A year without upheaval

In his end of year report to delegates at this Thursday’s county GAA convention, secretary Pat Fitzgerald (pictured) notes, “thankfully, and unlike previous years, there was nothing untoward to shine the media spotlight inwardly, no player revolt, no managers having their reign terminated mid-term, no upheaval of any description.”
Despite this, however, Fitzgerald did mention one issue, a hardy perennial that keeps coming up – the club fixtures and the frustration being experienced by clubs over the elongated club season.
“As I see it, there is no easy solution unless hard decisions are made,” he says.
“Each year, a committee spends many nights drafting a master fixtures programme which is subsequently presented to the county board for ratification by the clubs through their delegates. This schedule is supposed to be set in stone but, as we saw this year, it became flexible after appeals by both the minor and intermediate hurling managements were entertained.
“For a county bereft of success, it’s entirely understandable that no obstacles should be placed in the way of possible All-Ireland glory. But the flip side is that it all falls back on the clubs. The grassroots non-county playing members are the ones that suffer most and, in truth, some acceptable solution to all concerned will have to be found. I must emphasise that while a lot of public criticism is directed at the county board and the fixtures committee, clubs shouldn’t be immune to that criticism either.”
The secretary adds that while clubs mandate the master fixtures plan, it is incumbent on the county board to come up with alternatives if county teams are eliminated from their respective championships early in the season or, alternatively, if the inter-county championship stretches out as far as September.
“With the current senior championship system, a situation arises every year where some teams who play two group games in May then have to wait 10 to 12 weeks for their next round. The then tight timeframe which exists to conclude the competition and produce winners for the Munster club competition, can very often lead to a club having to play championship games on consecutive weekends at what, very often, can be a crucial stage of the competition for some teams,” he says.
“Furthermore a situation has developed in recent years where the cream of the crop of our minor players also play on senior club teams. That is also proving problematic in that the issue of player welfare and burnout is surfacing and these talented youngsters face a glut of fixtures late season. That is something that also has to be considered when addressing the overall issue”.
The secretary goes on to note that of the six counties in Munster, Clare was the last to stage their county hurling final in 2011. Clare’s senior hurling season ended on July 2 and, while he acknowledges that the minors and intermediate teams were still in contention and that clubs are reluctant to deviate from the certainty of the master plan, in his view, this is still an area that can be explored further in the bigger scheme of things.
In Fitzgerald’s view, “it’s time to address two specific issues”. He asks if it’s time to change the format of the championships and if it’s time to whittle down the number of teams competing at senior level. “I think hard calls have to be made,” he will tell delegates.
“Looking at the structure in other successful counties,” he says, “one cannot but form the opinion that at 20 in hurling and 16 in football, we have too many teams of senior status and a more ruthless approach is required”. He also welcomes the views of outgoing hurling manager Ger O’Loughlin, who has called for change.
The secretary asks if quarter-finals could be done away with and he suggests varying to a knock-out competition every second or third year. Another option he suggests is to introduce a premier intermediate grade, like they have in Cork, for which a database of results over a period of time could be used to grade teams.
The secretary welcomes the appointment of a committee, that is currently meeting clubs with a view to re-structuring competitions.
Referring to the county’s playing facilities the secretary recalls “a couple of years ago a mooted move to a greenfield site at Doora, away from our spiritual home of Cusack Park, fell through”.
“In hindsight, it was probably a blessing in disguise given the property market has crumbled and how companies have since developed toxic debts,” he says.
“The alternative for the board was to invest substantially in refurbishing Cusack Park and, after incurring expense in doing so, we now find that the county ground isn’t up to scratch. Our flagship pitch has been reported to be downgraded to a capacity of 14,684 following a recent audit.
“However, the executive of Clare GAA, following a meeting arranged between themselves and the national infrastructure and safety committee, were of the opinion that no final decision was made on the capacity issue at this time. It goes without saying that we have to invest further if Cusack Park is to be recognised as a top flight county ground. This means that our capacity to generate additional revenue from gates from marquee games isn’t going to happen. Neither can we rely on the normal avenues for generating finances.”
According to the secretary Clare’s financial situation is no different from, possibly, all other county boards. “It is serious. Without mincing my words, we aren’t immune to the effects of the current economic climate. We are cash strapped. Over the past two years we trimmed back to the tune of almost €15,000 on investment in the preparation of county teams and that policy will prevail going forward.
“Additionally, our take from the domestic championships is well down and the gate from the two senior finals was down in excess of €30,000 alone from the previous year. Furthermore, over the past few years, we have invested in the order of €450,000 in the refurbishment of Cusack Park through drainage works, replacement of pitch perimeter fencing, erecting a new northern stand, replacing exit gates, a machinery shed, a section of the perimeter wall and improving facilities at Clareabbey.”
The secretary says, “against that financial scenario, I want to advise delegates that we will have to prioritise our expenditure during the coming year. Let me make it clear, it will be decision time. Do we invest in continued improvement work at Cusack Park at the expense of our centre of training excellence at Caherlohan where we’ve already invested over €3 million? It is important for clubs to be aware that if there isn’t continued substantial investment in Caherlohan, then the facility, which is urgently required, will remain a work in progress and will remain closed. Against that background, clubs will have to decide where we invest our money – in Cusack Park where we won’t get high profile games or in Caherlohan which will be to the benefit of every single county team, development squads and even clubs”.
The secretary also refers to the performances of the various inter county teams in hurling and football. Dealing with football, he says the board can be criticised for their failure to play for the future, to prepare a visionary document for the rehabilitation of Clare football.
“The blame game cannot go on ad nauseum. We are prepared to give the lead from the top table and with everyone pulling in the same direction, I have no doubt, Clare football will gain in currency”.
Before concluding, he acknowledges the winners of the various club championships and pays tribute to the board’s main sponsor, Pat O’Donnell.