GAELS PLAN FOR MAJOR REDEVELOPMENT
As the ‘Best of the West’ tournament commenced with a double header in Páirc Eamon de Paor in Tallow on Saturday, sights are firmly focussed on some major developments planned at the local GAA grounds.
Plans for the redevelopment of Páirc Eamon de Paor have been dripfed to the public in recent weeks as each phase of works has been announced, much to the excitement of local Gaels, players, fans and the wider community.
According to Tallow GAA Club secretary, Kieran Geary, an estimated €250,000 will be required to see the redevelopment of the club grounds through to completion.
Local fundraising as well as grant funding are hoped to successfully fund each stage, with recent events including an on-the-move pub quiz which raised some €4,000 and the ‘ Best of the West’ tournament, which is to culminate in the final being held to coincide with the Tallow Tostál festival over the bank holiday weekend.
As part of the tournament, programmes detailing the major developments are being distributed.
“In the last week, we’re only feeding it out so people are only really talking about it now and we timed it for that, for the tournament. We’re doing a programme for the tournament so when people open up the programme they will see everything on it, there in front of them for the people to see,” Tallow GAA Club PRO, Colin Cunningham said.
“We have big plans and the feedback has been very positive and very good. We have a lot of grants applied for, but the first grant we applied for we got it. We know what we have to fundraise too,” he added.
Recently, Tallow GAA Club were the recipients of €17,000 under the Community Recognition Fund towards one of the stages, encompassing a community walkway around the pitches which is expected to form Phase 2 of the development.
‘SPEEDING’ THINGS UP
Kieran Geary, club secretary, explained that stage one, which is the lowest cost stage, involves the purchase and installation of a swivel scoreboard to cover both pitches at Páirc Eamon de Paor.
This will be followed by the development of a running track and walkway around the pitch which will be available for community use.
Club PRO, Colin Cunningham, explained that by having a properly surfaced rubber running track on site, as well as benefitting the wider community, it will be a key factor in improving the club, particularly for speed and interval training amongst players.
“We need a running track because a lot of players do strength and conditioning but we want to work on speed and interval training too. Where’s the nearest running track around here? There’s none. You’d nearly have to go to Waterford or Cork.
“We want to put in this running track so a person can work on their speed and interval training. That’s a big thing to factor in, speeding up players. It’s for the people in the community too, we do have a lot of runners around here too so they can work on that. It will be a walkway for people too and it’s good ground, but we want it done right,” he said.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Railing off both pitches forms phase three of the development which will create a safer space for supporters and players, as well as a better viewing experience and will allow Tallow GAA to host championship matches.
This will be followed by development of the walkway/running track floodlit by night, ensuring safety and accessibility, particularly during winter months.
The club then aim to develop a 250-seat viewing stand on the left-hand side of the new pitch.
The final piece of the jigsaw will be the development of a new gym, which according to Kieran Geary, will be accessible to not just club players, but the wider community.
“We’re aiming to bring in the community as much as possible and move beyond being just a GAA club for the GAA. We’re really trying to bring the community in”, Mr Geary said. “At the minute we have a gym that is for the players and long term, we aim to create something that is accessible for everyone”.
CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT
Speaking with The Avondhu, Colin Cunningham explained that for Tallow GAA, this is a major development which will improve on and add to the well-used facilities that the club already offers.
“We have hurling, football, camogie and the juveniles, Cois Bhride all here. At the moment we have two full-size hurling pitches. We have an AstroTurf 70 x 35, a ball wall and we have a school field up the school road and that’s 100 x 60, which is sufficient for U13 down, juvenile games. Trust me, you’ve to book pitches, it’s crazy. It’s good, but crazy.
“We have our facilities up with around 20 years now, we have a ball wall, AstroTurf and stuff. A lot of clubs only put them in over the last 4 years. We were probably 15 years ahead of most clubs. This is our next stage. We want to keep going and get a bigger gym and keep improving our players and it’s for everybody in the town, so local people can join it,” Mr Cunningham emphasised.
RAISING THOSE EURO
The Tallow club are already busy applying for further grant funding, however, with sights set on Sports Capital grants, the club will need to fundraise 50% of the requested sum locally.
Fundraisers such as the tournament which began on Saturday last and concludes this weekend, are a key element of the fundraising drive.
The club are also running a lotto and a ‘Split the Bucket’ fundraiser which have seen good support thus far, however, further initiatives are expected in the future in a bid to raise the required funds to get the redevelopment underway this year.
“We have a Linktree set up for all of the fundraisers and buying tickets. It’s working to be fair, the community have really gotten behind it and so have local businesses as well for taking Split the Bucket and getting involved,” Mr Geary said.
As hopes are high for the phased redevelopment of Páirc Eamon de Paoir, it is hoped that community support will remain strong as the Tallow club set about their fundraising initiatives. For membership or fundraising details, visit linktr.ee/tallowgaa or if you wish to get involved in any way, contact Kieran Geary at 087-6180941.
All support is greatly appreciated in bringing this massive community undertaking through to completion.