2010 AGM - SECRETARY'S REPORT

Senior Football

2010 saw us maintain a degree of the progress that we have been making over the past number of years with promotion to Division 1 being attained, retention of our Senior Championship status as well as reaching the final of the Kiernan Cup. Last year saw a new management team taking charge, comprising Padraig Mullen, Paddy Hennessy and Glen Mc Dermott. John Paul Henry was appointed Senior captain for 2010 and training started on 9th January.

Competitive action commenced on 20th February with the Kiernan Cup. We made it through to the final of this competition thanks to wins over Easkey and Catleconner and a draw with Tubbercurry. The final was played on 25thJune but we failed to retain our title, losing out to St. Mary's on a scoreline of 1-14 to 0-10.
The League commenced on 20th March with a win over St. Mary's. Whilst we started the campaign brightly, we lost our way somewhat as the competition entered the closing stages. Nevertheless, we eventually secured promotion to Division 1 for 2011 by finishing up in joint third place with 16 points. Our record was that we played 14 games, winning 8 and losing 6.

In the Championship, we were drawn in a group of three with neighbours Geevagh and Ballymote. Our first game was on 25th August and saw us suffer a disappointing 7 point defeat to Geevagh. We subsequently lost heavily to Ballymote and thus ended up in the relegation process. Our relegation game against Calry / St. Joseph's was played on 3rd September and after a hard fought game we emerged four point victory on a scoreline of 1-10 to 1-6 to preserve our Senior Championship status for 2011.

Whilst it's regrettable that we again ended up in a relegation battle, once again this team proved their
potential when their backs are against the wall, however they must seek greater consistency if we are to survive in what is sure to be a much more competitive Division 1. In addition, hopefully the experience of playing in Division 1 will stand to us when the Championship comes around. We have plenty to build upon in the year ahead and the success of the U20's last year gives grounds for optimism with the expectation that more of these players will make the breakthrough to Senior level.

Many thanks to the management team of Padraig Mullen, Paddy Hennessy and Glen Mc Dermott and also to Michael Niland for their work with the squad in 2010. A special thanks also to Eugene Carroll who took over the training of the squad at the start of the year pending the appointment of the management team.

Junior Football

2010 also saw the appointment of a new Junior management team, consisting of Martin Baker, Hilary Lyons and Vivion Boyd. The League commenced on 2ndMay with a win over St. Pat's and proved to be a real rollercoaster campaign.

We narrowly missed out on promotion to Division 4 and can look back on the controversy over the St. John's game that was not played and wonder at what might have been. Our record was that we played 11 games in the League, won 7, drew 1 and lost 3 to finish up on 15 points and in joint third place.

We faced into the Championship with a weakened squad and the draw saw us in a group of three with Tubbercurry and Coolera / Strandhill. Our first game against Coolera Strandhill was played on 8th August, which we lost by two points. We went on to be beaten by Tubbercurry in our final group game, which meant that we had to face into a relegation process in order to preserve our Junior A status. We lost heavily to St. Mary's in our first game in this process and went on to draw with Molaise Gaels in our next game. However in the replay we were heavily defeated with a much weakened team, which was a great disappointment give the work that the management and squad had put in all year. It was especially disappointing given that we had lost the County Final in this grade by just a point the year before. Nevertheless, it is satisfying that we continue to put out competitive Junior teams and provide football for players in this grade. Also, one cannot over-emphasise how vital the Junior grade is to the fortunes of the Senior squad and hopefully 2011 will be a better year for the Juniors. There has been some discussion within the Club in relation to fielding an exclusively Junior squad in 2011 and hopefully we will be in a position to this in the campaign ahead.

Many thanks to the Junior management team of Martin Baker, Hilary Lyons and Vivion Boyd for their work with the squad in 2010.

Under 20's

Mark Tuohy, Derrick Davey and Joe Quinn took charge of the under 20's for the 'B' championship campaign. We were drawn in a group of 4 with Geevagh, St. Pat's and Molaise Gaels. The campaign started on 9th October with a solid away win over Geevagh. We went on to record a victory over Molaise Gaels and a draw with St. Pat's to top the group and progress to the Semi-Final. In the semi-final we recorded a narrow one point win over Bunninadden to progress to the final, in which we again faced neighbours, Geevagh. The final was played under lights on 13th November at Sligo IT and following an exciting encounter we emerged victorious on a scoreline of 2-11 to 1-6. It was a proud moment for everybody associated with the Club when captain John Craig was presented with the cup by county chairman, John Murphy. It's fair to say that this squad were a revelation to a lot of people both within and outside the club with their stylish brand of football and finished the playing year on a really high note for the Club. Their dedication and commitment were refreshing to see and some of our Senior players would do well to take note. It was encouraging that 5 of this squad were called into the recent County trials, reflecting well on the squad's potential and I want to wish Liam O'Connell well with the County team in their forthcoming campaign. Our successes at Senior level in the early nineties were built on a string of U21 successes and one can only hope that this is a sign of things to come.

