SECRETARY'S REPORT 2010.

FOR A.G.M.

30 September 2010.

Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Na Fianna Cómdháil Bhliantúil 2010. Áras Na Fianna.

CLG Na Fianna AGM 30 th September 2010

Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Na Fianna Comdháil Bliantúil 2010 Áras Na Fianna

Clár

(a) Adoption of Standing Orders. (b) President's Address. (c) Chairman's Address. (d) Minutes of AGM 1st October 2009. (e) Secretary's Report. (f) Treasurer's Report. (g) Appointment of Tellers. (h) Motion and Election of Officers

(a) Uachtarán (b) Leas-Uachtarán (c) Cathaoirleach (d) Leas-Cathaoirleach (e) Rúnaí (f) Leas-Rúnaí (g) Cisteoir (h) Leas-Cisteoir (i) Cathaoirleach Cluichí na nÓg (j) Cathaoirleach Cluichí Shinsearacha (k) Oifigeach Caidreamh Poiblí (l) Two members of Committee.

(i) Motions and Recommendations. (j) Appointments of Auditors. (k) Any Other Business.

CLG Na Fianna AGM 30 th September, 2010 2 CLG Na Fianna AGM 30 th September, 2010

Standing Orders for Annual General Meeting. The proposer of the motion or an amendment thereto, may speak for five minutes but no longer. A person speaking to a motion or amendment shall not exceed three minutes. The proposer of a motion or amendment may speak a second time for five minutes before a vote is taken, but no other person may speak a second time to any motion or amendment. The Chairman shall, at any time he considers that a matter has been sufficiently discussed, call on a proposer to reply, after which a vote must be taken. A person may, with the consent of the Chairman, move 'that the question now be put' after which, when the proposer has spoken a vote must be taken. Secretary’s Report to the 2010 AGM Is onóir mór dom mo Thuarascáil Bliantúil a chur os comhair na Cruinnithe cinn Bliana. Bliain iontach torthúil a bhí ann agus ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le gach aon duine a chabhraigh le riaracháin an chumainn i rith na bliana.

In this, my last, Secretary’s Report it gives me great pleasure to report another extremely busy year for your club both on and off the fields of play. Again we had close on 100 teams participating in League and Championship across all the age groups from Under 8s to senior level. By most measures Na Fianna has grown to be the largest GAA club in the country having fully embraced hurling, football, camogie, ladies’ football and handball. We now compete strongly in all codes.

As you are all no doubt fully aware it has been an extremely challenging year for the club and for numerous club members who have seen their incomes reduced. It has been no mean feat for the club to achieve a better than break-even performance (before depreciation). However the challenge to pay our way continues and containment of expenditure must continue to be a priority.

Our senior teams gave us plenty of excitement during the year with good league performances. Our senior teams in football, ladies’ football and camogie competed at the highest level. The senior footballers, with a number of last year’s Minors in the squad, faced the daunting task of playing Kilmacud Crokes in the Championship but unfortunately were beaten by two points after a tremendous performance. They have acquitted themselves well in the League. The number of younger players coming through the senior and intermediate ranks augurs well for the future. Our Intermediate footballers are mid-table in the League and were beaten by Skerries Harps in the Championship. Our Junior B footballers are in the AFL 7 Championship Final and competing for league honours. Our senior hurlers are competing in the quarter final of the Senior B Championship and are hoping to regain their place in the Senior A. Our Junior A hurlers are in the Championship semi-final and maintained their league status. Our Minor Footballers recently defeated Ballymun Kickhams to advance to the quarter final of the Championship.

What a year it was for the lady footballers with the seniors going all the way to meet Ballyboden St Enda’s in a thrilling semi-final replay? Unfortunately there was to be no two in a row for this team as Ballyboden prevailed on the day. However the performance of our senior ladies and the experience gained by the county players winning the All Ireland Final augurs well for next year. The Junior Ladies Footballers had another great year by winning the Junior Championship for the second year running and performing strongly in Cup and League finishing runners-up in both.

The other big achievement this past year was the winning of the Minor ‘A’ football championship title for the second consecutive time after a 33 year gap. For many on that team this was the second year to progress to a winning place and they topped this achievement by winning the Leinster title – a first Leinster Minor title for the club.

The competitive spirit has been reciprocated all the way down to the older teenage teams. At this stage in the playing calendar it is great to see the club’s teams perform so well across the age groups. In some cases teams are winning trophies and beating opposition for the first time in the club’s 55 year history as you will see from the team reports.

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On the county front, your club was well represented at Minor, Colleges and Under 21 level although for the second year our previous contribution to the Dublin Senior Football Team was notable by its absence.. Hopefully this will change in the years ahead as we need players competing at the top level. The senior hurlers made up for this with Joey Boland and Tomas Brady being lynchpins of the Dublin Senior Hurling team which went so far in the Championship in 2010. Clubman Jonny Cooper brought honour to Na Fianna by captaining the All Ireland Under 21 winning team ably assisted in that effort by another clubman David Quinn. Other club players to make a contribution at county level included Máirtín Quilty, Dara Ó Maoiléidigh, Odhran O Maoilédigh, Mary Nevin, Bernie Finlay, Sorcha Turnbull, & Orlagh Egan.

Our Dublin Ladies Senior Team did us all proud in Croke Park on the 26 th September when they beat Tyrone in the All-Ireland Final. It was tremendous to see so many Na Fianna players on the panel.

On the Juvenile side we had Dublin and All Ireland Feile wins – see team reports for the full story on these successes. .

Some outstanding progress on handball front winning many more provincial and All Ireland titles.

During the year we had the visit of the Uachtarán ,Christy Cooney, as part of the Ag Éisteacht initiative. Furthjermore the Ard Stiúrthóir was a guest speaker at one of the Has Been lunches.

Supporters and mentors are a vital element in successful participation in all our competitions. I would urge family and friends of players to give them whole-hearted sporting support from the sidelines.

Despite the recession the club’s social activities continued apace. The highlight of the year for our family members was the second Night at the Dogs where again the youngsters showed more aptitude and success with the Tote than many of their parents. Well done to Anne Foley and to Ciara May and the team for organizing. This is a great family evening out and I would urge strong support for this event in the year ahead. The social highlight for slightly older club members has to be the Fight Night held in St Vincent’s School this Summer which was an important new fund-raising opportunity for the club. Well done to the organisers led by Gerry Donohoe and to the participants themselves who gave an amazing display of technique, skill and determination.

The new club premises are now in operation for four and and a half years and have gone from strength to strength with two extremely attractive facilities for members and their guests.

