Please see above a note from our Chairperson as we enter a New Year, New Season for 2026

Dear Wild Geese Club Member,

I hope this message finds you well and that you are looking forward to the season ahead. 2025 was a great year for our club with progress on many fronts as we opened our new pitch, and with the support of many of our members and local businesses, had a record year for fundraising for our future. As we shared at our AGM in November, we have exciting plans to continue the development of our facilities this year. In the coming weeks ESB will commence the required upgrade of our power supply, ahead of the installation of our floodlighting on the main village pitch. This will facilitate an extended training season both in Spring and in the Autumn months. It was fantastic that we could host competitive matches until the end of November last year given the quality of our redeveloped pitch and the addition of lights will add further flexibility to our training calendar. In the coming months you will also see the installation of solar PV panels on our changing room roof with battery storage. This will supplement the floodlighting power consumption and ensure that as we develop our grounds, we do so with sustainability firmly at the heart of our plans.

Our ambitions go beyond the works that are currently planned. We know that the addition of a training astro & a concrete ball wall, will be a game changer for our training schedules and our ability to cater for the needs of our growing juvenile section. This next phase is crucial to the Club's future success. It requires careful planning, research, and budget management to ensure it can be delivered in the near term without placing undue strain on the Club's resources, all the while acknowledging that our annual operating expenses as a club have increased. In parallel, we continue to support the redevelopment of the Handball Alley. It's timely therefore that we produce a new revised 5-year plan and we will be seeking input across the club to reflect our members views.

This year I am excited that we will see further growth in our juvenile section with four juvenile camogie teams taking to the pitches in 2026. Preparation to cater for this growth is underway with a new group of mentors currently going through their coaching training in time for the start of the season. We are very dependent on parents and club members putting their hand up to get involved and with a 24% increase in membership last year, the club needs even more volunteers to get involved.

Your Support. I am very grateful for the active support that we received from so many last year for events such as the Jungle Fundraiser and the preparations for our Pitch Reopening Day. We do however need more help for us to run the day-to-day affairs of the club, as well as improve our facilities and the experiences of our members. So how can you help? There are two key ways that you can actively support the club.

Firstly, we know we can do better in terms of membership payment. Last year we placed greater emphasis on upfront and early payment of membership fees. The net result was that income from membership fees grew by over 30%. That was great progress. Unfortunately, though we lost out on over €3k of income that could have helped with basic equipment and maintenance costs through non-payment of fees. This year we will work closely with our coaches and mentors to ensure that in the spirit of fairness for all our playing members, we further improve compliance. Don't forget subscription is an option that allows payment over three instalments and all members who pay their fees by the 31st January deadline will be entered into a great New Year's Draw.

Secondly - you can consider how you can become part of our volunteer community. We have opportunities that range from significant roles - helping to lead our Juvenile section, our Coaching strategy, or leading our Fundraising Committee - to simply putting your hand up for 1 hour per week.. joining the facilities maintenance team or our social media & communication team. There is no limit to the number of people who can get involved and we know that in the absence of more people doing so, some things just won't get done.

Whatever your work experience, we would be delighted if you could contribute a little of your time and join a dedicated group of volunteers to support our plans. I would be delighted to hear from you so please get in touch with me to arrange a coffee and a chat about how you can get involved!

We will continue to keep you all informed as the year progresses. We are excited about the year ahead and your support and involvement are vital to the ongoing development of our great little club.

Kind regards,

Teresa Purtill

Chairperson Wild Geese