Many thanks to the management team of Mark, Derrick and Joe and it's very encouraging to see Senior players taking on such roles within the Club and this is surely a model for how future senior management teams should evolve.

Bord na nÓg

Once again, huge work, sometimes unseen, continues to be put in across all under-age grades within the Club.

The highlight was undoubtedly the Minors capturing the 'B' Championship title. The Minors finished up in third place in the League and started the Championship in confident fashion with a comprehensive defeat of Geevagh in the first round, which was played on 28th July. Despite a defeat against St. Pat's in the next group game, they regrouped to beat Molaise Gaels to qualify for the semi-final, in which they defeated Easkey. The Final against Enniscrone / Kilglass was played at Markievicz Park as a curtain raiser to the Intermediate Final on 3rd October and in a thrilling encounter we emerged with a comprehensive 8 point win. This victory bodes well for the year ahead as the majority of this Minor panel are again eligible for Minor in 2011. Well done to the whole squad who were a credit to their families and the Club and a special word of thanks and congratulations to the management team of Paul O'Grady, Peter Coleman, Mick Candon and Paul Higgins.

The U16's put in a good performance in Division 1 of the League, finishing up in second place. They then beat Tourlestrane in a playoff game to reach the semi-final, where they beat St. John's. In the final they were unfortunately outclassed by a better St. Mary's side. In the Championship, they lost to Tourlestrane in the first game, beat St. John's in the next round but were again comprehensively beaten by St. Mary's in their final group game. Nevertheless it was a relatively good year for the U16 panel.

The U14's had an indifferent League campaign, winning just 2 of their 6 games. They also failed to make an impression in the Championship, bowing out at the first hurdle. They also participated in a 9-a-side blitz competition, winning both of their games.

Once again we were fortunate to be in a position to field two U12 teams in 2010 and there is no doubt that there is a significant crop of talented players coming through this grade and this should be encouraged.

On 8th April a group of 53 children and adults travelled to Croke Park to participate in a Connacht Council Activities Day in headquarters. This was a most enjoyable and beneficial exercise and credit to Connacht Council for organising the event. Thanks also to the large group of parents who came along to help on the trip. We reached the final of the U13 Feile Shield competition, which was played under lights in Tourlestrane on 15th October. Unfortunately on the night we were up against a much stronger Drumcliffe / Rosses Point team and lost on a scoreline of 2-9 to 1-3. However our progression to this final was one of the highlights of the year, beating some fancied opposition along the way.

Our ongoing work with the U8's and U10's continued with well attended Saturday morning training as well as our participation in a series of blitzes around the county during the season. The Dominic Quinn Cup was held on 28th August and was contested by six teams, including two from Shamrock Gaels, and was won by Shamrock Gaels. It was especially pleasing to have the All-Ireland Junior Championship Cup there on the morning of the competition.

Unfortunately we had little success with our U12, U14 and U16 girls teams in 2010 however it's important that we continue to foster these grades as it is only from these beginnings that success at Senior ladies level will eventually come about.

The under-age awards were held in the Folk Park on 27th March and again proved to be most enjoyable and well attended event and provides due recognition to our young Club members. Thanks to all involved in organising this event and to the Folk Park for making their magnificent facilities available. The awards on the night went to:

U10 Boys - Ben Tuohy
U10 Girls - Sarah Walsh
U12 'The Shamrocks' team - (Boys) Enda O'Connell (Girls) Ailish Benson
U12 'The Gaels' team - - (Boys) Stephen Keegan (Girls) Rachel Hennessy
U14 Boys - Eoin Carroll
U14 Girls - Aoife Brennan
U14 Hurling - Shane Conlon
U16 Boys - Shane Barry
U16 Girls - Catherine Tuohy
Minor - Sean Kilfeather
Overall Player of The Year - Aoife Brennan

Overall therefore, 2010 was another good year at underage level within the Club and whilst we look forward to the year ahead, success will not come about without support from parents and once again I would make an appeal to all parents to become involved, no matter how small a contribution they feel they can make.
A number of sponsors came on board during the year, particularly with the U20 and Minor and U13 Feile panels and this help is greatly appreciated by the Club and an essential part of what we do.

Finally, congratulations to Sooey N.S., who won the Cumann na mBunscol 4/5 Teacher Final in Markievicz Park in June. This victory was all the sweeter since they had contested and lost the final in the previous two years.

Ladies Football

Martin Nealon, Paul Kennedy and Paddy Mc Dermott took over the management of the Ladies team in 2010 and put in a massive amount of work in trying to revise the fortunes of the squad. An indifferent League campaign was matched by an early exit from the Championship and whilst our resources are stretched in terms of player numbers, it is evident that the players themselves now need to step up to the mark if we are ever to make any progress in this grade.