A significant number of members have availed of our function rooms for family events like 21 st , 40 th and 50 th birthday parties, retirement parties and Christenings. We hosted a number of wedding parties and the facilities are also being used more and more for funerals of club members and their friends. I would urge members planning a family, social or even work event to consider the facilities that Na Fianna has to offer in the heart of Glasnevin with free unhindered parking under security cameras, modern facilities, live music on tap and a top class professional caterer in Aidan Irwin and his team at Cater 4 U. Bar and facilities manager Ciara May can be contacted at 01 8370210 for those of you in party planning mode. The club’s hall and Mobhi Suite are extremely popular for charity events the pinnacle of which was the Mock Marriage in aid of teenage cancer support held recently. Ciara May was appointed as manager earlier this year and has taken to her task with flair and enthusiasm. She is assisted by long-serving Pat Sullivan who, surprise, surprise, celebrated his 21 st anniversary behind the bar last December - this was marked with a surprise reception which we hope he enjoyed.

It has been the policy of the Executive to hold regular social and family friendly events for members in the club so watch out for club notes in the Evening Herald on Tuesdays for details and our popular website www.clgnafianna.ie.

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Highlights over the past 12 months included the fantastic Lá na gClub organized by Cormac O’Donnchú, Áine Clerkin , Gráinne Gill, Niamh O’Sullivan, Dave Fenton & Manus McAleer. Lá na gClub was initiated in 2009 to celebrate 125 years of the GAA. But it has cemented itself as an important out-reach family day in the club calendar complete with colourful balloon launch. Thank you to Anne Foley & Joan Mangan for their efforts on the balloon launch held during the summer. Thank you to Fionán O’Connell (Crosslight Photography) for his work on Lá na gClub and the club calendar amongst other projects. The club also held it’s first Texas Hold-Em Poker Classic organized by Paddy Connolly and his team. We also had a very enjoyable Food & Wine Night featuring Mairtin MacAniomaire of TG4 (and under 13 camogiementor) which was a very good fundraiser as well as being a fun night. Our Family Bar B Q at the end of August was also an important social night with record numbers in attendance and live music in the Mobhi Suite. This was a great success particularly for our younger members. The fact that matches were taking place on the main pitch during the event added to the buzz. Our “outdoor DJ’’ Keith kept the crowd entertained and was as popular as Aidan Irwin’s burgers and hot- dogs. As can be seen from the Treasurer’s Report the club’s Juvenile Disco, which is held regularly during the year for members and their friends aged 13 to 15 inclusive had an extremely successful year in 09/10. However in recent months the disco has suffered from increased competition from new venues in the hinterland that are targeting boys and girls in first year of secondary school. Many thanks to Ann Gray, Bríd O’Dwyer, Finbar Gaffney, Linda Richardson, Fionnuala Neville, Cormac O’Donnchú, Tom Ryan, Seamus McHugh, Susan Harten, Sandra Tarr, Mary McQuillan, Mary Breen, Regina Breheny Richard Dunne, Ciaran Gray, Paul McCarville and the many parents who helped out in the past year. We try to ensure the Juvenile Discos take place around school holidays and we can host over 300 ‘boppers’ in an evening. This disco is supervised by adults and is strictly a no-smoking, no-alcohol event. As well as being an important social outlet for our members and their friends, it is a good fund-raiser for the club. At the AGM, I will be seeking new members for the Disco Committee especially those with children starting secondary school who have their fingers on the juvenile pulse.

The new All-Weather pitch has just completed its first year in usage and will again be available for Winter training for most of our teams. It is important for parents to realize that the new All Weather is specifically reserved for use for supervised training sessions only. Random kick-arounds and penalty-taking should take place on the older All Weather facility. We need to keep the New All Weather in pristine condition as long as possible and this means that casual use is not permitted. Our older all-weather and club-house reception areas continue to be besieged by young members of all ages. Hopefully unsupervised youngsters will become accustomed to pucking and kicking balls in the handball area or older all-weather facility rather than resorting to the car park. Again this year the facilities committee has had to replace broken windows on a regular basis which few juvenile members admit to breaking.

It is also important for parents to realize that the club cannot supervise their children outside of organized training and matches and the executive goes to great pains and expense to prevent the premises from becoming a location for loitering and mischief particularly during school holidays. The facilities committee under Brian O’Sullivan continued to improve our facilities with new steps onto the All Weather, fencing and hedging on the banks at the entrance to the club etc. The club acknowledges the support of Leinster Council in helping to finance our improved facilities. Our club lotto continues to be a major source of income and now has an online version for club members who reside away from Mobhi Road as well as the two euro envelopes. I would urge members to consider the direct debit lotto which is a bargain at €12 per month and gives two chances to win the jackpot each week. “When you’re in then you can win”.

Gaelic Telecom has raised €5,000 per year for the last three years and many thanks to all those who signed up for Gaelic Telecom which pays a portion of your landline bill to the club. Those interested in Club Lotto Direct Debit or switching to Gaelic Telecom and helping the club in that way, please contact Róisín at the Na Fianna office (01-8370210) between 9am & 1pm Monday to Friday only.

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I referred at the outset to the challenging times which our members are facing. In any club worth its salt members help each other out whenever they can. One of the club’s most active mentors – and a club trustee - Finbar Gaffney has launched a Members’ Services facility on the club website for those members who want to advertise their trade or professional services to the club membership. The service is free of charge and available to all paid up members and is already generating work for those providing services.

Club Committees As before the club made great progress during the year on the back of extremely committed work from a number of committees and their members. The committee is the well-proven GAA method of spreading the workload and the success of the committee system is there to be seen. However with time now the most precious resource, it is no surprise that many committees are crying out for new members. If you wish to make a valuable contribution to your community and avail of a very enjoyable social outlet, then look no further than the members of the committee in which you have an interest.

Executive Committee There were a number of changes to the Executive during the year. Pairic Clerkin was appointed Juvenile Games Chair, after the withdrawal of Billy Fenlon from that position. Karen Dunne was promoted from assistant treasurer to treasurer to succeed Declan O’Sullivan while Ber Buckley was appointed assistant treasurer. At this year’s AGM there will be a number of important positions to be filled. I am stepping down as secretary after seven years but I am still willing to make a contribution on the executive and I have been nominated to run for the role of Vice Chairman. Assistant secretary Des Ó Dubhlainn is also stepping down and has also been nominated to run for the role of Vice Chairman.

Anne Foley, the member of the executive who has been heading up the fund-raising efforts with great diligence, has decided to step down. Colum Cronin is stepping down from his role as Vice Chairman and has been nominated to run for Chairman Adult Games {against the incumbent Tom Ryan.). Linda Richardson has also decided not to go forward again having made a significant contribution.

Social/Catering Committee Many thanks to all who helped out with tea, sandwiches, finger food etc at a myriad of events during the year. It is club policy that parents of players help to supply the sandwiches after important matches and cup wins. These are the unsung heroes of our great club. Míle Buíochas. The new format of the old Mentors’ night “ Friends of Na Fianna” worked very well as did the well-supported ‘Na Fianna’ evening. Ann Ryan and Johnny Quinn organized the Mass for Deceased Members in January which is indeed a special event in the calendar.

