Walking on sunshine
The hurlers, after showing once again failing to live up to their potential, aren’t going anywhere. And despite a Connacht title, neither are the footballers. Shows how much the parameters of success have changed.
One of the success-starved counties and cash-strapped county boards. No holiday.
No plans afoot at present, due to the early start of FBD Connacht league and change in management. Officials, however, believe it’s possible the squad will go somewhere for a week before league and championship.
Unsurprisingly, after the year that was, the footballers are getting no vacation.
The team who infused last summer with its biggest dollop of romance, were taken to Lanzarote on Sunday in a show of appreciation for making the Yeats county among the best teams in the country. And how they deserve it. A party of about 60, players and their partners, Peter Ford and some of his back-room staff.
Financial support: Fund-raising through the supporters’ club, the county board and a cheque from Bank of Ireland.
Nothing concrete. They had planned to take the panel away for a few days in recognition of its O’Byrne Cup success, but nothing has come of it yet.
After making GAA fashionable in the capital for a few dizzy summer months, the team are being brought to South Africa. Just don’t mention the contribution or lack of which the Leinster Council made. The entire panel and, after a little controversy, their partners are going. Tommy Lyons, the one-man PR machine for the Dubs, will join his players as will some of his backroom staff.
Financial support: Despite filling Croker five times, they were still refused monetary support from the Leinster council, leading to a familiar Tommy Lyons tirade. However, there was a corporate lunch, which saw Bertie and Paul McGinley among the guests. Their sponsors, Arnotts also coughed up.
No plans for holidays this year
Like Dublin, the All-Ireland champions are taking advantage of the ever-weakening Rand, heading off to South Africa for 11 days this week, and probably coming back with top-quality suits for bottom dollar. A huge travelling party will be making the trek. In the official pack, there is 80, which includes players and their partners, management team and their partners, and all the back-room and county board staff that made this year such a resounding success. Another 45 people are coming along for the ride, out of their pocket, meaning the sights of Cape Town will be flooded in black n’amber this week.
Financial support: Croke Park gave their hurling champions a large wad, while the Kilkenny supporters’ club and the county board both contributed handsomely. Although there was a sniff of controversy over the infamous dog night, the occasion did actually raised a lot of funds. Money also came in from the sale of team photographs and Eamon Dunphy, renowned Kilkenny supporter, even chipped in as compere of a fund-raising night in Vicar Street.
After a disappointing summer, the hurlers aren’t being brought anywhere. And neither are the footballers, despite a decent league campaign. If Micko finds the right stuff this year, they may be enjoy the sun next winter.
There is a holiday agreed on, in principle, with the holiday committee to be comprised of players, management and county board officials. Two years ago, Longford went to the UAE on holiday after winning the O’Byrne Cup and the county board believe the team should get a holiday every two years. They are looking at this Halloween as a possible date.
No holidays.
Reflecting a strange season in Meath, the footballers aren’t being taken anywhere, but the hurlers are being rewarded for their fine summer with a week in Lanazarote. A panel of 25 players are heading over with officials. Roughly, the travelling party is 40.
Financial support: Chiefly through fund-raising events, like a supporters’ draw, but Martin Donnelly, sponsor of the hurling side, also contributed to the holiday fund.
Neither the footballers or hurlers are going away on team holidays.
No holidays this year for the Midlanders as they try to put their disappointing season behind them.
John Conran will get a chance to build team spirit in his new position as team manager when he brought the hurlers for a week-long break to Lanzarote last Sunday. They might meet up with the Sligo and Cork footballers while there. The complete hurling panel is going, along with the team management and the back-room staff, meaning altogether, there is a travelling party of 34.
Financial support: The county board and the supporters club helped support the trip.
No holidays.
Clare
The hurlers, after the trauma of Gerry Quinn’s hand and losing the All-Ireland Final to Kilkenny, are heading eastwards towards Dubai. 42 people consisting of players, backroom team, wives, girlfriends and County Board officials made the journey on Sunday last. There is no trip for the footballers as former Kerry great John Kennedy attempts to work the oracle with the Banner men.
