THE situation regarding the Clare adult fixture schedule will be discussed again on Monday, August 19, by which time there will be a clearer picture as to when the next rounds of the championships can be played.

 

That was the outcome of last Thursday’s special meeting to discuss the fixtures, given Clare’s ongoing involvement in both the U-21 and senior inter-county hurling championships.

There were some heated exchanges, during which it was proposed that the “county players should pull out or play” while there was criticism of the executive and the fixtures committee, who were told it was their duty to provide the leadership.
The chairman told the meeting the games would be played on the first available date, while secretary Pat Fitzgerald said the meeting was organised so that the county committee would give them direction. “We are here as a management committee. We provide the information to you and it is the county committee that will make the decision. It has to be practical and balanced and it has to take into account other people’s scenarios. We have to take the whole picture and try and be as fair as we can.”

At the outset, board chairman, Michael McDonagh said, “Round two in football goes ahead on weekend of August 10/11, with the exception of the games involving Cratloe and Clondegad and we have to talk to them about when we can get their games played.”
Wolfe Tones manager Mike Riordan asked that his club get the same consideration as Cratloe and Clondegad “as Aaron Cunningham is a member of our panel and he is also part of the Clare U-21and senior panels”.

Éire Óg chairman, Pat Daly, said his club “will not be able to play hurling and football on the same weekend as we have too many dual players”. Mike Riordan from Wolfe Tones also said his club would not play hurling and football on the same weekend.

Board chairman McDonagh replied that “there are 23 clubs with dual players” before naming the clubs. Inagh-Kilnamona’s Paul Gannon replied, “we are not a dual club” to which McDonagh said “ye have players that play both codes”.
“If there is a clash, they will be playing with us,” Gannon announced.

Strong views were expressed by some delegates at last week’s meeting over the situation that has now developed but all agreed the proposed schedule has to change because of the progress of the county teams. “Football in Clare has never been so low,” said

Doonbeg delegate Michael Neenan, when proposing that the football championship go ahead as scheduled. “I propose that all clubs play on August 10 and 11, with or without dual players,” the Magpies delegate said before asking “who allowed Bord na nÓg to cancel next week’s minor football championship games?”

When it was pointed out to Neenan that two members of the Doonbeg team play senior hurling with Newmarket, the Doonbeg man replied, “Newmarket have first call on those players.”
“We have the same problem year after year. How come the people who put a masters fixtures plan in place couldn’t see a young Clare team coming. This could happen down the road. Are we going to ask 400 players that will tog out at the weekend not to play the following weekend because of a few players? If we don’t play the second round, we can’t play the third round. If there are dual players, ask them straight out are they playing hurling or football.

Lissycasey’s Eamonn Finnucane also asked why the minor games were cancelled and reminded the meeting that the U-21 Football Championship has yet to be run this year.

Responding, McDonagh said “That’s Bord na nÓg and we are not responsible. We will be next year.”
Clondegad delegate Seamus O’Reilly, “The clubs voted on this, it was their decision. We will not play without three or four players and I wouldn’t expect any club to do that.”

Clonlara’s Donal Madden noted round one of the hurling championship was played on May 19 and it could be near the end of September when round two takes place. “That is very wrong. If we go to the all-Ireland final in both competitions and we all want that, it will be September 23 before the next round is played. There are five rounds in hurling and football and that will take us to November 22 and on those grounds, Clare will have no representative in the Munster club championship. We must have a clause agreed that we will be played on August 24 if Clare lose and in September if Clare win. Under no circumstances can we let this happen again.”

“The wording has been carefully chosen, the first available date is, as all clubs know, when we will play,” said Fitzgerald.
Sixmilebridge man PJ Fitzpatrick said, “We are delighted to have these problems but really, the issue was not playing during the summer. If we can be creative now, why can’t we be creative in the summer? It was pointed out repeatedly there wasn’t certainty about August 17. It cannot be practical to stop up for three months of the summer,” he said, when accusing chairman Michael McDonagh of influencing the decision. “You did everything possible to change the decision that night.”