Our Saturday morning teas/coffees service is growing and providing a very welcome service of tea and toast to Mums, Dads and other minders during the nursery sessions. The proceeds of the mornings have purchased the lovely trophy display case and the new signage around the Club House. Many thanks to Mary Doolan, Essie 0’Hara, Mary Donohoe, Marie Campbell, Patricia O’Sullivan, Patricia Lowry, Marie Kirwan, Fionnuala Neville and Mary Behan for all the effort. From the surplus generated the group funded the new signage which has recently been installed.

Céilí Committee The Club Céilí is soon switching from the second Saturday of every month to a Friday night slot. A great night of music, dance and 'cupán tae' continues with Mary Murphy, Ann Ryan and their team. I would urge members with an interest in ceili dancing to support this important cultural activity.

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Club Lotto Committee The Lotto team continues to do Trojan work behind the scenes and has expanded its range of interest with on-line lottery this year. Friends of Na Fianna as far away as Limerick and New York can play the lotto on- line as well as picking up club news. My thanks go to Sean Behan, Bob Courtney, Ann Ryan, Jackie Dolan, Vinnie Caffrey, Ian O'Donnell and Paddy Kelly. The direct debit lotto which costs only €12 per month now has almost 200 members and is obviously an important feature of the Lotto’s success as a fundraiser. Parents of juveniles are being asked to support the club’s activities by signing up. 'If you're not in, you can't win'!

Facilities Committee Another year of great work on our pitches, premises and surroundings by our hard-working team of Dermot Moran, Fintan Brennan, Phil Kelly, Pat Clinton, Pat O'Shea, John Bridgeman, Frank Gray, Charlie O’Reilly, Brian O’Sullivan, Gerry Donohoe, Fergus McNally, Dave Buckley, John Campbell, Tom Ryan and Jim Aughney. The committee is chaired by Brian O’Sullivan. The main pitch is a credit to the investment in time and money which has gone into it. Following the improvements to Scoil Chaitriona pitch and St Vincent’s School pitch, the committee is now relishing the challenge of taking on the club’s new leased pitch at Collinstown Lane beside Starlights grounds.

Juvenile Games Committee Pairic Clerkin chairs this critical aspect of the Club’s activities. Prompted very much by Billy Fenlon’s decision to stand down,a fundamental review was conducted of the structures within Juvenile Games. Arising from this,smaller more focused groups meet monthly instead of the much larger meetings previously held. The Co-Ordinators of these have devolved powers and act to filter much of what was previously being brought to the Juvenile Chairman. Allied to the creation of a new role of Fixtures/Pitches Co-Ordinator,(ably filled by Colum Cronin) the new structures are working well. All juvenile teams and the Saturday morning nursery come under the aegis of this committee. James Mangan has completed his second full year as Games Promotion Officer with the task of promoting the club as a source of Gaelic games in the local schools as well as organizing the Saturday morning nursery and keeping mentors on their toes with the latest training techniques.

Bar Committee The successful commercial operation of our Members’ Bar and Function Rooms underpins the financial stability of the club. The service is managed by Ciara May and a group of members work tirelessly week-in week-out to ensure that our facilities operate to the highest standards for our members and guests and generate the profitability needed to sustain our redevelopment borrowings. ‘Cater4U’ operated by Aidan Irwin provides a full catering service for functions and also provides a Sunday lunchtime carvery which has proven popular with members and visitors. The members of the Bar Committee are John Mangan (Chairman), Tom Gilligan, Charlie O’Reilly , Domo Weir, JoeWalsh, Pádraigín Breathnach and Ronan Nolan. Sadly John Mangan is stepping down from this committee after a number of years of hard work.

Fund Raising Committee Last year: The committee’s first major project was to encourage all members to participate in the Club’s Lotto on a regular basis. Members were contacted during the autumn seeking their support. Committee: Anne Foley (Chair), John Mangan, Richard Dunne, David Doran, Finbar Gaffney, Bernie Caffrey, Ciara May, Joseph Devins, Carol Quinn, Rachel Quinn and Rose Collins. In a year when the economy made

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fund-raising particularly difficult, the group put on a varied and interesting programme which had something for everyone. Juvenile Disco Committee This bunch of people has managed to organize a Juvenile Disco almost once a month throughout the year. We have had up to 300 young people under 15 attending on a regular basis. The disco is an important social event for our young members and friends and provides an (legal obligation !) alcohol free environment for the attendance.

I would like to thank the members of the Juvenile Disco Committee (named above) for maintaining high standards of comfort, safety and enjoyment throughout the year.

Other Committees A number of other committees met during the year including the Sale of Work Committee under Martin Quilty and the GPO Steering Committee comprised of Paul McCarville and Ann O’Dea.

Trustees Our trustees are Paul Smith, Ciaran Gray and Finbar Gaffney. John Costello represents the Dublin County Board and Michael Delaney represents the Leinster Council on our board of trustees. Many thanks to them for their support and vigilance.

Club member and intermediate player Leo Fay is our legal officer while John Corcoran of Walker & Co handles our bar licence renewal each year. Other members have provided specialist expertise from time to time – buíochas libh go léir

Delegates Special thanks to our delegates who represented the club at various county committees including Charlie O'Reilly, Kieran Redmond, Ricky O’Sullivan, Liz O’Brien, Ann Ryan, Billy Fenlon and Michael Griffin

World Wide Web Colin O'Reilly continues to do Trojan work in assisting Na Fianna to bring its message to the club members and to the wider GAA world. I would recommend that members check out the website as a favourites home page for upcoming events and crucial background information on matters like Players Injury Funds. Addresses: Website - www.clgnafianna.ie - E-mail – [email protected] Club Shop Special thanks to Sean Behan, Sheila Quinn, Seosamh Breathnach, Patricia Close and Tiarnán Ó Dubhlainn for their work in the shop on Saturday mornings. The club continues to try to meet the equipment needs of all teams and juveniles. Members who no longer have need of helmets and hurleys are asked to donate them to the club for re-use by juvenile members. Contact Sean. If buying a new helmet – trade-ins are accepted. €10 given off the price of a new helmet provided old helmet is in good condition. No trade-ins offered on any other item.

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Administration

Róisin O’Sullivan has again performed her role of permanent part-time Administrator in the club this year. Róisin undertakes a great deal of administrative work on behalf of the Executive and provides support particularly on the financial side of the house, wages administration, club lotto etc. She is available from 9am to 1pm Monday to Friday in the club offices at 01-8370210. Members should restrict their demands on Roisin’s time to those office hours & should use the office phone number to contact her with Na Fianna-related queries.

