*Conor Finnucane accepts the Cusack Cup from Clare GAA Chairman Kieran Keating. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLARE GAA have paused plans to have admission charges at domestic league fixtures in the county while over 900 players have been granted status as ‘isolated players’.
At the March meeting of the County Board it was confirmed that patrons attending domestic league fixtures in Clare in 2025 will not have to pay to gain access to the grounds.
Over nine hundred players have, to date, been given permission as ‘isolated players’ to play with a club other than their own in 2025. Some delegates felt that change is needed in relation to the re-grading system in place at present
A number of sub committees were ratified at the meeting which concluded in just under an hour and a half.
Isolated players:
Clare “is unique in the number of players given permission annually to play either football or hurling with a club other than their home club”, board chairman Kieran Keating told the March meeting of the county board at Clareabbey on Tuesday night.
To date over 900 such applications have been granted, 500 of these, all underage, having been sanctioned at the February board meeting, followed this month by 428, mainly adult players.
Isolated players are players who are member of an exclusively hurling or exclusively football club who are given permission to play the other code with a neighbouring club.
“No other county had anything like this. It’s a weakness in our structure. There are not as many dual clubs as there should be. We want clubs to play both hurling and football”, the chairman said.
Responding to a query fixtures secretary Deirdre Chaplin said “in the number ratified at the February meeting, all of which were underage, 214 were for football and 129 were for hurling
Munster Council delegate John Callinan said “there is no real incentive for clubs to provide the alternative code to what they are providing at present. There is no pressure on them”.
“O Callaghans Mills have done it at underage level”, commented fixtures secretary Deirdre Chaplin.
No charge for league games:
A suggestion at the February meeting of Clare GAA that a charge would apply this year for those over 16 met with strong opposition from delegates.
The end result on that occasion was that a final decision would be delivered at the March meeting.
“There was no proposal from the management committee to introduce a charge so it won’t be there this year”, board chairman Kieran Keating told delegates.
He added that Clare is “one of only a few counties that don’t charge”.
Zimmer Biomet:
Chairman Kieran Keating extended thanks to the management at Zimmer Biomet who, last week, signed a deal with Clare GAA under which the county grounds will now be known as Zimmer Biomet Pairc Chiosog.
“The deal is for three years with an option to extend”, the chairman told the meeting before thanking Michael O’Malley who hails from Cree in West Clare, from Operations Zimmer”.
The chairman went on to pay tribute to Head of Operations Deirdre Murphy on securing Zimmer’s support.
“This is a very positive move and good for Clare GAA”, Munster Council delegate Bernard Keane said.
Additional teams:
The order of games in the upcoming division 9 hurling league has to be re-drawn after two additional teams were included.
Ennistymon and Tulla will have teams in the competition this year and fixtures secretary Deirdre Chaplin told the meeting that the new order of games will be with the clubs by Friday.
Regrading issues again:
“Up to seven fully paid up members of Clooney/Quin GAA club won’t get to play this year because of our archaic way of dealing with re-grading applications,” commented club delegate John Skehan at the March board meeting.
He reminded clubs that “a proposal to change the system failed at county convention by just .3 percent, the motion having been put forward by a progressive club, Doora/Barefield while Sixmilebridge had a similar proposal”. He appealed to clubs to “think about this when it comes up for review”.
The application from Padraig Kelly from St. Breckans to play hurling with Tubber was deferred on the request of Ennistymon hurling club whose delegate Kieran Harvey told the meeting that he “played all his underage hurling with Ennistymon”. He said his club would make a submission in writing to the CCC on the matter.
Meanwhile Broadford were given special permission to regrade more than the permitted five to enable them to enter a fourth adult team in 2025. “This team will only compete in the junior C championship and there are no more than eight players involved, most of whom are over 40 years of age”, Broadford delegate Danny Chaplin told the meeting.
“Such permission has been granted to clubs entering a new team in the past”, board chairman Kieran Keating said.
Committees ratified:
A number of committees for 2025 were ratified as follows;
Health and Well Being: John Conroy, Mark O’Sullivan, Joan Crotty (chairperson), Sgt. Don Regan, Grainne Travers, Joe O’Donnell (camogie) Cathy Hogan with an LGFA representative to be appointed.
Audit and Risk committee; Paula McDonnell (chairperson), Paul O’Sullivan, Mark O’Connell, Vincent Delaney and Fergal Cahill;
Facilities committee; Ambrose Heagney, David Hoey, Michael Maher, Gerry Lynch, Conor Gillligan, Ger Moroney, John Lenihan, Deirdre Murphy and Kieran Keating.
Twenty nine clubs in Scór:
Irish officer Joe Garry extended thanks “to the twenty nine clubs that took part in Scór at the weekend” and he went on to wish the winners well in the upcoming Munster finals.
He extended thanks to Ruan club members Michael O’Regan and John O’Sullivan for their assistance with the quiz competition which took place on Monday night when Cratloe emerged winners after a play off with Newmarket-on-Fergus.
Scór na bPaisti will take place after Easter.
Workshop:
A club governance workshop will take place a Clareabbey on Thursday March 20. Announcing details of this, Paddy Smyth told the delegates that every club is obliged to have two officers in attendance.
‘Don’t freak out if you don’t see a referee’:
Newly appointed referee administrator Rory Hickey paid tribute to his predecessor Seanie McMahon, “I served on his committee and he did great work during his three years in the role”, the Éire Óg clubman told the meeting.
He went on to say that he attended a meeting in Mallow “where I wasn’t the only newbie as Kerry and Waterford also had new administrators”
He went on to add that “we recently had a very cordial meeting with Kieran (Keating) and Deirdre (Murphy) when we talked through a lot of issues which were sorted out and there are a few more to be dealt with”
He went on to tell the meeting that tutor Ger Hoey delivered a course to the referees at Woodstock recently.
He told the meeting that “in Munster there will be sixty four games in ninety one days and that will have a knock on effect on us. If you see a fixture without a referee listed, don’t freak out, Between myself, Rory McGann and Deirdre Chaplin we will get you a referee”.
He appealed to clubs “to be sensible” as the domestic leagues get underway.
He concluded by telling the meeting that he is stepping down as his club’s delegate to the board and he introduced his replacement in that role, Bob Loftus.
