Limerick Board to employ full time secretary

LIMERICK County Board will hire a full time secretary this year.

Yesterday was the closing date for the receipt of applications, and according to PRO Denis O’Carroll it is envisaged that interviews will be held in the next fortnight.

The successful candidate will take up the position early in March.

O’Carroll said: “The volume of work for the county secretary is such that it’s next to impossible to cope. You have to remember that currently our secretary holds down a job with the post office, and it hasn’t been easy for him to combine the two.

‘‘The work load has increased enormously over the years and we felt it was time to make the position a full time one. It’s no longer possible to deal with all the inter-county teams, fixtures, sponsorships, the stadium, and all the other work that goes with the secretary’s job, on a part-time basis.”

Tipperary recently appointed Timmy Floyd as their new full time secretary, following the decision of Michael O’Brien to step down. Cork are the other Munster county with a full time secretary in Frank Murphy.

Meanwhile Clare are examining the appointment of a full time Development Officer. According to County Board PRO Des Crowe, the situation is well advanced with the clubs discussing the matter ahead of their February meeting.

Explained Crowe: “This arose following a decision of our county chairman, when he came into office, to set up a high powered professional committee to look at the entire structure that is Clare county GAA.

“Following 18 months work, that committee submitted a very detailed report and high on its list of recommendations was the appointment of a full time Development Officer.

“The question of a full time secretary (administrator) was also put forward by that high powered committee, but the County Executive felt it would be more appropriate to go with the full time Development Officer.’’

Asked about the sale of Cusack Park and the development of a new stadium for the county, Mr Crowe said that there has been an “unbelievable” amount of interest in Cusack Park.

“We’ve had a lot of submissions from interested parties and the time is fast approaching when a final decision has to be made. It’s likely to be made early in the new year.”

Meanwhile the Connacht FBD League game between Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) and Leitrim, which was scheduled for last Sunday, will be played later in the month.

The match venue was changed twice but Leitrim refused to play on Sunday because the pitch at Mervue in Galway city was not lined.

Leitrim chairman Gerry McGovern said it was not a suitable venue to ask an inter-county team to play a competitive match on.

The Connacht Council secretary, John Prenty, said yesterday that the match would be played later in the month after the other games in the round robin series.

“Unfortunately, at this time of year there are always going to be some difficulties with pitches.

“In this case the match was switched from Pearse Stadium to Castlegar but then on the morning of the match had to be switched again to another venue.

“It is up to the home club to provide a venue but GMIT do not have a ground of their own and this did not help the situation in this case.

“We just hope that the games scheduled for this weekend will be able to go ahead. If not, we will slot them in later in the month,” said Prenty.