Club History and Archive Project

Work has progressed throughout the year on a club Archive Project. A storage area for archive material is nearing completion within the club house and a range of club documents and memrobilia has been assembled. Advice has been sought for storing delicate documents and a filing structure has been established. The computer hardware and scanning software is operational and work has begun over the Summer months on scanning all the historical Nuachts available. Links have been established with UCD researchers and the GAA oral history project. A number of oral history recordings/interviews have taken place at the Has Beens Lunch in April ‘10. Committee members are Brian O’Sullivan, John Campbell, Aidan Collins, Eamonn Murphy, Pat Cooney, Cathal ÓFeinneadha and Cormac Ó Donnchú

Condolence The Executive Committee wishes to offer condolences to the families of all members who passed away during the year. There was the tragic passing of hurlers James McKeogh earlier in the year & one of our founding fathers Jack Murphy passed away recently. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. Mass for all deceased members will again be celebrated in the club in the New Year.

Séamus Mac Fhactna Runaí 22/09/2010.

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2010 Juvenile Team Reports

It has been a busy and exciting year at juvenile level with a total restructuring of our committee taking place since the last AGM. There have been many fantastic successes on the pitch most notably the crowning of our under 14A footballers as All Ireland Feile Champions! It has been a privilege to return to the position of Juvenile Chairman having handed over to Charlie O Reilly almost fifteen years ago. The growth and development since then has been phenomenal. The nursery is as strong as ever. The late Paddy Brosnan would be extremely proud of how it has stimulated the incredible growth within the club since he started to take the four and five year old children at the top corner of the main pitch every Saturday morning. Ladies Football and Camogie continue to develop rapidly. Indeed we may soon see the girls numbers equal the boys at nursery level. The juvenile handballers had another successful year. It is great to see a number of our younger players training in the new 40x20 alley on Friday evenings. Each of the juvenile coordinators developed a mentor’s handbook for their sector during the year. Many thanks to Richie Dunne for leading this project. A number of items are on the agenda for next year such as developing coaching guidelines, inventory of juvenile equipment/jerseys and looking at the structures at the older age groups (under 13 upwards) to ensure we give each player the opportunity to reach their full potential and hopefully maximise the number of players moving into the adult games sector. I would like to acknowledge the commitment and hard work of Colum Cronin and Billy Fenlon at Juvenile level over the last number of years. A special thanks to Pat, Michael, Richie, Dave, Billy, Mango, Liz, Ricky, Cliona and indeed all of the juvenile mentors for all their support throughout the year. I would also like to thank Anne Foley for continuing to coordinate the vetting of all juvenile mentors and Roisin O Sullivan for her fantastic support in the club office. A special word of thanks to Anne O’Dea for all the sterling word carried out across the Nursery, CCC1 and CCC2.

It was inevitable that the juvenile section would need restructuring considering the rapid growth in recent years. Colum Cronin initiated this in late 2009. The committee is now structured as follows;

Juvenile Chairman - Pairic Clerkin Juvenile Secretary - Pat Brennan Nursery coordinated by James Mangan Girls1 coordinated by Dave Fenton. (Girls football and camogie up to and including under 12). Girls 2 coordinated by Billy McLaughlin (under 13, 14, 15, 16 camogie and ladies football). CCC1 coordinated by Richard Dunne (under 8 ,9, 10, 11 and 12 boys). CCC2 coordinated by Michael Griffin (under 13, 14, 15 and 16 boys). Both Richard and Michael also represent the club as CCC1 and CCC2 delegates. Cliona Ni Dhalaigh has liaised with the committee throughout the year with regard to juvenile handball. Ricky O Sullivan - Ladies Football Delegate Liz O Brien - Minor Board Camogie Delegate

Pairic Clerkin

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NURSERY Our Nursery continues to go from strength to strength as we are boasting close to 450 boys and girls involved in camogie, football and hurling every Saturday morning from 9.30 to 11.00. A huge amount of work and organisation goes into each age group from all the mentors, ensuring that the activities are both age and ability appropriate. See below for a break down of each group’s number of participants; BOYS NUMBER 2006 35+ 2005 60+ 2004 70 2003 70 GIRLS NUMBER 2004+ 50+ 2003 65 2002 65 2001 60 While the above numbers are impressive the challenge for the club now is to maintain the high attendance and high level of coaching among all the volunteer mentors. It should be noted that a number of local clubs are beginning to re-structure their nurseries which will have an affect on our catchment area. The club is trying to start a number of initiatives which will reduce that affect. It should also be noted that our nursery is one of the most highly rated in the county and it’s not unusual to see mentors from other clubs here some Saturday mornings, looking for tips!!! A special note of thanks to Anne O’Dea for all her help every Saturday morning. Also all the minor lads and ladies who regularly make themselves available to help whenever needed.

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ACTIVITY REPORTS – Adult Field Games

ADULT FOOTBALL Senior Football – N/A Adult Football 7 (Junior Football) - N/A Adult Football 10 (Junior Football) N/A Minor Football Minor Football 2009/10

2009 was an extraordinary year for Na Fianna Minor football. Having won the Dublin Minor Football championship in 2008, we went on to retain that title and achieve Leinster honours. A striking characteristic of this squad was their close teamwork and willingness to play for each other, given that they span three different years of players, shows an openness and determination to learn and succeed . Our B squad contested their final in O’Toole park to be pipped at the post. That experience will bear fruit in seasons to come.

This year, 2010, thanks to the work done at juvenile level, the compliment of players is again high, and with additional mentors, over 50 players have been catered for in Na Fianna Minor football with three teams in the league and championship.

In the Summer, despite holidays and exams, games continued uninterrupted and all teams competed well and completed all league competitions. Mixed challenges were held to allow players from different years and levels to show their stuff. The mentors approach is one of inclusion and improvement, giving each player the chance to progress and achieve.

Competition for places is high, as is the intensity on the pitch, our players are showing their growing maturity by their self discipline and encouragement of each other under match pressure and in training.

We would like to wish our players every success in their future sporting career and in their adult lives, and acknowledge the respect they have earned for themselves and our club. They are good ambassadors. A special thanks to our sponsors who consistently and quietly give their support and the parents whose encouragement and commitment is tangibly seen in the umpire and line, hundreds of miles travelled and jerseys washed, and in the hospitality they always show to visiting teams.

