The standards of yesterday will not be adequate for the challenges of tomorrow

-Facility Development Update – August 2020

You may all have seen the post below a few days ago.

 

For those of you that don’t know, these three people (and a number not pictured) are some of the key drivers and organisers of facility development within the club for the past number of years. These and those that have gone before them, as well as a large number of people within the club have created and delivered on the vision for Claregalway GAA and indeed the community at large. This is an ever evolving project and the next few months sees some major work happening in Knockdoemore, including the installation of walking shelters, movng of dugouts, drainage and final development of pitch 3, fencing around pitches and the start of the walkway extension to lackagh. These are all major capital projects in themselves, all coming on top of over a decade of development at Knockdoemore, including the purchasing of the land, the development of the land into state of the art pitchs, the completion of the club house building, the walkway around the pitches, the car park and of course the major tree planting project that has taken place there.

These works have been completed so far with the help of many club volunteers. These facilities are being developed for the club and indeed for the use of the wider community.

Much of the work has been completed with the help of many community grants, some with borrowing and some with club funds. The organisation required to envision, fund and deliver some of these projects is significant and could not be down without many hours of work from our volunteers and club officials.

The full detail of our near €2m expenditure to the end of the current phase is attached.

The key infrastructural in milestones in Knockdoe over the past 13 years were;

Phase 1 purchase land and develop first front pitch                                                €765,000.

Phase 2,Build clubhouse centre ,develop back pitch, Flood-lighting, car park,   €555,000

Phase 3.Pitch 3 ,Ball catchers on all pitches, Walkway lighting etc                        €265,000

Phase 4. Current phase ; Viewing stands, fencing, walkway extension, lighting. €240,000

Total to date €1,825,000.

 

As you may be aware there are plans for significant development in Lakeview also. A full size Astroturf pitch as well as some ancillary amenities are currently at the planning stage. This has taken some time to get in place however if planning and funding is forthcoming it is thought the project can move relatively quickly. This will be a great resource for the club and the wider community.

 

 

“The standards of yesterday will not be adequate for the challenges of tomorrow”- This theme  was central to our Towards 2030 Strategy also-our 10 year plan launched in 2019. How well the membership and Community have responded  and this has resulted in us being about two years ahead of schedule with Knockdoemore development which we could not achieve without everyone’s voluntary effort, funding and support. .

 

 

 

 

Below: Click on image for aerial views of both facilities.

Above: Dugouts on the move earlier this week (Aug 2020).