Newmarket Celtic take next step in ambitious development plan

Newmarket Celtic’s Vice Chairperson Liam Murphy states the club is striving for continuous improvement on and off the pitch.

The comment comes as Newmarket Celtic as the club launched the next phase of its development with plans firmly in place for a new clubhouse which will enhance the facilities in place at the Ennis Road venue even further.

Under the plans, the clubhouse will include four dressing rooms and a meeting room which can double up as a gym space. There are also plans for wheelchair accessible toilets, a referee’s room and additional car parking spaces.

Murphy believes the new developments can help not just the club but the local community.

“Newmarket is a big community and we don’t just see ourselves as a football club. We are a part of the community. This is more than just a football club. We serve a large area and we always strive to provide the best for all our teams, from underage to adult level.

“We want to provide a platform for players to be able to play. We are gone past the stage where two dressing rooms is sufficient.

“Girls soccer disappeared but thankfully in the last four years it has made a welcome return so we need to be able to provide the facilities for all our teams. We want to be inclusive and for us to do that we need to continue developing.”

The new planned clubhouse will ensure that the club will be able to facilitate the needs of all playing teams whilst also providing an all-inclusive state of the art facility as the club continues to grow.

Murphy feels that the development can benefit Clare soccer as a whole with the 19 time Premier Division champions trying to reclaim their place atop the throne at domestic level while also aiming to challenge nationally over the coming years.

“Any club that develops its facilities is only good for Clare soccer. We would admire the Bridge as they don’t stay still.

“We are probably the most successful club in Clare and we want to be the strongest on and off the field. We are also trying to develop our coaching and facilities so this facility is important for us.”

“Last year wasn’t our year but we had a successful decade. We want to come again and by upgrading our facilities we can try and encourage kids to stick with soccer.

“Maybe we took our eye off the ball slightly, but we want to have our finger on the pulse now to keep building for the future.”

The vice chairperson also notes that with Newmarket Celtic recently completing the criteria for the FAI Club Mark, an award for grass roots clubs based on best practice in their management and administration, they must continue to set high standards both on and off the pitch.

The aim of the programme is to support and encourage clubs to improve standards off the field with the result of having Stronger Clubs and a Stronger Game.

Murphy feels this is an important step to help the club do just that.

“With the Club Mark, we have obligations that we need to adhere to. The hard work starts now. We won’t say this is the final piece of the jigsaw, but it’s important. It’s extremely difficult to compete against other sports but we want to be inclusive and encourage new people to join the club.

“We want a club that the local community can be proud of and that parents feel safe sending their kids to play with Newmarket Celtic. We believe that continuously trying to improve every aspect of the club will create a safe and welcome environment.”

Having benefited from the recent Sports Capital Grant announcements, the club has now launched its first fundraiser towards the construction costs of the new clubhouse where they are running a prize draw called “Strike it Lucky with Newmarket Celtic” with a chance to win €10,000.

Entry tickets for the draw costs €100 with tickets limited to 500 entries and the lucky winner being announced in December.

For more information on how to support this fundraiser, visit Newmarket Celtic’s social media pages.