The Minor Football mentors

ADULT HURLING Senior Hurling –N/A

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Junior C Hurling Having won the Junior D championship last year we moved up a division with no real great faith in ourselves that we could top this. Mainly due to the fact that about 9 of our players were moved up to the Junior A’s due to their outstanding performance during the D Championship. We wish all of these guys the very best and are welcome back to us if ever they wish to drop down! However new guys have been recruited and we are back on track. We have a semi final coming up shortly which we are training very hard to secure a win and then on to the final. We will remain optimistic for this event. It was with immense sadness we lost our goal keeper and friend James Mc Keogh on the 30 th of January in a car accident and its proving a difficult position to fill. We held our medal ceremony hosted by Bertie Ahern back in May and invited up James family to receive his medal. Everyone enjoyed themselves and was delighted the family attended in such large numbers. A Memorial tournament was organised for the August bank holiday weekend which saw all adult hurling teams from Na Fianna combining to form a team and make representation. They travelled down to Ballina and the day went off with huge success though sad. The team this year owe a great deal to the efforts made from 2 injured players Jack Nicolas and Stephen Cooper who have taken the team and trained them 2 nights a week for the whole season. Without them the team would be a much undisciplined set of players without a doubt. I would also like to thank Ciaran Redmond, Bob Courtney Thomas Redmond, Martin Quilty for all the help and support during the past year, the management of both the C’s and E’s seem to have been a joint affair which added to our strength and camaraderie. I would also like to thank Tom Ryan for his wealth of knowledge an support during this year helping me finding my feet with all that one needs to know and do as a Manager. Pascal Conboy you are missed more than you know. Finally, Thanks to the committee for all the hard work behind the scenes. Dee Kernan, Co. Manager of Junior C hurling team

Minor Hurling – N/A

ADULT CAMOGIE Senior A Camogie The current status of this team is that the league is complete and we are through to the championship quarterfinal after a brilliant performance against Raheny. The quarter final will be held on the 19 th September (time and the venue unavailable at the report deadline). Our opponents will be either Good Counsel or Oliver Plunketts. Based on recent results and form, there is a real chance that the club could have a team in the semi final of a Senior A championship for the first time in about 15 years. There is a great deal of potential in this team. If the established players, along with the up and coming young talent can be blended into a coherent panel it should be possible to establish Na Fianna as a force at the highest level of the game in the Dublin. While our league position doesn't mirror that statement, anyone who witnessed our recent performances in the league and championship, will have no doubt that this is a realisable goal.

If the breakthrough doesn't happen this year it should certainly happen in the next year or two. However this is dependent on many factors: player attitude, availability of players and the positive encouragement within the club for girls to achieve their potential. It would be our view that the best players in the club should be available to, training with and playing on the Senior A team. Panel This management team took over at the beginning of the year, and were given a panel of 27 names on paper. However as it transpired we subsequently lost 2 to longterm injuries, 4 who never appeared and 4 inter registered players who either decided against making the step up or were unavailable. This left in reality a panel of 17, and we had to contend with exams, holidays, injuries and players playing for multiple teams in both football and camogie.

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This meant that it was more usual to have only about 10 players at training sessions and on occasion requiring the assistance of the Inter team to field, which made it difficult to develop the team.

Preparation Probably along with most adult teams in the club, we experienced difficulty in getting pitches for training mainly before the clock went forward. We shared a one hour slot in the new all weather with the Inter camogie team on a Tuesday. While it can be constructive for the two teams to train together, on occasions there were nearly 30 of us, which was difficult for that space. Though we requested a second slot on a Thursday, it wasn’t possible to facilitate us, instead we had a slot on a Saturday which wasn't ideal as it clashed with intercounty, work and college commitments. Unfortunately our league matches commenced as soon as the clock went forward and the team was not ideally prepared. Season Structure The County Board restructured the season and we would argue that while it sought to give a clear run to the county team, it was detrimental for clubs, as it was difficult to maintain any sort of momentum. We had 5 league games in 6 weeks starting at the beginning of April, then a gap of 3 ½ months before we had our last 3 league matches in consecutive weeks. The 2nd round of the championship was fixed 4 days after the first. It was far from ideal. It would be far better to have a season which is balanced to satisfy the needs of the County team not at the expense of the club teams. Results The team came bottom of the league winning only one game v St Judes. However there was only one team that could be said to have outclassed us on the night, Ballyboden St Endas who won the league unbeaten. We were competitive in nearly all our games, despite rarely having a full panel to pick from and having difficulty in fielding a settled team. We should have won many of those league games. During the first part of the season our performances were inconsistent however, the second part of the season has been more successful coinciding with the availablility of some of the original panel and Inter players playing with us– many of whom can more than hold their own at this level. We are now through to the quarter final of the championship and it is hoped that with the right attitude and availability of all players that the team can progress even farther.

Future It is unsure at the moment what the county board's view will be on relegating a team to the B division. However the club should lobby to ensure that this team competes in the A division next year as competing at this level can only bring the team on. A strong, performing and winning team at Senior A can only be good for camogie in the club as a whole by improving the standard of camogie played and should always be an objective in any of the games the club promotes. We would also urge that the camogie board and ladies football board would cooperate with regards to fixtures. Finally we think it would be useful going forward to have a more cohesive strategy for bringing players through the ranks in the camogie section of the club, to have a forum for meeting, planning and communication. During this year there was no structure by which views could be aired or problems resolved except on an adhoc basis. We should acknowledge the assistance and co-operation given by the Inter selectors who were themselves competing for honours and trying to balance the needs of their own panel and that of the senior panel. Donal Murphy, Paddy O Reilly, Annmarie Gray It should be the ambition of every young player to aspire to make it to the Senior panel. More work needs to be done to encourage and support younger players making their way up to senior.

Minor A Camogie

This was the first yr the camogie board introduced a Minor League and Championship to the Juvenile section and NaF really supported this and took part in the Div 1 section there were 6 teams in Div 1, Naf, Vincents, Judes, Boden, Bridgets and Lucan We did well in beating Boden Bridgets and Lucan but lost to both Judes and Vincents by 4 points and 6 points respectfully

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There is a championship at the end of the yr and we have been drawn in a goup with Boden and Bridgets so would hope to sucessfully come out of the group and reach the semifinal stages We believe the introduction of the Minor league was a great success as it kept all of the under 16 team from last yr playing, we did not loose one player for the start of 2010, and having started the season with minor league all players went on to play either intermediate or junior for the remainder of the yr keeping a good pool of players available for the adult teams We would like to thank Peter Pringle for his help in training the girls

