Chronic lack of vision leaves Antrim lying in the gutter
O’Rourke recalled an occasion when both men had been invited to give talks at a coaching seminar. The former Meath star said he went first and gave a long rambling presentation. Then Heffernan took his place at the lectern.
In his opening salvo, the Dublin legend stated that all management must begin with a vision. The vision is everything.
Without a vision, there is no shape, purpose or direction and the project is doomed.
O’Rourke reckoned that Heffernan provided more wisdom in his opening sentence than he managed during his entire address.
The city of Belfast and Gaelic Games in Antrim are in dire need of a Kevin Heffernan- like figure.
In the same way as ‘Heffo’ took Dublin football out of the doldrums, the Saffrons urgently need a man who can lead them out of the trenches.
There is no point sugar-coating the situation. Antrim is in a truly pitiful state. At the start of next year’s National Football League campaign, eight of the nine counties in Ulster will be competing in the top two divisions. Monaghan, Donegal and Down will be in Division One while Tyrone, Derry, Armagh, Fermanagh and Cavan will be in Division Two.
The exception of course is the lowly Saffrons. Antrim remain rooted to Division Four.
The county’s morale suffered another kicking at the weekend when the hurlers were beaten in a relegation play-off by Kerry.
Next year, the Saffron hurlers will be competing against Wicklow, London, Derry, Carlow and Westmeath.
The situation is stark. It’s difficult to imagine how the county’s fortunes can plummet any lower. This is rock bottom. They say you can only see the stars when you are in the gutter. If that’s the case, Antrim have the perfect vantage point.
At times of crisis, the first course of action in the GAA is to pin all the blame on the county board. But that would be lazy.
The current nadir is nothing new. Antrim have been stumbling along for decades.
Like a drunk man staggering home, they have become an object of both pity and derision.
“In Belfast, hurling is dead and football is dying.” That’s the considered verdict of John Gough.
And the highly respected St John’s clubman didn’t make that statement last week.
Gough delivered that damning assessment in 2003. Bitterly disillusioned with the lack of ambition in the county board, Gough broke his silence when he stepped down as chairman of the Antrim football committee.
Twelve years ago, Gough said his county was “miles behind” its rivals and he concluded that Antrim “was not doing enough at any level”.
Pointing to the existence of development squads in other Ulster counties, he bemoaned the absence of funds for similar projects in his county. The lack of finance for coaching convinced Gough that he was wasting his time.
Anyone who reckons Antrim’s difficulties are a recent phenomenon should note that virtually nothing has changed since John Gough stepped down 12 years ago.
In 2003, the county’s footballers hadn’t won a title at senior, U21 or minor level since 1989. That situation remains unchanged.
In 2003, John Gough highlighted the fact that no Belfast school was competing in the MacRory Cup. Again, there has been no progress on that front either.
If Antrim was a genuine GAA wasteland then it would be easier to reconcile the wretched state of the county’s footballers and hurlers.
But that’s not the case. Only three years have passed since Loughgiel won the All- Ireland senior club hurling title. St Gall’s won the football crown in 2010. All-Ireland champions do not emerge from GAA backwaters.
Moreover, in provincial underage tournaments, the Antrim football champions are genuine contenders. In recent years, clubs like St Enda’s Glengormley, Lamh Dhearg and St John’s have produced top class football teams.
So, what’s the problem? When Aidan O’Rourke attended an interview for the post of football manager last year, the former All-Ireland medallist didn’t just spell out a plan for the senior team. O’Rourke outlined a five-year plan for the county. Working as the GAA Development Officer at Queen’s University in Belfast, O’Rourke had gained an insight into the county’s deep and far-reaching problems. In Antrim, changing managers is like shifting the deckchairs on the Titanic. Unless significant structural changes take place elsewhere, every new incumbent is destined to fail. Frank Fitzsimons and Kevin Ryan are fighting a losing battle. O’Rourke painted his vision for the future. He had plans for schools, plans to improve the standard of coaching, and plans that would improve the physical conditioning of players as they progressed through the various age groups.
The Antrim County Board thanked O’Rourke for his presentation. While the interviewing committee didn’t disagree with any of his proposals, the former All Star didn’t get the job. O’Rourke was informed that the county board didn’t have the necessary finance to support his blueprint.
Last week, Michael McCann quit the senior football panel. McCann is one of the most talented players in the county.
Annoyed with reports which stated he had walked away due to work commitments, the 29-year-old wanted to put on record the exact reason behind his decision.
“I just feel that the commitment which myself and other members of the panel are making is not being met with a similar commitment from the county board.
“A lot of boys are putting in a lot of miles, and putting in a lot of hours, and we are just not getting the same commitment back.
“As a county, I don’t think the buy-in is there from the county board in terms of what is being put forward. We have no pitch. We are being run on a shoestring,” said McCann.
McCann’s sentiments are so familiar and well worn that his comments now sound like a song. Yes, money seems to be a real issue for the Antrim County Board. But most counties face that challenge. Crucially, however, it is the absence of a vision which appears to be a much greater problem. While Antrim are lying in the gutter, it seems that no-one wants to reach for the stars.
Follow Paddy Heaney on twitter: @HeaneyPaddy
