Major community project sees Coralstown/Kinnegad open state of the art gym facilities

An impressive new gymnasium was officially opened by the Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA Club on Friday evening as they continue to develop and make a big impact on the local community.

The club’s population base has grown steadily over a number of years and they are now catering for a considerable membership base, with families at the heart of its development. Joe O’Keeffe, club chairman, spoke of his pride at seeing the latest project come to fruition and he spoke of the vision of people like Niall Leydon who have been crucial in ensuring a dream became a reality.

“Three or four people met here one evening and we put down bollards, stepped it out and made plans for this new gym. It took off from there. We are extremely fortunate to have such great people involved with the club, at present,” he said.

“It is crucial to bring families with you and get their support and this will be a family friendly facility. We also have our walkway which is great and we start with our nursery for five-year-olds. We are not losing players at 14 and that’s crucial. It’s about enjoyment and it has to be friendly orientated.”

Having a strong committee has been vital and Joe is joined by a new club secretary Dawn Quinn and treasurer Kevin McGrath, who play leading roles. They are backed up by people with a passion for the club and that has been central to its growth and development. The new facility, which is estimated to cost well in excess of €100,000, will play a vital role in the development of players and also give members of the local community, who may not be actively playing the game, a new social outlet.

Jack Cooney, one of the main driving forces behind the project, spoke of the importance of having the entire community supporting the GAA club.

“Coralstown/Kinnegad is like hundreds of GAA clubs all around the country. It’s a community organisation and this is the heart and soul of the local community. This is another way of bringing the community together, getting people involved (in the club). What’s very close to my heart is that exercise is so important for everybody and this is just another avenue for that,” he said.

He encouraged all involved not to rest on their laurels but to push on and develop things further. Helping people to develop an active lifestyle is the real objective, he feels.

“The success of this to me will be when we have to build an extension to this. We won’t admire it for what it is, but we will be saying, ‘we need more’. There are young people in here and they are developing habits for a lifetime of keeping fit, of exercising and socialising. To me that’s the big benefit: if we win championships and tournaments on the back of that, great. That’s just an outcome. Creating that environment and that community, for me, is the most important aspect of it all,” he said.

Importance

He praised the vision of those involved in the project and said the collective effort has been key to the entire project. He encouraged all young people to take up membership and use the new facilities.

“To me, noise is energy and we want loads of noise and energy around this place during the summer,” he said.

“I’m very proud to be part of this and to make the future better for the community of Coralstown/Kinnegad,” he added.

An envious Cora Staunton said her own club, Carnacon in Ballintubber, has facilities, but nothing like what Coralstown/Kinnegad now have. The former Mayo and Aussie Rules star spoke on how football has developed over the years and the need for players to change how they prepare.

“It’s really important to have such facilities for men and women, but also for underage teams to develop strength and conditioning. It was only later in my playing days when I went to Australia that I realised how crucial the whole area (S&C) is. I used to say, ‘being in the gym is not going to put the ball over the bar’, but I realised the importance of it as the years went on. The importance of keeping fit, and when I was injured it (the gym, for recovery) was vital.”

She heaped praise on the voluntary effort involved in getting the facility off the ground and alluded to the benefits it can provide for the local community.

“It’s massive; I would encourage everyone to get out and use this facility and support the club. Nothing like this comes cheap, it is an expensive project. But I see the young people in front of me here and they can get great benefit from this in the years ahead,” she said.

She welcomed the fact that the ladies team is prominently involved in the project, noting how at times, ladies football can be overlooked in terms of the contribution it makes to the GAA.

“It’s massive; use it; it’s for the future generations,” she added.

Westmeath manager Dessie Dolan paid tribute to the Coralstown/Kinnegad club and thanked chairman Joe O’Keeffe for his support to the county side, who have benefited greatly from using all of the facilities in Coralstown/Kinnegad, from the gym to the running track and the playing pitches.

“In terms of preparation of teams, this is on a different level; you are the envy of many teams around. The senior side’s development is significant and we saw that in the county final only last year. I could see that Coralstown/Kinnegad are very athletic and clearly they are doing a lot of work in the gym,” he said.

The future is bright for the club, Dolan feels, and he noted the contribution they are making to the Westmeath set-up with a number of Coralstown/Kinnegad players now involved with the county. He also noted that the future for football is based around being very fit and athletic and in that regard, the new facilities will play a major role.

“To have this at your doorstep is brilliant and I’d encourage all the community to get involved. It’s not just great for the football teams, it’s something that can benefit the entire community,” he remarked.

Dolan noted how Coralstown/Kinnegad showed great vision when they sold their old pitch back many years ago and moved to a bigger space that could give them better facilities. They are now continuing to lead the way.

“You are going to be the envy of a lot of clubs around the county. Best of luck to Coralstown/Kinnegad and I’m sure you are going to be knocking down that door to get a senior championship with this man (Jack Cooney) involved,” he added.

Only last October, they lost out to St Loman’s, Mullingar in what was their first senior final in 25 years.

Westmeath county committee chairman Frank Mescall paid tribute to the great progress the club has made and noted how they have led the way for the county. Geraldine Giles, chairperson of Westmeath ladies football, said the new facility will be of major benefit to all players and welcomed the inclusion of ladies football. Both speakers referred to the terrific community spirit that is evident in Coralstown/Kinnegad.

As part of a memorable evening, players from Raharney, Coralstown/Kinnegad, The Downs and Killucan took part in fun activities set out by Jack Cooney.