Mentor Sandra Tarr and Anne McInerney

Senior ‘B’ Camogie –N/A

Intermediate Camogie

Training for 2010 Intermediate camogie panel commenced in January. A few players were earmarked to make the transition to the Senior panel as the season progressed. We registered a healthy number of 25 players. Team captain for 2010 is Kate Mooney. The league commenced with two hard fought wins against Raheny and St Marks. There followed an easier win away to Ballyboden SE. The next match was a tough game against a strong Crumlin team. We lost by a point in which remains our only loss in the league so far. With six games to go Na Fianna are joint top of the league with St Marks and with a bit of luck and hard work can go on to win out. The Intermediate A Championship commenced at the end of July. The squad was bolstered by the return of Naoise Webb after the Leaving Cert and Celine Campbell who had spent a year studying abroad. We also gained Patricia O’Sullivan, an excellent player from Cork. First round of championship was a high scoring win against our neighbours Erins Isle. In the next round we were drawn against our great rivals Crumlin. In another titanic battle Crumlin just edged it again. Na Fianna went back into the back door quarter final against Raheny which we won fairly comfortably. In the semi final we faced a tough assignment away to St Judes. In a terrific performance we won 2-4 to 1-3 to give us a place in the final against St Marks who beat Crumlin in their semi final. On 29 th August we played the Championship final at Trinity Gaels grounds. It was a pulsating match. The girls had great support on the line. As the match edged to its conclusion Na Fianna had a 7 point lead. However St Marks responded with 2-2 in the last six minutes to take the lead. Despite being awarded two late frees we couldn’t force extra time. It was a heartbreaking way to lose a final but the girls did themselves and their club proud with a fantastic run in the championship. We are determined to win the league and bring some silverware back to Mobhi Road. Eve O’Brien, Khloe Dillon-Coote, Lucy Collins and Susan Clinton represented Dublin at U18 level. Many thanks to all family members who showed great support to the girls this year. In particular Mary Breen for supplying half time oranges and for umpiring with the one and only Sean Lohan. Many thanks to the junior and senior mentors for their great support and cooperation during the season. Mentors : Joe Langan, Fiachre Foran, Maireaine Quigley, Tony O’Brien

Junior ‘B’ Camogie A sucessful yr so far for our Junior B camogie team, currently 2nd in the league with two games to go, We only lost one game this yr which was early in the season when we went down 4 points to N Maurs (currently in top spot) The Junior team of 2010 is made up of the Junior B panel from 2009 plus the majority of the 1993 players from 2009. The team gelled very well with the 'older girls' really welcoming the younger girls on to the team. The younger girls certainly helped strenghted this already dedicated group of players. We were hopeful for success in championship but unfortunately went down to the eventual Winners CBC (Kevins of Synge Street) in the quarter final by 4 points On the day it was a game of two Halves, it took the Na Fianna girls a while to get going, at half time we were down 12 points to no score but a brilliant second half saw NaF scored 11 points to CBB's 3 points but it wasn’t enough to claw back all of CBC's first half lead the Question for 2010 is will we be promoted to Junior A.

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We would like to thank the mentors of our under 16 and under 15 teams who during leaving cert, college exams and summer holidays supported the Junior team by allowing a couple of their players play up Junior, we believe this experience has really helped the younger girls and will prepare them for their move from Juvenile to the Adult section in the near future.

Mentors Seán Ó Cinnéide, Sandra Tarr, Anne McInerney,Ciara Fitzgerald

LADIES FOOTBALL (ADULT)

Junior Ladies’ football The Junior Ladies have just about concluded another successful season. There is one Cup match remaining in the season. We commenced with our 2nd Annual 9-a-side tournament in November 2009. Through this tournament we found a number of new players some of whom became an integral part of the squad. At the end of November we celebrated winning our 2009 championship along with the Senior Ladies team.

Training proper commenced in January 2010 and from the start attendance was high at each training session at around 20 players per session. This grew to an average attendance of 24 players at training and a max of 30 on a few occcasions. We lost our opening league match heavily to Ballinteer St Johns. This proved to be the impetus for a successful season. We went through the Championship group stages without losing a game and met Ballinteer again in the semi final at home. We beat them by 7 points having been 9 points down 10 minutes into second half and went on to beat Kilmacud Crokes in the final on 1st September for our second championship in 2 years. This was testimony to the tremendous effort and commitment shown by the entire squad. In both the semi & final the will to win from the players was what brought the team through. In the other 2 competitions we finished as runners up in the league and will either win or finish runners up in the Cup depending on the last round of games.

During the season we held a fundraiser and raised €850. Part of this went towards a new set of jerseys for the team, McGowans of Phibsborough provided the balance of the cost of jerseys. We are grateful to Colum Cronin for his assistance with the allocation of training facilities such as St Mary's in the early part of the year which meant we could have a second night's training and the back pitch for the latter end of the season. We are also grateful to the club in general under the Chairmanship of Paul McCarville for their assistance particularly with facilities for the fundraiser and provision of food after the cship final, partcularly in these financially difficult times. We are very grateful to James Mangan and Tonya Allen for their invaluable assistance from time to time at training sessions. Finally, we would like to say a special thank you to Ricky O'Sullivan for his representations on our behalf at County Board.

For the next season we would like to see some integration of players at Minor level into the Junior team. For some this would be a very good stepping stone to the Senior team and for others an opportunity to play football at a decent level in Div 4. Many players in other clubs playing at Junior level are in fact Minor players. '

Mentor: John Freir

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ACTIVITY REPORTS – Juvenile Games JUVENILE GAMES - Football

Under 8 Boys Football Another enjoyable year for the 2002 Boys football group. This was our first year playing Go Games and a big step for all involved moving to weekday training and then the match on Sat morning. Boys and mentors revelled in the opportunity to play against lots of other north-side clubs in grounds far and wide. Our numbers increased this year to 70 boys and we continue to have a fantastic turnout at games and training alike. We are the first group in the history of NaFianna to comfortably enter 7 teams at U8, a real sign of a continuing strength in numbers which stems from the success of the Nursery program. We entered 7 teams of 10 boys to play, comprised of 2 groups of 3 teams and a separate group of 1 team. Despite the prescribed 7 vs 7 Go Games format we invariably fielded more than 7 players per game owing to weight of numbers available on the sideline by both teams. The NaFianna U8s fared very well against the other clubs whilst recognising that we have a broad spectrum of boys. In terms of training, it was very exciting for all involved to train under floodlights and on the all weather pitch for the first time back in Feb. It was a beautiful crisp evening and there was a great buzz amongst boys and mentors. Over the year we have tried to develop lots of drills and games to ensure that we kept the training sessions fun and fresh whilst trying to help the boys improve in areas such as kicking, passing, blocking, catching, hopping, shadowing and tackling. Of course the match at the end of every session is so important and we can really see the boys improving as the weeks go by. Another summer has come and gone and with it a very enjoyable Mini- leagues series of games. We were very lucky with the weather , and boys, mentors and parents thoroughly enjoyed very competitive games on those balmy summer evenings. Special thanks to Mark Brabazon for being the lead co-ordinator this year for the Mini-Leagues. Finally just a word of thanks to all the mentors involved in 2002 boys. We are very fortunate to have a great bunch of mentors who are very committed and who work very well together and with the boys. Each mentors brings a different but welcome perspective to the group. Mentors: Andy Matthews; Mark Brabazon; Dermot Kane; David Kerins; Fergus McCabe; Paul Carroll; Paul Flynn; Shay McHugh; Shane Coleman; Dermot Conroy; Philip Mongey; TJ Gleeson; Dara McGowan

