St Ergnat’s GAC
Our Club
St Ergnat’s GAC has been a central part of our community now since 1948 and this year celebrated its 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee with a Celebration Mass in Our Lady Of Lourdes Church in Moneyglass whose spire dominates the field of view from our grounds . Members past and present together with all our players from senior to under 6 from both men’s and ladies football lead by our chairman Gerard Weir attended the ceremony and later paraded back to the pavilion for entertainment and refreshments .
Team Performance
Clubs are measured on there success in the field of play and this year our Mens Senior team is in the Antrim Intermediate Football Championship Final playing against All Saints . The Senior team have also dominated the top of division 2 in 2008 and hopefully look to promotion once again into the top stream of play . The Reserve also have turned out well all year and at the time of print are in contention for promotion to Div5. It is encouraging to see the level of commitment shown by the players all year and the to see the younger players now filtering through joining and contributing to their success . Our minor team narrowly lost out in the league semi-final against our neighbours Cargin by two points finishing amongst the top four in the league .Our U21’s gained victory over Gort Na Mona in the U21 Championship 1st round but missed out on Championship success this time around . St Ergnat’s also supplied the county with three players to the successful Tommy Murphy Cup squad this year in Kevin Brady ( Captain ), Benny Marron and Kevin Marron . Our Juvenile teams also supplied players to the U16 and U15 development squads this year .Our U12 boys succeeded in getting to the semi-final of the South West Shield , our youth teams remain hungry for success but have shown great commitment and pride in our colours .
2008 Division 2 League cup Winners.
Ladies Football
After a slow start to the season and a small panel the ladies increased in numbers with the appointment of John Downey as senior coach .And the Ladies look forward to improving on their position in the league next year . Four of our senior ladies successfully served on their county panel . U16 girls had a good season in the league but missed out in the championship final playing against St Paul’s .
Youth Development
Our club has seen a swell in the numbers of younger player to both it boys and girls U6-U10 who have participated in bi-weekly training seasons and competitive blitz’s . The boys and girls have gained in confidence this year , the emphasis is keeping fun in the game for the younger players . Our youth co-ordinator Raymond griffin has introduced a number of new initiatives for the children and over the season we have had guest sessions from John Morrison and Terence Mc Williams who have lent valuable experience to our existing coaching staff and the children have been complemented on their willingness to listen and learn.
Raymond Graffin and John Morrison
Cul Camp
This year saw an increase in numbers on last year and again Kevin Brady was aided by Brendan Prenter , Cailin Weir , Cathy Carey , Ryan Mc Greevy and Laura Robinson . Special thanks to Joe Mc Mahon ( Tyrone All Ireland Winner ) and Sinead O’Neill from Tyrone for adding to the success and enjoyment the kids got from this years event,
Fundraising
Activity within Moneyglass has not been confined to the field of play and fundraising is the core to any clubs survival in todays climate . Many thanks to all who have supported our club events this year and to our new members and supporters who have contributed to the club . Elaine Kelly our fundraising and events co-ordinator has worked tirelessly in organising successful events to date and helped establish the womens support committee which has encouraged more community involvement .
Club Development
This year the club has taken the first steps on the road to better training facilities for the players and club rooms for the members of the future . with two public meeting in O’Neill Arms hotel in Toome and a consultation with players ,members and local interest groups completed we are now progressing to the next stage in making our “Vision A Reality “.
Unsung Heroes
We are gratefully to everyone who has given their time and effort to our club this year making a difference for our childrens future . A special thanks to all our coaching staff who gave up their own time for the club and players , attended courses in child protection , coaching fundamentals and first aid , training sessions and matches . Thanks to our support workers who are to numerous to mention working in the background looking after the pitch and players and finally to the members for supporting the club .
Membership
Our membership has increased this year and we would ask parents with players to join and help increase our numbers even further as this helps pay the bills . Communication has been improved by the use of the local press and the introduction of our website www.moneyglassgac.com together with the parish bulletins the club keeps the community informed . We look forward to more success in the future.
2007 Yearbook
With a catchment of less than a dozen town lands to pick from Moneyglass are proud of the fact they have 11 teams represented in various leagues within the county at all levels from under 12 through to senior level for both male and female players.
As autumn closes in most leagues are at the winding up stages and all club teams are seeking to consolidate their positions in the leagues for next year. The senior footballers have a handful of fixtures to fulfil at this stage and are aiming for a mid-table finish in Division One. Along the way they have taken a few notable scalps with fixtures against this years Championship finalists Portglenone being amongst some of their finest displays. Indeed had it not been for a number of one or two point defeats to very strong opposition their finishing position in the league could have been much better. The reserves have battled bravely in Division Six and remain in the Reserve Football Plate. The Minors have also had a solid year in the league and gave a good account of themselves in their championship run.
Ladies football continues apace with the seniors holding their own in Division One of the Derry league. Re-building remains the focus with many budding stars that could easily grace the field against those of the less fairer sex.
As usual at the club an immense effort has been put in by all the coaches, mentors and trainers who have worked tirelessly to nurture all the youth teams from under 8 level up to minors for both boys and girls.
Many training sessions on Sunday mornings have helped develop the young Gaels who will provide the backbone of teams for years to come.
As well as the hard work of training the fun element is vital in the development of our young players. To this end a Fun Day took place in July where over a hundred kids enjoyed a day of football, kick fada, amusements and general merriment. The day was closed off with a Barbecue and Dance arranged as usual by the hard working volunteers and supporters at the club.
The emphasis on youth development was in evidence later in August when the Cul Camp came to Moneyglass which was attended by almost 50 boys and girls who received some excellent coaching in football and life skills.
As with all Gaelic clubs, financial sustainability is one of the core challenges that we face. Special thanks must go to all our volunteers who organised the various events throughout the year including the club lotto, card nights, barbecue, steak night and the very successful Moneyglass Golf Classic.
As this year comes to a close we look forward to the Annual Dinner and the challenges next year will bring along with any new faces that have spare energy and devotion that they can bring to Naoimh Eargnaid GAC.
Above: Cul Camp, August 2007