‘Games must stay affordable to fans’

Outgoing chairman Sean Walsh has pledged that the Munster Council will do whatever is necessary to ensure that admission charges ‘are not a deterrent’ to supporters from attending their games.

Addressing delegates at convention in Bunratty Castle Hotel last night, Walsh acknowledged that while the recession was impacting on attendances, other sporting and entertainment events are similarly being affected .

“It is not the cost of admission alone that is responsible for the drop in attendance numbers. Travel and fuel costs are also being taken into consideration,” he said.

“It is however, imperative that our games, particularly our summer championship programme of games, are accessible to all of our members and supporters.

“We are acutely aware of the financial difficulties that individuals, families, clubs and County Boards are having. As an association we are not immune from the impact that the recession is having on our members and on our activities.

“Emigration is having a serious effect on many of our clubs, particularly in rural Ireland. In this province the majority of our clubs are rural based and the scourge of players emigrating is forcing clubs to evaluate their future. Some are experiencing difficulty in fielding teams particularly at under age level and we as a provincial council must support them in establishing structures that will enable them to maintain the future viability of their clubs.’’

In terms of support, Walsh said that the Council remained steadfast in their conviction that revenue generated from the games will go back to the clubs in grants and coaching projects.

“This year we increased the number of bursaries awarded to students in the Third Level colleges and in this respect we are delighted we can offer this level of support to our players attending the colleges, especially when many of them are experiencing difficulties in meeting the financial demands of a Third Level education. We also continue to provide scholarships to students attending GAA courses in the Gaeltacht.”

Pointing out that his final address as chairman marked the first time that he was not an elected member of the Association without interruption since 1984, he highlighted another concern – a significant drop in participation in the 15-18 age groups. “We were already aware of this decline and the challenge is now there for us to find a means of retaining more players in these age groups!”

Dealing with administrative affairs, Mr Walsh told delegates that the past two months had been ‘very difficult’ for the Council.

“The unexpected departures within weeks of each other of our two full time administrators, Rúnaí/CEO Pat Fitzgerald and Leas Rúnaí/Deputy CEO Enda McGuane, created an administrative vacuum at Áras Mumhan at the end of December and we were very fortunate that Simon Moroney agreed to return as Acting Rúnaí/CEO until the end of September.

“We were faced with a situation that required tact and sensitivity and with the support of my fellow officers and Council members I can assure you all that everybody concerned is pleased that we dealt with it in a dignified manner. It was important that we addressed this situation in the sensitive way that we did,” he commented.

“Pat and Enda worked diligently in fulfilling their administrative duties and I thank them most sincerely for the service they gave to the Council. With Simon Moroney at the helm at Áras Mumhan we can be assured that our administration is in very capable hands until the end of September.”

At a more general level, he expressed satisfaction with the independent analysis carried out last year on the return on their coaching investment across schools, clubs, coach education and additional Council Games Development initiatives.

“The findings surpassed our expectations and it has reassured us and all who are involved in delivering our Coaching and Games Development programmes in the counties and in the clubs that not only are we achieving our goals in terms of games development and coaching but we are making a huge contribution to the local community through our activities in schools and in clubs in terms of providing a healthy outlet for all the players in every age group that participates.”

Picture: At last night’s Munster Council Convention in the Bunratty Castle Hotel were, from left: outgoing chairman Sean Walsh, Moyvane, Co. Kerry; new chairman, Robert Frost, O'Callaghan's Mills, Co. Clare; new vice-chairman, Jerry O’Sullivan, Cloyne, Co. Cork and treasurer, Michael Walsh, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick. Picture Liam Burke/Press 22