Kilmacabea GAA AGM 2018
The Annual General Meeting of Kilmacabea GAA Club took place on Friday 14th December at 8pm in the clubhouse. Chairman Dan Hourihane welcomed the 40 attendees and the minutes of the 2017 AGM were read and adopted.
Dan then handed over to Treasurer Jennifer Sweetnam who gave a very comprehensive and detailed financial report for the 2018 season. Dan then thanked Jennifer for all her hard work and her excellent work at keeping the club finances up to date. It was stressed at how important the joint lotto was between the club and the community council and how new volunteers were needed to collect and sell tickets for it. A discussion also took place over the amount of money which was being claimed for injuries during the year and Insurance Officer John Keohane stressed the point at how important it was that players are fully paid up members, otherwise they will not be covered by the Insurance scheme. It was also noted at how claims had gone up, but this was to be expected due to a successful year. Also, all those local businesses that gave generously towards our County Final expenses were thanked and how the club could survive and grow without these very generous donations.
Derry O Callaghan then gave his Secretary’s report, and thanked all the players, management and club officers for their hard work in helping the Junior A team retain the West Cork title and make it all the way to the County Junior A Football final. All the behind the scenes efforts by all club members especially in making the Festival a huge success, were thanked and Derry hoped that 2019 will again be a successful one for the club.
In the chairman’s address Dan Hourihane referred to the three sides of the club, (underage, adult and corporate) and how they are all important and that each need to be nurtured to grow the club. He spoke that before 2017, that the club had never won the West Cork title and in the past two years the Junior team had won the League and Championship double. He said that it was the life’s ambition of everyone at Kilmacabea was to win a West Cork title and the fact that everyone was so disappointed to lose in the County Final shows how far the club’s ambitions have risen. He also noted that the scenes after the West Cork final were not in keeping with the values of the club and that we should be looking to avoid such incidents and scenes in the future. Overall, he stated that the Junior team was performing outstandingly well and that everyone should be ready for the challenges of 2019.
Dan also commented on the comparison between that Juniors fortunes and that of the rest of the club. He said that even if the numbers at Underage level are small that everyone needs to take responsibility and help where they can, especially in the area of coaching our younger players. He also spoke that the corporate side of the club needs more help, as the same people can’t be allowed to hold the club together. The monthly meetings are vital to the running of the club and new members are needed to breath fresh ideas into the club.
Dan finished his address by talking all the club sponsors for their kind and generous sponsorship throughout the year and their continued support in the future.
Michael Tobin gave a very detailed report on the Underage club throughout the year. He stated that, while numbers are very tight, all teams are competing at their respective grades. He also said that more connection needs to be made between the adult club and the underage and that the current success at adult level needs to be harvested to benefit the club into the future.
All club officers were re-elected for 2019, with Michael Tobin staying on as Underage secretary for one more year. Donal O Donovan was elected to the position of Vice President after the untimely loss of Fr Pat O Sullivan during the year.
The club has decided that for the 2019 season the club would compete at Junior A level (league and championship), Junior C Championship and the possibility of competing in Division 3 of the league and U21 B Football.
Team management for the coming year are as follows:
Junior A: Noel McCarthy (manager)
Junior C: Donie O Donovan
U21 B: TBC
Membership for 2019 was set at:
€20 for Underage/Students
€50 for Adults
€100 for families
It was also noted that the Club victory Dinner Dance would like place on Saturday 2nd February at 8pm sharp in the Celtic Ross Hotel, Rosscarbery.