Under 9 Football

Our Under 9 Football group continue to impress as they progress through the year. We have a dedicated team of mentors for our panel of 56 boys. We have a 3 team and 2 team group participating in CCC1 Go Games. Our emphasis has been and continues to be on core skill development with maximum fun and enjoyment. Many thanks to all the boys’ parents/guardians for their co-operation during the year. Also thanks to all the boys and their hard-working mentors: Kieran Brennan, Ciaran Burke, John Cleary, Aidan Farrington, Cian Ferriter, Tom Flaherty, Martin Kelly, Noel O’Reilly, Ricky O’Sullivan, Joey Smyth, Paul Smith

Under 10 Football There are over 60 boys playing football in the 2000 age group and we continue to get new joiners. Mentor numbers are healthy too, which is vital both for training and matches. We field five 9-a-side teams in the Dublin Go Games league, split into a 3-team and a 2-team group. Two teams were entered in the John Mitchel's (Newry) U10 boys tournament in early June, which was one of the highlights of the year so far. Both teams acquitted themselves very well, one narrowly failing to get out of the group and the second going on to win the shield competition for group runners-up. The icing on the cake was the award to Kevin Burke of the Player of the Tournament trophy. Thanks, as ever, go to all the mentors, parents and the boys themselves for all the effort invested in the past year.

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Under 11 Football In February 2010 Na Fianna U-11 boys football commenced playing in the Dublin Northside Go Games football Cup + League matches. Facilitating our large playing numbers of sixty registered U-11 footballers, we entered 4 teams : 2 in Div1 and 2 In Div3 – to date we are very competitive in both Divisions.A special word of thanks to all the parents and guardians – because of their commitment, support and drive Na Fianna can boast of having one of the largest U-11 Football boys groups in Dublin and County. Finally a word of thanks goes to the managers and trainers for their efforts and support throughout the year. Mentors: Pat Brennan, Luke Lacey, Fergal O’ Dwyer, Noel McKenna, Padraic Bolger, John O’Dea, Fergal Brophy, James Sweeney, Jack Byron, Eugene Mc Hugh, Paul Whelan, Ger Mackey, John Collins.

Under 12 Football N/A

Under 13 Football

59 young lads take to the training field and matches at U13 with great commitment and comradeship. Success on and off the pitch has been underpinned by strong parental support and weekly communication between the three panels. 28 players out of a combined total of 39 have rotated between the A and B panels this year and a further 10 have rotated between B and C reflecting the commitment at this age group to ensure that players are playing at an appropriate level and experiencing competition for places. While not without its challenges in terms of the divergence in ability levels; the desire to remain competitive in matches; and the logistics of pitching training at the ability level across the panels; there is a commitment among the mentors to maintain cohesion at this age group with the aim of keeping lads involved in Na Fianna and supporting them to maintain their friendships across the group.

A Football : Two balanced A football teams were entered into Division 1 in 2009 and they finished second and third respectively. We continue to reap the rewards of this ‘2 A-team Division 1’ strategy this year as evidenced by the large number of players who have played for the A team in our 14 competitive matches (4 Grading games & 10 league games). It is pleasing to note that 28 different players have played in these games.

The team has performed superbly in the league; played 10 and won 9. All eyes will be on the top-of-the- table league decider in Albert College against Ballymun Kickhams on October 2. The team enjoyed several challenge matches including Omagh St. Enda’s (followed by Dublin v Tyrone in Healy Park), North Kildare Development Squad and Louth Development Squad (played in the state-of-the-art Darver Centre of Excellence). Meanwhile ten of the players participated in Feile Peil while eleven players are currently on the Northside Dublin Development Squad. Finally may we express our thanks to all those who have helped in any way with the panel during 2010.

B Football : The B team ply their trade in Division 4 and are presently in 2 nd position having won 5, lost 3 and drawn 2. While we are well placed to get promoted this year such an outcome would present us with a challenging Feile group – whatever happens the lads have a good year of football to look forward to at U14. There is great spirit among the squad and each player gives his all during matches. Many of the lads have recently entered secondary school and are trying to balance the competing demands of various sports (and I should mention homework). We wish them, and their parents, well in the ‘best years of their lives’. Thanks are due to the large contingent of parents who attend matches, put up nets etc etc. Thanks also to the Juvenile Chairperson, Coordinators and our fellow mentors. Paddy Connolly & Pádraig Deeley

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C Football : The C team has a fluid panel of about 22 lads who play in a competitive Division 7 of the All county league. We have a great of group of lads who show tremendous dedication through their attendance at training and matches. Typically we have 20 fellas at matches and 18 fellas at training. In January we sat down as a group (players, mentors and parents) to agree some goals for 2010. Since then the lads have made fantastic progress on improving their skills, bonding as a group and having a lot of fun along the way. The improvement is evidenced by the number of fellas who have comfortably adapted to playing with the B team when the opportunity has arisen. It is also evidenced by some notable performances against the stronger teams in our Division.

Like the rest of the 1997 group, many of the lads have recently entered secondary school and are dealing very well with the added demands and responsibilities that come with this change. We wish them well in the years ahead and hope they continue to grow and develop with Na Fianna. Finally a huge thanks to the parents and guardians of the boys who support us in so many ways by attending matches, organising lifts, putting up nets and flags, washing the jersies, acting as umpires and linesman etc. Richard Dunne, Seosamh Ó Maolalaí, Tiarnán Ó Dubhlainn

Under 14 Football Firstly, all three 1996 boys teams performed very well during 2009 in their first year of cross-city football leagues. They all adapted well to the 15-a-side games on larger pitches. This year again, three teams are entered in divisions 1, 4 and 7. Niall Cooper and Pat McCarthy joined us at the start of the year to assist with the Division 1 team. This team is currently unbeaten and has a great chance of winning the U14 Division 1 title. Our Division 4 and 7 teams are both very competitive with some very good wins during the year. At this stage, both teams have strong ambitions to finish the year in the top half of their respective league tables. As everybody knows, Féile is a big event for U14s and what a year 2010 has turned out to be for this age group and for Na Fianna. All three teams played in the Dublin Féile competition in May. Our Division 1 team won the Dublin Féile Péil title narrowly defeating Ballyboden St. Endas in the final in Parnell Park. Our Division 4 team played extremely well and were very unlucky to miss out on a semi-final place on score difference. Our Division 7 team played magnificently in a very competitive group, coming from behind to defeat Ballyboden St Endas in a thrilling final in Parnell Park. As Division 1 champions, Na Fianna headed off “on tour” to Derry in July to represent Dublin in the National Féile Péil Competition. It was a weekend never to the forgotten! From the hospitality shown to us all by our host club Slaughtneil, to the performance of the boys on the pitch culminating in winning the Division 1 National Féile title against a strong team from Douglas in Cork. The county and national titles are a first for Na Fianna. Memories that will last forever! The successes in Féile Péil this year for all three teams reflected the strong commitment from the players, backed up by the players and mentors from the 1997 group. As mentors, we’re very proud of their achievements. It is a big challenge for any club to field three 15-a-side teams at a single age group and the 1996 mentors would like to thank all of the boys for their continued enthusiasm and regular attendance at training / matches. We would also like to acknowledge the support that we receive from the 1997 boys group. Finally, a big thank you to all the parents; those who assisted in the fundraising for Féile; those who provided sponsorship for the Derry trip; and particularly not forgetting those who wash gear, help with nets / flags and stand on the sidelines.