Other

At County level, 2010 stood out for Shamrock Gaels with the progression of a number of Gaels players to County teams. Particular mention goes Mark Tuohy who joined the Senior squad and Frank Quinn, who made his Championship debut with Sligo as well as captaining the Junior team to their Connaught final success. Mark Tuohy and Joe Quinn were also involved with this squad, who of course went on to win the All-Ireland final and it's a great honour for the Club to have All-Ireland medals within the Club as well as Division 3 National League medals. Conor Mullen and Paul Higgins were members of the U21 County panel and we also had 5 Gaels players on the county U16 squad that won the Fr. Manning Cup as well as reaching the Ted Webb cup final. It's hugely encouraging to see so many Gaels players making the breakthrough and this can only be good for us in the long term

Well done also to Bernard Mulhern, manager and Shane Quigley, who were involved with the County Minors.

In January and November we held two hugely successful 'Stars in their Eyes' fundraisers. The January event being the postponed December 2009 event, was won by 'Mammy Mia' whilst last November's was won by 'The Hardy Boys'. Both of these events were unique and hugely enjoyable occasions and go to prove that not all fundraising has to be a slog. Many thanks to all concerned in organising these events and to Riverstown Hall Committee for making their facilities available to us.

We had the Club Dinner Dance on 20thMarch at which the Vincent Boyd Senior Player of the Year award went to Frank Quinn. Aoife Harte was awarded the Davina Duncan Memorial Cup for Ladies Player of the Year whilst the Club Person of The Year award went to Eugene Carroll.

On 6th June the annual Golf Classic was again held in Castle Dargan and once again this was a very successful and enjoyable event. Thanks to FBD, main sponsors and all of the other sponsors and all of the teams who participated as well as Eugene Carroll and the organising committee. Particular thanks go to Castle Dargan for assisting by way of reduced green fees.

I wish to thank Sligo Folk Park for the continued use of their magnificent facilities for various Club events during the year. I also wish to thank Riverstown Park Committee for the use of its facilities in 2010. Thanks also to Paul Little for his maintenance of both pitches during the year.

Again, a very sincere word of thanks to John Joe, Margaret and Katie Mc Goldrick for the way in which they continue to maintain our clubhouse, which is a credit to them. We have recently been notified that our clubhouse and grounds have won the 2010 Sligo Club of The Year award, which is a testament to the way in which our grounds and clubhouse are maintained. We now go forward to the Connacht final and having lost out so narrowly last year we are hopeful that with a bit of effort we can be successful.

These are especially difficult times for the wider economy and I wish to sincerely thank all of our sponsors and all others who contributed in any way to the Club during the year

I wish to sincerely thank Mrs Quinn and the Quinn family for their continued preparation of Club kit across all grades. This is a job that may sometimes appear to be taken for granted but it is sincerely appreciated by the Club.

I want to particularly thank Paddy Joe Quigley and Michael Reynolds for looking after the gate and clubhouse for a number of Championship games during the Summer. This was sometimes undertaken at great inconvenience to Paddy Joe and Michael as the games often clashed with Shamrock Gaels fixtures. This is the sort of work that often goes unseen but is nevertheless the type of work that forms the cornerstones upon which the Club is built and cannot function without.

I also wish to sincerely thank the members of Carran Hill Red Cross who were in attendance with their new ambulance at a number of home Club matches during the year. It is a privilege to have such a resource within our community and I want to assure them of the continued support of Shamrock Gaels for their endeavours and wish them well in the year ahead.

Congratulations to Eamonn Mc Munn, who was appointed as the full-time administrator to Sligo County Board during the year.

On 24th October we held a special Club meeting in Sligo Folk Park, arising from which a number of actions were agreed in relation to Senior football, under-age coaching, the appointment of team managers as well as finance and development. One of first outcomes of this meeting is the Players Code of Conduct, which is presented tonight for adoption by the Club as an official Club policy. It is hoped to progress a number of other actions over the coming months, one of which will be an Open Day.

Our annual Club Mass for deceased Club members was celebrated in Ballyrush on 4th January of last year and we plan to celebrate this year's Mass within the next few weeks. During the year we lost a number of friends of the Club, however I want to particularly remember former stalwart, John Callaghan, who died in January. Ar dheis De go raibh a n-ainmneacha.

In looking forward to 2011, there are a number of challenges ahead of us, particularly in terms of finance. Now, more than ever, we need people to become more involved with the Club and to share the burden of work around. We need to become more open as a Club and try to attract more people to come on board and hopefully this is something that we will work on over the coming months. We have a lot to be positive about on the playing fields, however this can only be maintained with greater effort behind the scenes from everybody.

In conclusion, I wish to thank all of my fellow members of the Executive for their work during the year and look forward to another great year for the Gaels.

Andrew Kearns
Secretary
Shamrock Gaels GAA Club
15th January 2011