Moving Goalposts – The impact of COVID-19 on sport.

The Wellbeing Network, West Cork in partnership with Cork GAA bring you Moving Goalposts – the impact of COVID-19 on sport

About this Event

Panel will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on sporting communities and how people can be proactive about looking after the wellbeing of their communities.

‘This online event will highlight some of the community-minded and creative ways GAA clubs and the organisation have responded to this crisis and ways that players, supporters and the many others involved in sport at grassroots level, can stay connected and positive in the midst of this pandemic where the goalposts are constantly moving.’

7 – 8 pm Wednesday 9th December

PANELLISTS:

  • Ruairí Deane – Cork Senior Football Team
  • Martina O’ Brien – Cork Senior Ladies Football Goalkeeper
  • Kevin O’ Donovan – CEO Cork GAA
  • Keith Ricken – Cork U20 All Ireland Winning Team Manager & CIT GAA Officer

MC: Kieran McCarthy – Sports Editor, The Southern Star

The link to attend this online event will be sent to those registered 72 hours before the event.

Further info: https://thewellbeingnetwork.ie/movinggoalposts/

Email: wellbeingnetwork@nln.ie / Phone 087 7453933

Paul Kerrigan announces his retirement.

Today I am announcing my retirement from inter county football. I consider it a huge privilege to have represented and captained Cork. It is something I’ve never taken for granted. I’ve been lucky enough to meet and work with some fantastic people and will treasure the friendships I’ve made.
I’d like to thank the four managers and their back room teams I’ve played under for having faith in me and giving me the opportunity to live out my dream.
I would also like to thank the Cork County Board and my club Nemo Rangers for their support.
I’ve been fortunate to play with some of Corks best ever footballers and achieve the ultimate goal of winning Sam Maguire.
I look forward to watching this current team in the years to come, who i firmly believe can also achieve great things.
I’d like to thank my family and wife for their constant support down through the years. I look forward to continuing with my club Nemo Rangers with whom I hope to enjoy further success.
Rebels Abu
Paul Kerrigan

