Chairman urges GAA to keep Croke Park open to other sports

Westmeath county chairman Tom Farrell has urged the GAA to keep the gates of Croke Park open to other sports beyond the end of 2009.Delivering his first address as Westmeath GAA chairman, at last Saturday night"s annual convention in Ballymore, Farrell said: 'Croke Park closes its gates to other sports at the end of 2009.The question is "should it remain open to other sporting bodies who are prepared to pay us". The projected income from these outside events (for) 2009 will be in the region of €10 million. In these recessionary times finding €10 million will be difficult with our gates shut. My attitude to this is very simple, "if you can"t do a good turn, don"t do a bad one". I would support the campaign to keep Croke Park open.'While Farrell stated that the building of a new Westmeath GAA headquarters has been put 'on hold', he hopes that there will a progress on the development a new training centre - which will be used by all county teams - in the new year.'It is no small wonder in these recessionary times that the relocating of Cusack Park has been put on hold. However, it is hoped that Part 1 of the development, namely the Training Centre, is a possibility. There will be an announcement early in 2009. Any decision on this matter will be decided by you, the clubs of Westmeath. It is essential that we provide a training centre of Westmeath GAA on a permanent basis in the not to distant future,' he said.Farrell issued a stern warning to clubs that they will face sanctions if they play under-16 players in adult competitions, in contravention of the GAA"s Official Guide. Describing this practice as 'completely wrong', Farrell highlighted the insurance implications if under-16 players sustain serious injuries while playing in adult games.'The practice of underage players (16-18 year-olds) playing adult games in both hurling and football to the detriment of their under age competitions is not a practice to be encouraged. Players should be encouraged to play firstly at their own underage level to help their development and ensure their long term participation in our games. Of late a practice has developed whereby under-16 players are participating in adult competitions which is contrary to the official guide. Any clubs engaging in this practice are risking the player"s long term future and endangering their injury entitlements, and also the future of his team"s participation in the competition would be at risk. We as a County Board will be monitoring this very closely in the coming year and action will be taken if this practice is proved.'Reflecting on the hurling year, Farrell described the controversy over the venue for the Christy Ring Cup final as 'most disappointing'. The 2008 Christy Ring Cup final between Westmeath and Carlow was originally fixed for a Friday evening in Croke Park but, following protests from both teams, the game was then fixed for Tullamore, with Carlow coming out on top after extra-time.'The negative lead up to this final was most disappointing. Time was spent in the board room trying to have this match played in the appropriate setting of Croke Park as was decided when the competition was first introduced. Hopefully lessons have been learned and that no counties will have to endure the trauma of this fixture fiasco again.'Farrell also argued that each year"s winners of the Christy Ring Cup should be rewarded with promotion to the top tier (Liam McCarthy Cup).'It is my belief that the Christy Ring winners should be entitled to participate in the McCarthy Cup. The current situation does not help with the promotion of hurling in the second tier counties of Leinster. Hopefully the Brownstown motion will be accepted at Congress in 2009 to address this imbalance,' he said.'Whilst this debate is ongoing we have to remain focused on the development of our own underage structures to ensure that our teams are capable of participating at the highest level. I want to commend the excellent work that has begun over the last couple of years in the clubs and schools.'The county chairman congratulated Clonkill on winning Westmeath"s first ever club All-Ireland title, describing it as 'a great boost for hurling in Westmeath'.Focusing on football, Farrell said it is 'imperative' that the county team remains in Division 1 of the National Football League, having secured promotion in 2008.'In football we have achieved Division 1 status for the first time in a number of years. It is imperative that we remain in this division to improve our status and also to regain the Delaney Cup. We have made steady progress over the past year and hopefully this will continue in the coming year.'Farrell welcomed the experimental rules which will be used in the forthcoming National League campaign.'For once I am looking forward to the experimentation of the playing rules which if implemented should greatly enhance our games and leave little doubt as to how our games should be played. It should eliminate a lot of after match wrangling and bring clarity to the entire disciplinary area.'On the vexed issue of fixtures, Farrell said a master fixture plan will be produced in the new year, saying this is something clubs have been seeking.'On fixtures we have identified a number of problems. To try and overcome these problems will be a difficult task in itself. There will be a master fixture plan produced in 2009 for all leagues and cup competitions with provisional dates for championships depending on how successful our county teams are. The success of this plan will be club dependent.'In relation to the underage scene, Farrell spoke of the U10 mini games played in Cusack Park at half-time during club championship matches and highlighted the appointment of new games manager Noel Delaney.'The mini games played in Cusack Pack at half-time during our championships were of great benefit to everybody and a joy to behold. It gives young players a sense of identity and place.'The appointment of Noel Delaney as our games manager is an important step in the future of our coaching & games development. I would like to thank Leinster Council for their help in this initiative. This will help to enhance the working of our school coaching and full-time coaches.'Paying tribute to the contribution of the county"s referees, Farrell called for support for the recruitment drive which is to be undertaken by referees co-ordinator Liam McDaniel.'There were approximately 2500 games played in Westmeath in 2008. This shows the great commitment of our referees. Discipline in general has improved and hopefully this trend will continue in 2009. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to our referees who perform a difficult role day in day out. The highlight for our referees was the appointment of Barry Kelly, who refereed this year"s All-Ireland hurling final; this was his second in three years. A new committee to assist, develop and assess referees will be set up in the New Year with the full support of the referees" co-ordinator Liam McDaniel. I pledge my full support to this committee and to all referees in the county.'Turning his attention to Croke Park again, Farrell revealed the dates on which open days for young players will be held, but said after-match pitch invasions must come to an end.'I am pleased to announce that Croke Park will be open to the young kids of Ireland in 2009 with the following dates 3, 4, 5, 8 & 9 March, 26/27 May and 3 & 4 June. It is very important, to the encouragement of young people, to have one of the finest and most used stadia in the world, namely Croke Park, available to them. This comes at a price. After match encroachments will have to be a thing of the past. Encroachments inflict serious pitch damage thus limiting the number of open days.'