A Chairde,
We are currently looking at options for the club around our training and playing facilities. Due to the limited expansion opportunities of Joe McDermott Park, we will need to look long term at acquiring new grounds somewhere in the parish. This presents several challenges with the obvious one being the financial cost involved. We also need to find someone willing to part with land that is both suitable for development as a GAA pitch and training grounds and is also in a suitable location. This is an ongoing challenge for the club and is something that the committee always has in mind when running fundraising projects. The need for additional facilities, including training grounds and a pitch, has been heightened in recent years as we have record numbers attending at underage level. There has been great work done in developing the LGFA underage teams in recent years, and we now have several girls’ teams up to Under 15 level. As a result, the additional number of teams needing access to the pitch, for both training and matches, has greatly increased. New facilities would significantly aid the club in continuing the great work that is already being done at underage level and contribute to success at adult level for the Senior team, and help to establish an LGFA team at adult level also.
Previously, we have run the Development Draw with the Car and Cash prizes and the funds from this have been ringfenced for future development projects.
Work done in 2021
In the short-term, we are going to continue to develop Joe McDermott Park as much as we can. Already this year, we have put a lot of work into improving the quality of the pitch to cope with the demand of the various teams who train there from Nursery all the way up to our Senior team. We have also installed new ball-stop nets behind the goals and improved the lighting around the pitch. The carpark has been recently marked out, which has particularly helped at underage levels for parents’ dropping off and collecting kids for training and matches. More recently, work has been carried out to remove the trees at the far end of the pitch, which will allow us to extend the pitch at that end and optimise the space that we currently have available to us.
Previous development
In recent years, thanks to the fundraising support and donations from our members and supporters, along with all the committee members at the time and volunteers who worked on the project, we were able to build our new clubhouse and a much-needed gym. This facility has proved invaluable and was a huge help in our rise from the Junior ranks to becoming a Senior club.
We are now launching our new fundraising project - The Grand Draw. This is a limited members draw, with a maximum of 220 entries available. There will then be 12 monthly draws for a prize of €1,000, with 1 winner selected each month. There will also be some spot prizes to be won. There are monthly and annual payment options available. Entries are priced at €20 per month, with a discounted rate of €220 for an annual entry.
Online entries will be available from December 1st, but you can also contact any committee member from today to discuss payment options and get entry forms from them.
This will be our main fundraising project for the foreseeable future and will be crucial in helping the club raise capital to assist our long-term goals of purchasing land and developing a new pitch and training grounds.
Our Club Lotto is ongoing, and we thank everyone for their continued support with this. Entries can be made online via the website or ClubZap. Envelopes are available in Swan's, The Becks and The Snail Box. We can also arrange long term or yearly entries for those wishing to use cash. Please contact any committee member to discuss this.
The Lotto jackpot increases by €100 each week it is not won. There is also a match 3 jackpot which has €100 added each week it is not won, with any winners sharing the jackpot.
The Club Lotto is a vital source of income for the Club and essential to helping to cover our regular expenses.
We are looking forward to all our club members and supporters getting behind these fundraising initiatives so to ensure our club can provide the greatest opportunity for all our players at every age level
Curraha GAA Committee
Club Contacts:
Tony McEntee - 0872233871
Gavin Coyle - 0861075832
Cecil Brennan - 0862445247
Alan O’Connor – 0834448679
currahagaa@gmail.com
