The March Executive was held on Tuesday 4th March last.  Since the previous Executive meeting a number of important events occurred within the club including the start of competitive football, the resumption of underage training; the Jim Gavin Member Night; the Steps Challenge which concluded with a recent social night and various other aspects of club life resumed and continued including underage indoor fitness training and the Blue Cubs. 

 

Within the meeting various action items were discussed, updated and decided upon.  Included in those items is the finalisation of the front pitch lights project and the progress on the next phase of development work within the club which will incorporate new LED lights on the main pitch, new juvenile goals and a skills wall, with more details to follow.  Further updates were given on the ongoing work for the Club Coffee Shop which will officially open on Saturday 15th March at 9:30am and to which all are welcome this day and every time it is open. 

 

Alan Sweeney (Chair of the Finance Committee) briefed the Executive on the various strands of work that his committee are working on. These include maximising commercial revenue through pitch signage and the development of a corporate sponsorship package.  Alan also took the opportunity to set out a plan for fundraising activities in 2025, amongst which are the ongoing National Club draw and the Cheltenham Tipster event.  Specific details on each fundraiser will issue well in advance as we progress through the year.  Various savings already achieved for the benefit of the club were also discussed and all these strands of work are of significant benefit in circumstances where it is costly to operate a club of our size and facilities. 

 

In addition, the Executive Committee was updated on the ongoing and growing workload undertaken by the other extant committees (Football; Infrastructure and Community) and points of note include that the Academy restarts on Saturday March 15th; that the club is actively recruiting new and returning footballers across all ages and codes through marketing and engagement within our local schools and that planning is also underway for a celebration of the clubs 60th anniversary and the significant football success some 30 years ago with more details to follow.  

 

The patience of players and coaches whilst pitches were not in use during the inclement weather was acknowledged and is appreciated and every team is asked to book their pitch slots in time and stick to them. 

 

Best of luck to all teams in the upcoming season with the most immediate good luck wished upon the Men’s Second Team who play Duleek Bellewstown in the Reserve Cup Final Saturday 08th with details on Clubzap.