The Juvenile AGM was held on 5th January. There was a large attendance of both parents and mentors.
The minutes of 2007 meeting were adopted.
In his Chairman’s Report, Tim McMahon, gave a detailed account of the juvenile activities for the past year.
Under 6 & Under 8 continue to prosper with the dedicated band of mentors.
Under 10 had a mixed year. Large numbers attended training but we were not successful in the Mitchel’s tournament due to a number of absentees.
Under 12 had a tough year. We fielded two teams A & B and this did not help the situation. We divided our resources rather than concentrating on one team in the age group. However, the upside was more players got games.
Under 14 also fielded A & B teams. However, the B team players were not the most diligent for attending training. The A team suffered a number of injuries to key players and this hindered their progress.
Under 16 had a good start to the season and easily won the Coiste Tra Li competition. Due to a number of reasons we were not at full strength for the County competitions and we only reached the semi finals. We should have achieved more with this talented bunch of players.
Juvenile hurling was at a low ebb in 2008. Hopefully, the new initiatives undertaken between the Co Board and the Club will see a revival in fortunes in 2009.
The chairman paid tribute to the dedicated mentors and thanked them for the contribution. New and innovative training methods were needed to freshen up things for both the player and the coaches. He welcomed the new training regime introduced by Mike Godley and Brian Morgan. They were bringing ‘athletic techniques’ into our training schedule and players will benefit from this.
The chairman of the Club, Ger Reidy, gave a brief address to the delegates. He outlined a list of proposed developments that the club were engaging in. The new review body would be meeting within the next week. Hopefully, that body will produce a report that we the Club can use as a foundation for future development. He thanked those present for their commitment to the juvenile club and wished them for 2009.
There followed a wide-ranging discussion on juvenile affairs. The contributors stressed the need to look after the needs of the ‘ordinary’ player. The good player will always get games. It was felt the moderate player might defect if he/she felt overlooked by a better player who was stepping up a few years to take an older players place. Also children must be valued as people. They should be encouraged to participate and we should introduce an ethos where winning trophys was not everything.
Election of Officers
President Micheal Hayes
Chairman Tim McMahon
Vice Chairman Noel O’Connell
Secretary Michael Lynch
PRO Brian Caball
Registrar Eamonn O’Reilly
Asst Registrar Colm Mangan
The position of Bord na nOg & Coiste Tra Li delegates would be filled at a later time.