Secretary's Report Wild Geese Gaa 2024
AGM Thursday 12th December 2024

A Chairde,Chairperson,executive committee ,members and members of our local community.
I find myself in a very privileged position to be doing up this report for what has been our club's most successful year to date,both on and off the field.
So let's have a recap of our year to date.

We kicked off our year as we have done for a few years now with our participation in Gormanstown indoor leagues,we had 2 teams involved this year,our u9s & u10s. This was very successful as it always is and is a great way to get everyone back with a hurl in hand before the new season commences.
Our first ever Juvenile awards took place on 27th January.
This took place in Garristown Hall and was a massive success all around.Its a great way for our younger aspiring players to see the successes of our older teams and have them as role models for the future.
During the month of January we also held an operation transformation, a very successful initiative between ourselves and Fingal Ravens,and this ran for 6 consecutive weeks,composing of a variety of health and wellness activities.

This year saw our club gain 2 more teams,an u8s team and an u11s camogie team. Our under 8s team is headed up by Colin,Paul,Hugh and George and our Camogie u11s is myself and Amy.
Both teams started out the year with very low numbers and its down to the hard work and dedication of their mentors, that both of these teams not only grew but thrived throughout the year and we are very pleased to see their progress and also numbers growing week in week out.Both teams played in their respective Go games throughout the year and some of the games were in terrible conditions at the start of the season,but thankfully that did not deter any of them.Their improvement from the start to the end of the year is clear for all to see.
We cannot wait to continue to grow these teams and see what's in store for them next year.

Alongside our 2 new teams we also have our Academy,u10s,u13s camogie,u14s and u16s.
Our Academy is headed by Manuel who is a permanent fixture for all of our future stars when they first come along to start their hurling journey and we thank him for his ongoing commitment.

Our u10s are a large group who have been together since academy,they are an incredibly talented and dedicated group who played exceptionally all year in their Go games ,they will be moving into u11s next year and we cannot wait to see how they keep progressing.They have a fantastic group of mentors,David,Niall and Donnacha,who make it all possible as well and we want to thank them for their ongoing support.

Our u14s,where do i start,
They had quite a rollercoaster of a year and struggled for numbers at times,but this group of young men are a credit to themselves and to the club because they never let any obstacle that came before them get in the way,maybe it's those same obstacles that made them have to pull together and gel incredibly well,as their mentor Paddy said “ each and every player this year played a massive role in the success of this team”
The lads went on to successfully win their cup final on home ground,and what a day it was for the club.Some of these exceptional players also caught the eye of the Dublin selectors and took part in trials.We want to thank the management team of Paddy and Danny for their continued support of this team and look forward to 2025.

Our u16s, following on from their success last year when they won the u15 Feile cup and u15 league,again another team that has been struggling with numbers, but that has not deterred anyone of them.This is another team who has been successfully brought from Academy age group all the way up to u16s and will now be our first ever minor team in the history of the club next season,it's the dedication again of their mentors,Fergal,Brian,Liam and John who have been by their side from day one that makes teams like this possible and we cannot thank them enough for their continued support.
Our u16s played fantastic throughout the year and were very unlucky losing their championship quarter final to Southern Gaels by 2 points,we know the future is bright for these young men and we cannot wait to see them represent us at Minor level next year.The talent of this team didn't go unnoticed either when a few were called for county trials and our very own Reuben was selected for the 2025 panel,we wish him every success at county level,and look forward to seeing him in the county jersey.
Our u14s & u16s also came together to play the u15 Feile and had an incredible run but unfortunately lost in the semi finals.

Our u13s Camogie has been a massive success since it was first put together 2 years ago and that's thanks to Orlaith and Megan.This was the girls first year competitive and my god they did not shy away from the challenge.
They reached the cup final,which was at home in Oldtown and the crowds that came to cheer them on were unprecedented ,they battled and ended with a draw and a rematch to be played in the following weeks.This again was an incredible display but unfortunately the girls lost by 1 point in the end.They are an exceptional group of young ladies who are only getting started and we can't wait to see what the future holds them.

In March we took part in the St Patrick's day parade in Swords as we have done for the past few years.This was and has always been a successful event and is a great way for players,parents and members to get out in the club colours and enjoy the celebrations together.

At Easter we held a very successful easter camp over 4 days,this was only possibly due to the hard work and dedication of many,from organisers,to coaches alike.The kids had a fun filled week and were blessed with the weather as it held off for the majority of it.They ended their week with gorgeous WIld Geese bags filled with goodies.This event also gives kids the opportunity to try hurling for the first time in the hope that they want to continue to play with the club,and this was achieved as we gained loads of new future stars who continue to play with us.

In April we held The John Fox & Miriam Tormey hurling blitz.This was our first ever schools blitz.We had a host of local schools all participating and some trying hurling for the first time.This was a massive success and a great day out for all involved.We would like to thank all of our local schools for their continued support and participation in what will be a yearly event.Our continued growth and link within the schools is vital for our club.