“ONE CORK” – New brand to drive future success for Cork GAA

“ONE CORK” – NEW BRAND TO DRIVE FUTURE SUCCESS FOR CORK GAA
Programme has ambition to realise €20 million+ in revenue over the next five years
Cork GAA has unveiled an ambitious new programme of investment and commercial activity that it expects will realise over €20 million in revenue over the next five years.
The income – through commercial revenue including; Cork County Board and stadia sponsorship, concerts and stadium rental and advertising – will be used to invest heavily in clubs across Cork, and in a better resourced county structure.
One Cork amalgamates all of the existing organisations working to further the sport across the county, including the Cork County Board, the SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh Stadium Board, Cairde Chorcaí, the clubs and the army of dedicated supporters of Cork GAA.
The ambition of One Cork is to make Cork GAA one of the most successful sporting organisations in the country, both on and off the pitch. By investing properly in clubs, schools and county structures, One Cork will lay the groundwork for future success at every level from Rebel Óg to Inter-County.
The plan will build upon a series of strategies in key areas, namely sponsorship, commercial opportunities at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, ticket sales and advertising. 
A group of dedicated Cork GAA supporters with vast commercial experience has been working on the commercial strategy for One Cork for a number of months. Their stated goal is to introduce a commercial engine that will deliver the required return to drive a vision and ambition for Cork GAA.
In terms of sponsorship, One Cork is looking to activate a number of new opportunities that will realise the true potential of a world class stadium like SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. This includes the naming rights for elements of “the Páirc”, its development as a national venue for events and its appeal as a year-round destination.
One Cork will also look at using its existing real estate for new advertising opportunities, using a model that has worked extremely well for other sports.
One Cork will deepen links with the clubs and their communities. The goal is to ensure that every player, from the 5-year-old starting out to the inter-county star, will see the benefits of the programme. This has already begun with the Rebels’ Bounty, a revamped draw format that will see clubs directly benefit from improved ticket sales.
Seán Ó hÓrain, Uachtarán CLG said One behalf of the wider Association I wish Cork well in their endeavours in establishing ‘One Cork’. The project is ambitious and innovative and has the potential, if fully supported by the wider Cork GAA family, to harness the huge goodwill that exists towards our games in what is the biggest county with the largest number of clubs in the GAA”. 
Tracey Kennedy, chairperson of Cork County Board said, One Cork realises a long-held ambition to drive Cork GAA forward united, as befits the largest county in Ireland. By embracing this vision of what Cork GAA should be, every member of every club will be on a firmer footing for the future, both in terms of finance and structure. From this point on, there is a single purpose – the success of the entire organisation with a view to benefitting all our players and all our clubs, and ensuring that the Rebel red is once again a regular feature in Croke Park. I would like to thank those who have given so much of their time to putting this plan in place, and I look forward to being part of the team that brings it to fruition.”
Michael O’Flynn is part of the One Cork steering group. He said, “Cork GAA has always evoked passion from its supporters, but that passion wasn’t always translated into real commercial success that feeds its growth. I am happy to have been asked to lend my support, and I am proud that One Cork has developed a new vision for Cork GAA. Our plan will bring a strong commercial focus to our activities to ensure that at both club and inter-county level the necessary resources are in place to support players. What is crucial now is that we bring a real focus to executing successfully the plans that have been developed. I firmly believe that One Cork will result in tremendous growth at every level of the game, and I would ask every GAA supporter to become part of it”. 
Ted Owens from Cairde Chorcaí said, Our mission has always been to help Cork GAA teams to succeed at the highest level. We believe that this objective and our efforts to improve training facilities and support coaching can best be achieved under the One Cork model. Cairde Chorcaí looks forward to now being incorporated into One Cork, and we ask every GAA member here and abroad to fully support the initiative”. 
The One Cork steering group includes: Kevin O’Donovan (Chairperson), Ted Owens (Vice-Chairperson), Michael O’Flynn, Jim Woulfe, Kieran Calnan, Tracey Kennedy, Marc Sheehan, Diarmuid Gowen, John Mullins, Tomás Mulcahy, Conor McCarthy, Seán O’Brien and Sinéad O’Keeffe.

County Committee Report – 24/11/2020

The County Committee met via Teams on Tuesday 24 November 2020. The minutes of the previous meeting November 3rd were taken as read, having been sent out to clubs previously.

The Runaí began the meeting with correspondence including the following queries:

· Paul McCarthy (Kinsale) asking if an appointments committee had been set up. The chairperson reported that the Executive had not met since the defeat of the Cork footballers last Sunday but that she expected that this issue would be examined in due course and reported back to the County Committee.

· John O’ Flynn (Freemount) asked what type of accounts would be presented for the stadium at Convention and the Runaí said that full accounts were to be presented.

· John Feeney (Dripsey) asked about Rebels’ Bounty and inability to put forward questions during the meeting. The Runaí said questions submitted were being answered, and that the Rebels’ Bounty would come up later in the meeting. The Chairperson explained the difficulties of an interactive meeting on Teams with such a large group of delegates but said it was planned to have a fully interactive convention taking place on December 17th.

The Runaí reported that were no motions for County Convention, and that in relation to correspondence received, there was no election for Development Officer or Children’s Officer as these were appointed positions.

The Runaí then spoke about the new One Cork group which will be launched on Thursday. He explained that it was 12 months in the works and was the coming together of Cork GAA, Chairde Chorcaí, the stadium board and the financial advisory and planning sub-committee. It would be dealing with the stadium finances, with games and with the County Board finances. It is a sub committee and would be a support structure under Cork County Board. It has been approved by Executive . The Cathaoirleach welcomed the new initiative, which had been approved by the Executive and thanked all involved in its development and reported that the launch would take place online on Thursday evening.

The Runaí spoke about the Rebels’ Bounty and the correspondence that had been received. A number of objections had been raised by approximately 20% of clubs, while much positive feedback had also been received. A support committee had been set up to support those clubs who had reservations, and the Executive felt that the time was right to move on with the project. The brochure was complete and had been approved. The website would be live on the first weekend December and this model would be in place for 3 years. The Cathaoirleach described the Rebels’ Bounty as a fantastic opportunity for clubs and hoped that both County Board and clubs would soon reap the benefits.

