Coiste na nOg an undoubted jewel in sporting crown
IHAVE no doubt that one group of G.A.A. volunteers will be looking forward with particular relish to a stress-free weekend. The last of the 44 Coiste na nOg Loch Garman county titles was decided on Saturday, concluding a programme of matches that got under way with the first final on August 28.
And it means that the hard-working organisers can finally put their feet up and enjoy a well-earned rest after contributing countless hours in ensuring that a very busy period was completed without any major glitches.
We have been proud sponsors of the Coiste na nOg championships since 2015, and over the past five seasons we have witnessed at first-hand the tremendous dedication involved behind the scenes.
We are grateful for the co-operation received from the officials in that period, and we look forward to continuing our involvement in 2020, and hopefully for many more years to come.
The courtesy afforded to our representatives on county final day is always much appreciated, and in that regard our thanks must be extended to Marguerite Furlong (Chairperson), Angela McCormack (Vice-Chairperson), David Tobin (Secretary), Bobby Goff (Coaching Officer) and Des Croke (Children’s Officer), who shared the presentation duties during the year.
Two of the undoubted unsung heroes are the Chairman and Secretary respectively of the Fixtures and Competitions Control committee, namely John O’Neill and Marion Doyle.
They were beavering away in the background, often with fingers crossed that the weather wouldn’t ruin their best-laid plans, and they were assisted by District representatives Ian Plunkett, Graham Rowley, Jack O’Brien and Fintan Whyte.
Mary O’Reilly (Treasurer) and her team of workers on the gates had a vital function to perform too, while Coiste na nOg will always be eternally grateful to Michael Lynch and his helpers in St. Patrick’s Park, Enniscorthy, which was used extensively to host so many games.
In fact, 45 finals were played, including one replay, with the grand total of 34 held at this venue which is a godsend for the organisers.
Games also took place in Killurin, Innovate Wexford Park, Ballygarrett, Oylegate, Bellefield, Grantstown, and the Ferns Centre of Excellence, while the work of reporters Dean Goodison and Brendan Furlong in covering the vast majority of the finals between them on our behalf must also be acknowledged.
Our photographers - John Walsh, Ger Hore and Ger Leacy - were also ever-presents, and we would like to think that our coverage of these games plays an important role in the ongoing promotion of G.A.A. affairs among the youth of the county.
Like all businesses, we have a limited pot to delve into in order to provide sponsorship funds, and we decided back in 2015 that Coiste na nOg was the perfect fit for us, given the close connection the games bring to every parish in the county.
It goes without saying that a newspaper will always give more publicity to an activity it has targeted for sponsorship, and our finals coverage concluded both this week and last with major spreads of seven and eight pages respectively.
If, for any reason, this arrangement was to end, then we would naturally enough look elsewhere in the sporting sphere for a new connection, and the publicity would be automatically transferred.
As well as the free coverage that our sponsorship entails, we present each winning team with a framed photograph to mark their success, and that tradition will continue at the annual Convention in the Riverside Park Hotel in Enniswcorthy on November 28.
Because of the assistance that is always forthcoming from the Coiste na nOg Officers, we are keen that our association with the under-age body will be extended into the foreseeable future.
I did a quick count before writing this column and, if my calculations are correct, the grand total of 44 clubs had a representation of some sort in a final between late August and last weekend.
In effect, practically every parish, with only a handful of absentees, had the chance to cheer on their young men in a big game. That alone is proof positive of Coiste na Og’s undoubted worth.