherlohan”.
Huge detail in youth committee’s survey findings:
The findings of a survey carried by the Clare GAA youth committee were presented to delegates at the May meeting.
At the outset the board’s planning and training officer Paddy Smyth welcomed the members of the committee and he told the delegates that Clare is the only county with such a committee in place.
“This youth committee was formed as a result of an action point in the first strategic plan, Saffron and Blue 1. It was assigned to the planning and training committee to set up this youth committee. I thought at the time that this was an easy task but I found out it wasn’t. Eventually we had to put a good structure in place and that structure includes the GAA’s future leaders programme which is run in every post primary school in the county. We are also fortunate that the man who put the future leaders concept together is a Clare man, Eoghan Hanley”.
He went on to say that the steering committee set out three goals, to complete the survey, to help with the recruitment of referees and to let young people have a discussion to see what they felt was important.
Eoghan Hanley told the meeting that he works nationally as national co-ordinator of the future leaders programme which is currently in 415 schools nationwide. “It’s a leadership programme in a GAA context. The idea is that the students will do a number of modules in the school and they will then put these into practice by organising GAA events. The next step is to tap into the resource. Annually we would have multiple of thousands of students and we want that clubs would understand that these students are there and are very much willing to get involved”.
Six members of the Clare committee, Roxanne Andre Liddane, Sean Daly, Hannah McDermott, Alva Curran, Caoimhe Liddane and Sharon Brennan then presented details of the findings from the survey which was carried out and responded to by almost 4,000 students.
Almost half of those surveyed are currently members of clubs. Many play other sports and listed soccer and golf as next in popularity to gaelic games.
There is huge detail in the survey copies of which are being circulated to clubs this week. Following the presentation, board chairman Kieran Keating thanked the committee members for their work to date.
Loans sanctioned for Tulla and Newmarket-on-Fergus:
Tulla and Newmarket-on-Fergus GAA clubs are going ahead with major developments and grants for both were sanctioned at this week’s meeting.
Tulla’s Karl Qunn told the meeting that the club had purchased 9 acres ad together with the support of the camogie club they willl be developing more playing facilities.
Newmarket-on-Fergus delegate Rory McGann told the meeting that they are going ahead with a €1.5m development and sanction was given for a €300,000 loan.
Supporting both applications Clare’s central council delegate Robert Frost complimented both clubs. He went on to tell the delegates that “five Clare clubs applied to Croke Park for grants and four have been successful”.
Strategic plan:
Only six clubs have, to date, completed a survey for Clare GAA’s second strategic plan, Paddy Smyth told the meeting. “May 26 is the deadline and I am appealing to all clubs to complete the survey”, he said.
Scór:
Irish officer Leah Taty informed the meeting that “we had two great nights at Scór na bPaisti with thirty clubs taking part. Scór na nÓg is next and that will be in October”, she said before telling delegates that “a newsletter as gaeilge was sent to the clubs yesterday”.
Memorable handball season:
“It’s been a historic handball season for Clare this season. For the first time Clare won the minor ladies, minor boys, singles and doubles and the four minor titles are in Clare together for the first time. They were won by Claire Minogue, Isabele McInerney, Sean Considine and Eoin Shanahan”, handball delegate Tommy Hegarty told the May board meeting.
He went on to record other successes achieved by Clare before saying that attention will now turn to competition in the 60 x 30 courts.
Finance:
Traasurer Cathal Kilmartin informed the delegates that Clare GAA’s new app has been downloaded by 3,200 followers before adding that there are 700 subscribers to the Banner Bonanza fundraiser. The first draw is set for June 2 when the first prize will be €10,000.
Poc Fada:
Clare’s Poc Fada competition will take place on June 6 and the venue will be the same as last year, in Broadford. Coaching officer Fintan Leamy told the meeting that there will be competitions for under 16 boys and girls as well as adult men and ladies. The winner will go on to contest the Muster final a week later.
A 100% increase:
Clonlara delegate Flan Mullane informed the meeting that his club’s player insurance had increased by 100% for this year and he was at pains to find an explanation for this.
Some pointed out that premiums will increase if there are claims in the previous years.
Head of Operations Ann Marie Moran urged clubs to carefully check their lists to ensure that there isn’t any duplication and also to point out the names of those who are not players,
Inagh/Kilnamona’s Paul Gannon said “there is a problem with duplication and there is a lot of money to be saved by checking the lists in detail”.