The Runaí read out the reports on Inter-County teams. The Chairperson said that the exiting of the Championships were disappointing for everyone but that she felt certain no-one was more hurt and disappointed than the players and management, and thanked all players, managers and backroom staff for their efforts throughout a very challenging year.

The Chairperson thanked Richard Murphy, Niamh McCarthy, Eoghan Brennan and Michael Byrne for all their hard work in ensuring the games passed off in a safe manner and that the stadium was in a condition we could all be proud of.

The Runaí said he was hoping to see the Cork Minor teams and Under 20 hurling team in action before Christmas, but that this would become clearer in the next few days.

The Runaí briefly mentioned SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh and the legal case involving an outstanding issue and OCS which had been reported in the media, and while not being able go to into any details, he assured the County Committee that there was an excellent team working on it, including the best professionals and the best volunteers.

The Runaí spoke about the county championships. He said there would be no change in the resumption dates of the 2020 championships in early 2021. The 2021 championship draws would not take place until there was national calendar in place for 2021. He said the minor changes made in 2020 would remain in place for 2021, but the structure approved by the clubs in 2019 would remain in place for 2021. In relation to Independent teams, these would be vetted by CCC.

The Chairperson said that County Convention would take place on Thursday December 17th and that it was planned to be fully interactive. The count for the election of officers would still take place on Friday December 4th and that count team was still being finalised.

In relation to bye-laws, the Runaí delivered a clarification from Croke Park in relation to finance-related sub-committees. As the Executive is the Finance Committee according to general rule, other finance-related committees can still be set up by the Executive and the County Committee but need not be enshrined in bye-law.

Ahead of County Convention it was confirmed the following had been appointed by the Executive as incoming officers: President – Brian Barrett (Nemo Rangers), Development officer – Noel O’Callaghan (Clonakilty), Children’s Officer – Eoghan O’Connor (Erin’s Own), Rebel Óg Chairperson – Michael O’ Mahony (Blarney), Referees’ Administrator – Niall Barrett (Carrigtwohill), IT Officer Terry Brady (Ballygarvan).

The schedule of meetings for the year ahead was agreed. The first meeting will take place on Tuesday January 12th 2021 followed by meetings on the first Tuesday of every month.

The votes of sympathy were read out and a moment’s silence observed.

As it was her last County Board meeting, the Chairperson thanked the delegates for their help, support and friendship over the three years of her term but also the nine years of her time as an officer. She said she would never forget the support offered to her by delegates during her illness some years ago, and through all the difficult times. Meetings were often tough, but exchanges were always characterised by respect and courtesy. She concluded by wishing them all well for the years ahead.

Cork Senior Football Team announced.

The Cork Senior Football Team to play Tipperary on Sunday has been announced.

  1. Micheál Martin (Nemo Rangers)
  2. Kevin O’ Donovan (Nemo Rangers)
  3. Maurice Shanley (Clonakilty)
  4. Paul Ring (Aghabullogue)
  5. Tadhg Corkery (Cill na Martra)
  6. Sean Meehan (Kiskeam)
  7. Mattie Taylor (Mallow)
  8. Ian MaGuire (St Finbarrs) –Captain
  9. Killian O’ Hanlon (Kilshannig)
  10. John O’ Rourke (Carbery Rangers)
  11. Colm O’ Callaghan (Eire Óg)
  12. Ruairi Deane (Bantry Blues)
  13. Mark Collins (Castlehaven)
  14. Brian Hurley (Castlehaven)
  15. Luke Connolly (Nemo Rangers)
  16. Anthony Casey (Kiskeam)
  17. Sam Ryan (St Finbarrs)
  18. Aidan Browne (Newmarket)
  19. Sean White (Clonakilty)
  20. Paul Walsh (Kanturk)
  21. Mark Keane (Mitchelstown)
  22. Kevin O’ Driscoll (Tadhg MacCarthaigh)
  23. Paul Kerrigan (Nemo Rangers)
  24. Michael Hurley (Castlehaven)
  25. Damien Gore (Kilmacabea)
  26. Cathail O’ Mahony (Mitchelstown)