Financial Support: Clare County Board, County Holiday Fund, Croke Park and Munster Council.
After the trauma of the past few months it is little surprise that No Holidays have been planned for the hurlers. All the more time for Donal O’Grady to get his troops in top shape to prove a few doubters wrong. It was a pretty mixed year for the footballers, which started well with a win over Kerry in a Munster championship replay, then developed into farce with the extra sub saga in the provincial Final against Tipp. Worse was the come in the shape of the Kerry juggernaut which ran amok in the All-Ireland semi final. After all of that, Lanzarote is the port of call. 20 players and a number of the backroom team are making the trip. But nobody’s counting.
Financial Support: County holiday fund.
Like the Dubs, and the Cats, the Kerry footballers are heading off towards South African for some well deserved R and R after the hardship of losing the All-Ireland SFC title to Armagh. Jokes about Kerrymen only venturing outside the county bounds for provincial and All-Ireland finals can be put to rest though as previous destinations visited by the Kingdom include Thailand and Hawaii. The hurlers are planning to take a break a little later in the year.
Financial Support: County Board, Kerry Supporters Club and Bank of Ireland
Lanzarote did well out of Limerick with both the hurling and football panels spending a week in the sun. Both are back in harness and preparing for the League and Championship, bronzed and hungry we are assured.
Financial Support: All the monies raised came courtesy of the Limerick supporters club.
Hurlers: No plans for a foreign holiday have been made however the new management team are expected to undertake a number of weekends away to build team spirit.
After their historic year of winning the Munster Final on the scoreboard but not in the Board room, the Premier footballers are off for a well-deserved break on the Iberian Pennisula, approximately 45-50 players and backroom team will travel.
Financial Support: Friends of Tipperary Footballers, Co. Board and Bank of Ireland.
Morocco beckons for Justin McCarthy and his band of merry Munster senior hurling champions. And even for these braves lads, the advice from the guide book is to avoid political gatherings and demonstrations. No holidays for the footballers.
Financial Support: Waterford Supporters Club have been busy these past few months while a number of the clubs boasting intercounty players held fund raisers. The most successful event being a Fashion show featuring the players in the Park Hotel in Dungarvan before more than 600 people.
Antrim
No holidays for footballers or hurlers as this troubled county board continues to be rocked by internal politics and squabbling.
As reward for their spectacular success, Armagh are currently catching the rays and surfing the waves in exotic Mauritius. They flew out to the Indian Ocean last Thursday for 10 days. Who went: Players and their partners, team management and the meticulous back-room team that Joe Kernan developed and a few county board officials.
Financial support: Not too hard to find for a team who took Sam Maguire to Armagh for the first time. There were local fund-raisers, dinner-dances and the like, support from the county board and sponsors, as well as some money from Bank of Ireland and of course, the victor’s stipend from Croke Park.
For reaching the national league final last spring, Mattie Kerrigan and his team got a week in Tenerife. But, it isn’t all R&R, as the players were told to bring their training gear. Who’s going: There’s a travelling pack of roughly 36, with the entire panel of 30, Kerrigan and his management team and one county board official.
Financial support: The supporters’ club in Dublin and Cavan and the county board.
No holidays.
They jetted off to Gran Canaria on Saturday last for a week, reward for having the county’s best season in a decade.
Who’s going: Travelling pack of upwards of 50, including the players and their partners, team management and county board officials. How was the money raised: Chiefly through fund-raising organised by the county board.
No holidays
No holidays.
No holidays.
The team are just back from a week in Gran Canaria, after winning the county’s first national title, the league back in April.
Who went: The victorious national league panel, county board officials, some of the management team. All in all, roughly 40.
Where did the money come from: the supporters’ club and the county board organised some fund-raising events.
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