Calling on Fitzpatrick to withdraw that remark, the chairman said, “It was democratically agreed. Clubs make the decision. Withdraw that, it’s an unfair comment. I am disappointed with you. I let everything back to the clubs. When you are chairman of the board, you carry a weight and you must weigh up everything,” Fitzpatrick said.

Newmarket delegate Mike Clancy said, “The masters fixtures plan, as it appears, is now a failure with respect to the committee that put it together. Leadership comes from the top table and from the fixtures committee. They should have known the All-Ireland semi-final involving the Munster champions was on August 17.”

Pointing out they have to have something sorted out for next year in November or December, chairman McDonagh asked Clancy where the answer is, going forward. “The club has to come first,” said Doonbeg’s Michael Neenan. Play the games and let the county players pull out or play.

Clondegad’s Seamus O’Reilly responded, “Dual clubs are making an effort to promote both games and I have a problem when I hear representatives from some clubs lecturing dual clubs. They need encouragement,” he said.
According to Anthony O’Connor “Ye, at the top table, have to toughen up in a lot of things. Don’t be fiddling around with the clubs. Ye pick the dates and tell the clubs when to play. Don’t have a situation like we had in the league, when we were vilified as a club in the media and everywhere else and nobody contacted us at all.

“I have had no apology from you, chairman, or from your board and you did say you would apologise publicly to Kilrush for the way they were treated. Be positive and say to the clubs, get out and play the games.”
[This relates to the dispute regarding the game between Kilrush and Cratloe.]

“We are capable of making hard decisions but we have to take care of the dual clubs as well,” replied the chairman.

“We have spent an awful lot of hours speaking about masters fixtures,” said O’Curry’s delegate, Michael Curtin when proposing that “the brains here come together and put before convention a fixtures plan that will stick.

“I would prefer to be at training than sitting down here tonight. Don’t waste our time anymore. Have a proposal before us at convention. Those that have ideas and can see around corners, come forward now and sit down in November for three or four nights. We have to get a fixtures plan that will stick,” he said.

 

Senior football squad cost €185,015 in 2013

Clare GAA has spent €185,015 on the county senior football squad in 2013, board treasurer Bernard Keane told delegates at last week’s special county board meeting.
“Going forward this figure is not sustainable for any team. It will have to be looked at”.
He added, “Income from gate receipts will be down this year and I have just seen the figure for the National League returns and there is a drop of €19,000 on what we received last year.”
The treasurer explained that he was “giving the figures at this time as all of our football teams are out of competition”.
To date, Clare GAA has paid out €864,995, the main items being €439,249 on team expenses; €179,937 on coaching and games; €153,826 on administration; €50,770 on upkeep of grounds and 28,820 on staging of games.
He said he would give the figures for hurling in September.
Keane also told the meeting there was a slight increase in the numbers that joined the annual county board draw, which attracted 4,122 members this year.
Tulla’s Brian Torpey noted the figure spent on coaching was “equal to what was spent on the senior football team”.

‘Disastrous for football’
To change from the open draw for the Munster Championship “will be disastrous for football” Clare GAA chairman, Michael McDonagh, warned.
He was speaking after Munster Council delegate Tom Downes reported to the meeting that the matter will be up for discussion at the September meeting of the council, when a decision will be taken.
“The policy of this board is to support the open draw. There are rumblings that one of the ‘weaker counties’ is to support a change back to the seeded draw, which would make it very tight,” Downes told the meeting.
“Who is pushing for this vote?” chairman McDonagh asked. It will be very hard to put a county panel together if this happens. I fear for football if there is a change,” he said.
Former Munster Council chairman Noel Walsh from Miltown, who fought for many years to have the open draw introduced, said, “For five decades, up to the ’90s, there were only two of our 50 Munster finals that did not involve Cork against Kerry. Football in the weaker counties will be driven underground if we go back,” he warned.
The meeting agreed that Clare will do everything in its power to ensure that the open draw will remain.

Fr O’Keeffe Cup
Teams beaten in the first round of the Junior C Hurling Championship are to play for a new trophy, the Fr O’Keeffe Cup, the meeting agreed.

Appointment
Trudy Davenport has been appointed to the Clare GAA Hearings committee (CHC). Making the proposal, board chairman Michael McDonagh told delegates there was a vacancy for a secretary in this committee.