Attended the County Board delegates meeting tonight in the Woodlands. A very informative evening, with the most interesting debate concerning illegal players.
The most common theme here seems to be one whereby a player might have gone to school in a neighbouring parish, but has never lived there nor has no familial links to that parish. Obviously long established senior clubs have benefitted from this, but from talking to a couple of other delegates afterwards, itās equally widespread among intermediate & junior clubs. For example, in the east, Hospital Herbertstown is haemorrhaging players to the likes of Caherline and Ballybricken. Lads from
Herbertstown going to school in Caherelly and then choosing either of the latter two clubs. Crecora parish goes right into Patrickswell village, and some of the Well squad are technically born and reared in Crecora. Similar issue back west where Glin goes right into Ballyhahill, lads being sent to school in the latter, born and raised in the former, yet turning out for Gerald Griffins. Thereās a hundred more examples from across the county.
Thereās increasing consternation in rural clubs located near to the city. Parts of Ahane, South Liberties, Ballybrown and Patrickswell are now officially within the city boundary since the 2014 merging of the City & County Councils. Any of those clubs could legally lose players to existing city teams such as Mungret, Monaleen, Na Piarsaigh, etc. Since there is no defined parish lines within the city, itās almost treated as once big parish where a player can choose his club once it is inside the city boundary limits.
So the Co Board want clubs to agree a ādefined catchmentā area between them by next summer. This includes ācultural tiesā or āhistorical precedenceā whereby there has been a long established history of players from one particular area playing with a club that may be located in a neighbouring parish - for example some players from Rathkeale parish have traditionally chosen to play their football with neighbouring St Kierans. Likewise, a few from Old Mill in St Kierans parish have lined out for nearby Newcastlewest down through the years.
If such catchment areas cannot be established/regularised, then the CB will vigorously enforce the parish rule as it currently stands (except in scenarios where there is no football/hurling club in a particular parish and a player may seek to line out for a neighbouring parish e.g. Ballylanders natives playing hurling with Garryspillane). Any club can legally raise an issue with an illegal opposition player obviously, but it seems CB will be clamping down on illegal players even more come next August if agreements between clubs cannot be reached on catchment areas.
Other nuggets of information gleamed on the night:
CB raised ā¬103,000 from the āWin A Kugaā fundraiser, which ironically was won by a Laois woman.
Construction on the stand in Mick Neville Park will commence in the next fortnight, with a precast concrete structure due to be put in place. The 900 seater stand will be a modular unit. Banagher Precast Construction are involved, they also received the contract for the new Everton stadium. I canāt think of a much bigger honour than laying concrete for bums on seats in Rathkeale though.
Profit and Loss accounts indicated that Limerick GAA went from making a ā¬60k profit margin in 2019 to a ā¬27k loss in 2020. Which isnāt that bad a figure, all things considered.
A 2022 Season Ticket will be available, with the usual club/inter county options. They hope to link the Club Ticket option back to individual club membership though, so that some of the funds from ticket sales go directly back to the purchasers own club.
All proposed inter-county management teams were ratified on the night. Bad news for all the other inter county teams on the senior hurling front there 