A proposal concerning possible agreements between Kilanerin / Ballyfad and Tara Rocks was discussed and it was agreed that the clubs in question would be invited to present their case to the County Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday 31 January. Given the potential implications arising it was agreed that the championship draw cannot take place at that County Board meeting and will have to take place instead as soon as possible thereafter.
Updates were given regarding the establishment of committees for ratification at the next Co.Board meeting.
Public relations committee update
An immediate priority for this Committee is the production of the 2017 contacts booklet which it is hoped to have ready for the 2nd county board meeting of the year.
Coiste na nÓg update
Marguerite Furlong, outgoing vice-Chair, has been appointed to chair the Coiste. The Chairman has been in contact with several people to take on the other key officer roles on Coiste and he hopes to have people in place by the County Board meeting on 31 January
Infrastructure update
It is anticipated that the additional works at the Ferns Centre of Excellence will be ready well advance of hurling Féile and it is also hoped, subject to finances, to upgrade the press box in Wexford Park. While the Ferns COE has as its primary focus the various county squads from senior down to underage development, it is also an important resource to sister organisations such as camogie and ladies’ football. The rates for pitch hire in the COE were discussed and it was agreed to set them at €70/hour under floodlights and €45/hour in daylight.
Teams update
With new management teams in place for both senior squads there is a significant logistical overhead involved in providing administrative support and oversight to the teams. It was noted that attendance at O’Byrne / Walsh Cup matches are significantly increased compared to this time last year by almost a factor of 3.
Central Council update & upcoming Leinster Convention and All Ireland Congress
The GPA made a detailed presentation to the most recent Central Council meeting. There was also discussion about the newly-established Club Players’ Association and about the GAA in Europe.
The Leinster Convention takes place on Saturday 28 January and the positions being contested are those of Chairperson, Treasurer and PRO. It was noted that a number of fine candidates are standing for the position of Uachtarán at the All Ireland Congress in February; the consensus at the Coiste Bainistí is that Wexford will give its full support to John Horan, current Leinster Council Chairman.
Tuairisc an Oifigigh Gaeilge
Tá fógra foilsithe maidir leis na scoláireachtaí Gaeilge agus roghnófar na hiarrthóirí ráthúla ag an chéad chruinniú de Choiste na nÓg i mí Feabhra. Beidh comórtais Scór Sinsir le reachtáil go luath agus táthar ag súil go mbeidh borradh i líon na gclubanna a ghlacann páirt. Níl Coiste Gaeilge / Cultúrtha curtha le chéile go fóill toisc go bhfuiltear ag bailiú sonraí teagmhála ó na clubanna ar fad.
Children’s Officer update
In light of the importance of the role it was agreed to appoint an assistant to the children’s officer. Joe Kelly, the current officer, will now cover the northern half of the county while Angela McCormack will cover the southern half.
