GAA Exploring Establishment of Assistance Team for Fresh Entities - According to Jarlath Burns
New GAA Club Eastern Gaels Shares Insights on Club Formation
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is looking to learn from the experience of Ireland's newest club, Eastern Gaels, in establishing a new club. The club, formed two years ago, has already made a significant impact in the local news and current news landscape.
Eastern Gaels was thrilled to be accepted and has worked hard on building the club since its inception. The club was formed to cater to the growing population in the area south of Drogheda and north of County Dublin. The population in the region increased by 27% from 22,000 to 28,000 between 2016 and 2022, with similar levels of growth forecast for the future.
However, the formation of Eastern Gaels was met with opposition, particularly from the local St Colmcille's club. Despite the challenges, the club persevered, and a challenging year of hearings, transfer objections, and meetings ensued before Eastern Gaels was finally given the green light.
Tom McLoughlin, the club's PRO, stated that there were many young people in the area who weren't getting the opportunity to play Gaelic games three years ago. The club's focus is on participation, with the goal of having as many children in local schools playing Gaelic games as possible, including girls. Eastern Gaels has already achieved this, with a thriving academy catering to children aged 5-12 years old and a successful ladies football team that has won the Meath championship.
McLoughlin mentioned that the club has learnings to share, particularly regarding the challenges of starting a new club within the GAA. He pointed out that some of the rules of the GAA may not be amenable to starting new clubs, as mentioned by Benny Hurl from the National Demographics Committee. Hurl has highlighted the difficulties in founding new GAA clubs due to some current rules and has discussed the need for a support unit to assist with new club formation amid population growth areas.
Jarlath Burns, the GAA president, visited Ireland's newest club last weekend. He praised Eastern Gaels for their leadership in creating a new club and recognized their rapid growth and the challenges they faced. Burns believes the GAA should be proactive in locating areas where new clubs are needed and finding people interested in setting them up.
McLoughlin emphasized the need to keep driving interest and awareness of the club due to the discerning nature of current society regarding time commitments. The GAA is considering establishing a club support unit to help future entities that are formed. Eastern Gaels remains adamant that the club will continue to grow in the future, sharing their learnings and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.
