The following article appeared in the Impartial Reporter
On Tuesday December 16 at the Enniskillen Hotel, Fermanagh fundraising group Club Eirne will be re-launched. Although carrying the same name, this is a new group who will be charged with fundraising for Fermanagh GAA.
The new chairman of the group is Ger Treacy, a former Devenish clubman and now a member of Beragh Red Knights. Ger still maintains strong links to Fermanagh GAA and was part of Peter Canavan’s management team during the Tyrone legend’s two year stint as Fermanagh senior football manager. Here, Ger answers questions about the new group, explains their objectives, stresses that transparency is vital and says the group will move forward with the motto ‘be the best we can be’. Read on for an interview with Ger.
Is this Club Eirne the same group as previous or is it a new group?
This is a new group which after approval of the County Committee has come together as a sub-committee of the County Board. The previous group put in tremendous work over the last 12 years but they advised some time ago that they had ceased raising funds for Fermanagh GAA. A vacuum has therefore arisen and it is the hope of this new group of people that the vacuum in terms of fund raising will be filled by enthusiastic individuals that are now involved in Club Eirne. We feel there is a youthfulness and vibrancy to the group and in the likes of Colm Bradley, Marty McGrath and Niall Bogue we have three players who know all about representing Fermanagh on the big stage and also know all about what it takes in terms of preparation to reach the top with all three having played major roles in the 2004 run to the All Ireland semi-final. Of course this committee is not closed to those who have initiated it, we would welcome all you members who are interested in fund raising for Fermanagh GAA. Anyone interested can contact myself or Colm Bradley (Secretary).
Where did the idea of re-launching Club Eirne come from?
Over the years I have been in contact with my fellow Club man Hugh McAleer who is the current chairman of Club Tyrone about the work they undertake and how they achieve their aims and objectives. Knowing the need that exists in Fermanagh for funds to enhance the development of youth players, investment in training facilities and investment is county teams I arranged for Hugh McAleer and myself to come and talk to representatives of the Fermanagh County Board who in turn took our proposals to county management committee and subsequently the full county committee meeting. After receiving unanimous support from the Clubs for the re-launch of Club Eirne we have set about our work in a positive manner to raise funds for Fermanagh GAA.
What are the main objectives of the group?
The objectives of the Club Eirne sub-committee are very clear and simple. Basically our aim is to raise money for the development of all aspects of Fermanagh GAA and our objective is to get those who have Fermanagh GAA in their hearts to commit to being either a Club Eirne member or patron.
Is there a realisation that there has to be more done in terms of developing youth in the county and to do that takes both time and money?
While this sub-committee will have no say on how exactly funds raised will be spent we are very aware that members of the County Board in conjunction with the Clubs of the County are currently drawing up a three year strategic plan which will shape the strategic aims of Fermanagh GAA for the next number of years. From our discussions with members working on the strategic plan it is clear that funds will be required so as the targets set out in the plan can be achieved. These targets will from what we gather, at this early stage, involve the enhancement of youth coaching, investment in current training facilities for all our county teams and ensuring all county teams are prepared as best as possible. A strategy cannot be rolled out without financial investment so it is the roll of Club Eirne to put in place the necessary financial resources. Personally I would wish that coaching of all our youth to be the best that they can be should be a priority going forward. Fermanagh may have small numbers to select from but if we can give every young player the opportunity to be the best that they can be then who knows how far down the road of success that will take us. We are as a committee adopting the motto of ‘be the best we can be’ to be applicable to our work and we hope others in the county will also adopt that motto.
How do Club Eirne plan to go about fundraising?
At the outset our focus will very much be on getting as many individuals and businesses to sign standing orders and therefore commit to being either a Club Eirne member or patron on a long term basis. This work will commence at a launch event to be held on December 16 in the Enniskillen Hotel at 8.00pm.
We would hope that all those with an interest in the future of Fermanagh GAA will come along to this event at which plans for the future of Club Eirne will be outlined. We expect a very large attendance at this event and this media piece allows us the opportunity to extend an invite to all.
We will of course be targeting people to attend but this is an open invitation to all to come along. Looking ahead more localised events and events with a social aspect will be considered but for now our attention will be on signing up members and patrons. This has worked very well for Club Tyrone who have over 400 members and over 200 patrons.
Where finance is concerned people want everything to be transparent. Will there be transparency in where the funds raised go to?
The transparency of Club Eirne will come from its robust links with Fermanagh GAA. All monies raised will go into the Club Eirne account and it will be managed and used by the county management committee in conjunction with the county committee i.e. the Club representatives. Spend will be linked to the aims and objectives of the three year strategic plan while all members and patrons will receive an annual report which will contain a breakdown of monies raised and on how those monies were spent.