We held a number of fundraising events this year from Summer bbqs,to quiz nights,juvenile walks and our end of year dinner dance.
All of these events were a massive success and that is due to the continued hard work of our fundraising committee and everyone who has helped out along the way.These events and nights would not be possible without them and we want to say a massive thank you to all. We want to thank all of the local businesses and people who donated prizes along the way for each and every event as they would not happen without their generosity.

We would like to thank Laurence Ward for the ongoing use of his facility and we are delighted that we have entered into a longer term arrangement with him for continued use of Fieldstown pitch for years to come.The pitch has been highly complimented by referees and teams who have visited us over the last 12months.Many thanks for Laurence for his continued support of the club.

In our Adult section we have 3 teams,we have 2 men's teams and 1 Camogie team.
Starting with our Camogie team,what a year it was for the women.
The camogie team was only put together in 2019 and has continued to grow ever since.
The women's team have made it to 3 championship finals.
Having lost the previous 2 finals the ladies were out to make it 3rd time lucky and that they did.They played Craobh Ciaran in the final in what can only be described as storm like conditions,and they battled to the end and won the clubs first ever Camogie Championship title.
As a small club watching the captain Amy Fisher lift the cup was something that a lot of members have waited for.Celebrations were had in Oldtown House and let's just say the village was alive that night.
A massive thank you to all of the management team of John,Teresa and Dara for their dedication to the ladies team and their continued support of the ever growing Camogie section in the club.

Our mens 2nd team .This team got back up and running this year to allow players a chance to keep playing without the same level of commitment needed for the 1st team.Some of the new younger players also played up to the 1st team during the year.We look forward to their continued growth next year and thank the mentors Paul and Philly for their dedication throughout the year.

The Mens 1st team is headed up by Tom and Mattie.
This team had a remarkable year,playing fantastic in the league and only narrowly missing out on a place in the playoffs for promotion,but that was just the beginning of the story. The team went into the championship trying to do what no other men's team had done in the history of the club,and that was win our 1st ever men's championship title.
They played away to a very strong Kilmacud Crokes in the final,and played their hearts out even when they were all clearly exhausted by the end after giving it their all,but the massive crowd of Wild Geese supporters who travelled in their droves spurred them on and they done what no-one before them has done and won!The atmosphere that day was something very special to be a part of and to witness the pure elation and joy is something that will be remembered for years to come.
We want to thank the management team for all the hard work throughout the year and we look forward to what next year might bring.

We finished off what was our most successful year to date with our end of year dinner dance in Corrstown Golf Club, which was a sold out event and was an amazing way to end off the year in style and celebrate all that has been achieved in our club.We want to say a massive thank you all of the fundraising committee that helped make this the success it was.
We also can't forget our Juvenile section which has grown and progressed massively this year.The work and effort gone into our juveniles this year has been nothing more than incredible and we want to thank everyone who has been apart of this from coaches to mentors and parents alike.
It was only fitting that we finished the year off with our juvenile awards,which were held in Oldtown house at the end of November.
This is now a yearly and much anticipated event which celebrates and acknowledges all of the hard work by each and every player throughout the year and it's a time for everyone to get together and enjoy themselves.
The juvenile section is the future of our club, so thank you to each and everyone who dedicates their time and skills to help us to continue to grow.

All of the club's success would not be possible without all of our amazing and generous sponsorships and donations that we receive throughout the year. We sincerely appreciate each and everyone of them and thank them for their continued support of our ever growing club into the future.
-Miriam's Coffee / The Oldtown House
-Dreaper Racing
-Glenveagh Homes
-Iona Farm
-Stacks Pharmacy
-Celsius Mechanical
-Quick Skip
-Michael Kennedy Insurance Group
-Permanent Tsb
-Blackhorse Transport
-Sam Dennigan
-Hendrick European
-Denis Mahony
-Breffni Group
-L&L laundry and dry cleaners -Superior Freight.
-Orchard accounting
-Keoghs Crisps

This year we were also successful in our application for the Sports Capital Grant and were awarded 78,435e towards our planned pitch lightening at our village pitch which is currently coming towards the end of its development early next year.

Handball Alley-
The Club is working to add handball to our selection of small ball sports. In order to recommence play in the alley, critical maintenance, repair and fire safety improvement works are required on the building which was built in 1968. In 2024 the WG made a successful application to Fingal Co Co for funding under the Community Facilities Remedial Works
Grant scheme. €38,000 was received in the summer on a 50% match funding basis. Since then we have been working on raising the match funding and have so far secured €22,000 from generous donors such as Dublin Handball, the Oldtown House, Sam Denigans and other private donation, We hope to commence works in early 2025 on the most critical items and will continue fund raising in order to maximise the extent of improvements that can be delivered.

As we look to 2025 we look ahead with excitement and anticipation as we will have our newly redeveloped Village pitch back and up and running and we look forward to the grand opening in the Spring time,this will be a major event and milestone in the clubs history and we cannot wait to celebrate it with you all.
FInally a massive thank you to each and every person who has helped in some way through the year,as a small club we rely heavily on our members and the wider community to keep us going,and none of it is possible without you all.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a very happy and healthy new year!
Is Mise le meas,
Sarah Mc Garvey
Club Secretary