REVIEW 2017

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said that while the motion did originate with Stratford-Grangecon, it was the unanimous vote of Wicklow GAA delegates that has allowed for its implementation.

“I’m absolutely delighted with the response,” said Hugh O’Keeffe, “I’m very pleased with Pat Gilroy and how he has committed himself to the task. Not only has he committed himself but he has brought hugely experienced people with him.

“I absolutely and wholeheartedly welcome it (the review) and I believe that this could be the best thing that has happened in Wicklow GAA in my lifetime.

“Up to 20 people are involved in this, from Dublin, Kerry, Cork, Laois, Kildare and carlow and they’re the most experience and successful people in their own areas of expertise and they have come on board and they have spared no effort in consulting with Wicklow GAA. They’ve taken a sensible approach and have travelled to every corner of our county and they have interviewed up to 700 people from within Wicklow.

“So, this is going to be a plan for Wicklow, advised by Wicklow people and implemented by Wicklow people. I think it’s outstanding.

“The problems have been identified by Wicklow people and the solutions are going to have to be produced by Wicklow people and implemented by Wicklow people,” he added.

Hugh O’Keeffe said that he is “extremely impressed” by the performance of the review committee and says that there seems to be no limit to the amount of help they are willing to provide for Wicklow GAA.

Wicklow delegates were presented with a booklet detailing the recommendations under four headings: Fixtures, Governance and People, Coaching and Commercial, while there was an opening address from Pat Gilroy and a Presentation to delegates by Shane Flanagan.

Wicklow GAA Chairman Martin Coleman said that the meeting was very well attended on the night and that following Pat Gilroy’s introduction, Shane Flanagan made a very good presentation which, much like the booklet, was detailed and easy to follow.

“If the clubs buy into it (the plan) we will certainly be moving forward,” said Martin Coleman.

In the weeks since the meeting at the Glenview there has already been action taken with the meeting of clubs with the County Board in what has been called a Fixtures Forum to discuss the difficulties of fixtures at adult and juvenile level in the county.

“When the review committee met with the stakeholders, one of the biggest problems was fixtures and that’s why they are tackling this up front,” said Martin Coleman.

At the fixtures meeting there was a strong desire to change the current system in Wicklow whereby the adult league competitions would be completed by June after which the cup competitions would then be played before the championship would begin in August and run through August, September and October.

To assist with coming up with a clear and workable plan for the fixtures Kerry’s Eamonn O’Sullivan and Dublin’s John MacNicholas will be coming on board to lend their vast experience in the logistics of GAA fixtures. Arising from the recent fixtures forum, seven Wicklow GAA delegates have volunteered their time to assist O’Sullivan and MacNicholas, four with the adult fixtures and three with juveniles.

Chairman of the review committee Pat Gilroy, wrote in his introduction that what he has achieved in business and sport has been shaped by the people and principles underpinning both.

“I agreed to get involved in this helping Wicklow GAA because I believed my experiences could be of benefit. I enjoy changing and improving organisations on a daily basis therefore the challenge to help Wicklow GAA achieve success and perhaps one day win a first Leinster Senior football championship was one I felt worthy of my commitment,” said Gilroy.

“It is so important for our sports that as many units as possible are competitive,” he added.

The former Dublin Senior football manager said that the consultation experience over the past number of months was “really positive”.

“The consultation experience was really positive with over 300 very passionate people making a contribution. We kept the process simple and to that end we through your feedback – identified four key priorities for attention: Fixtures, Coaching, Governance and People, and Commercial.

“In our recommendations, we have placed improving the games programme at the centre. Without improvement here, change will not occur. You’ll recall we asked participants to identify how they would assist and commit to the implementation of the plan. We got a great response. People are willing to help Wicklow GAA – but they need to see a roadmap and buy-in from all stakeholders.

“What we have produced is not a long-term strategic plan. We have preferred a short-term plan that recommends significant changes required over the next 12 to 18 months. Without this initial intervention across all four areas we don’t believe it’s worth for now developing a longer-term aspirations vision. That can wait for the time being.

“Finally, and most importantly, what encouraged me mostly to get involved is that it was a club (Stratford-Grangecon) who initiated and pushed the review. As starts go, that was very positive, but if our recommendations are to reach fruition, club leadership cannot stop there. Implementation and