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Under 15A Football Talented, hard-working and smashing group of lads playing in the most competitive and open Division 1 League at any age group. The lads have worked from January right through to now, most taking time out just for Gaeltacht sojourns and family holidays. An amalgamation of players from 15As and 15Bs won the Ger Canavan Tournament, inaugurated in 1998 and became the third Na Fianna team to bring the trophy to Mobhi Rd.. In a titanic match on September 5 th , we got beaten by Ballyboden after extra time in the first round of the Championship (we’ve met Boden in U13 Championship and Feile finals). With three of our team leaders out thru injury, the lads on duty, bolstered by some super Under 14s, did themselves and the club huge credit and pride, in a skilful and battling display. Now focussing on the Shield and remaining League games and intending to finish year on a high. Mentors Gerry Donohoe, Mick Downes, Neil Mulhern

Under 15B Football Mentors : Dave Buckley / Eoin Martin. This year is proving to be another very successful season for this hard working and ambitious squad of players. Having finished second in the U14 league we found ourselves promoted from Div4 to Div3. This presented the team with a major challenge. But is was a challenge that they met head on and with great enthusiasm. With only one game remaining in the current league the lads are set to finish 4 th . As of now our focus has switched to the Championship. The team recently defeated Templeogue/Synge St A Team by the narrowest of margins in a hard fought round 1 match. We now look forward to round 2 when we go head to head with St Finians/Swords. We as mentors are very proud of this group of players and hope they will continue to enjoy Gaelic Games and their association with our Club for many years to come.

Under 15C Football During the teenage years keeping players engaged gets tougher, but this is our number one priority. Anyone who has seen our players train will testify that they work as hard as any A team and they play with exceptional courage and commitment. The number count for training is down from last year, but still we usually have 14 to 16 from a full squad of 20 (attendance affected by exam distractions and pulled muscles) at training. Our lads benefit from a five-strong mentor support group, who bring fresh voices and energy to our sessions. We occasionally remind ourselves that we must be doing something right because we are now the only club in Dublin fielding a third team at under 15 age level.

On the pitch we remain very competitive (3rd of 13 in Division 5) although we were beaten in the championship by a club who could not fulfil a league fixture ten days earlier. It hurts seeing the opposition starting half a team of players who would not be available to them in the league in a big fixture. We believe this winning is important but the bigger prize for us is keeping our players positively involved through to minor level. We have decided to prioritise our own players and if we lose some big matches we can live with it, as long as we are competitive enough to save the lads pride. The mentors are very proud of this team. We will walk the line in this year's shield and hopefully with most of them into the u16's. Charlie Ferguson, Declan Fitzgerald, Bill Murphy, Philip Webb, Dave Williams

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Under 16A Football Again a consistent year on the playing front, with team currently in top half of Div 1 league. Early exit in Championship to St Sylvestors after first round win against Oliver Plunketts. Lads lucky to have a good coaching team in Paraic O’Connor, Fearghal Scanlon and Tommy Burke resulting in improved individual and team performances. The entire U 16 age cohort benefited from strength & conditioning course run by Robbie Burke at the start of the season. Sincere thanks to U 15 mentors, Gerry Donohoe, Mick Downes , Dave Buckley and the U 16 B mentors, Seoirse Smith and Barry Delaney, who have helped us out on many occasions, making their players available, to allow us fulfil fixtures. Most of the lads now sampling Minor football training and games which should have them well prepared for next season. Overall a great bunch of lads, a happy squad with great support from parents

Under 16B Football 2010 sees the end of Juvenile football for this cohort. A milestone in many ways - not least of which as the majority of them have been with the club since the nursery. It is thanks to the nursery programme and the mentors that we have had looking after this group that we continue to be able to field a second team, even sporadically, at this age group when many other clubs are reduced to one team.

The year has been a difficult one as inconsistent opposition availability and other clubs dropping out of the league have meant occasionally long breaks between competitve matches for the U16B's on top of a number of injuries and interruptions by Junior cert study and exams. Currently lying fourth in the table the team have been competitive this year having lost by a narrow single score margin or drawn with the top 3 teams. For the post summer restart we are hoping to build on a series of strong first half leads that are maintained into the second half of games for more wins against the top 3 in our league.

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JUVENILE GAMES - Hurling

Under 8 Hurling The u8 (2002) hurlers continue to develop and enhance their hurling skills. We have 49 young hurlers and we entered 5 teams for the go-games leagues. All our games have been very competitive and the boys are really enjoying the games. We would like to thanks the boys for their continued dedication and the parents for their support. Additional volunteers to assist in training and matches always welcome. Training is at 515pm on Fridays in Mobhi Rd. Parents are notified of matches via text message (please respond promptly re availability) and the u8 hurlers page on the Na Fianna Website is updated with any relevant information. The focus remains on having the craic and the message to all the boys is keep practicing! Mentors – Jim Deane, TJ Gleeson, James Jesson, Dermot Conroy, John Kelly, Philip Mongey, Andy Matthews, Eric Halligan, Perry Kalk.

Under 9 Hurling The Under 9 hurlers continue to get great numbers this year. We have forty-five hurlers on paper with enough numbers to field 4 9 –a-side teams. We train on a Monday evening and are regularly getting 35+ attendances. This being the first year we have had streamed team, we have noticed an improvements in all the boys skills although w e continue to stress the need for regular practice outside of training and match days, We have been fairly competitive at all levels this year putting in great performances against other clubs. We are putting an emphasis on the boys developing their skills and to this end we record the number of skill points achieved in matches on the website, rather than the actual game scores The mentors have been getting valuable assistance from some of the parents but we could always do with more, both at the training sessions as well as on matchdays in terms of getting pitches set up and put back in place. With the extra assistance we’re getting we’re finding the training sessions are more beneficial and we’re endeavouring to be able to tailor drills to the skill levels of the boys as they move from station to station.

It is important that the boys do their homework, even if it’s only ten minutes a day with hurley and ball. Hurling practice outside of official club training is essential. Many thanks to all the mentors, parents and helpers for all the support during the season. If you are interested in helping out please contact any mentor at a training session. Mentors: Dermot Moran, Tom Flaherty, John O’Grady, Ricky O’Sullivan Mary O’Connell, Colum O'Brien, Michael Murphy, Paul Grall, Noel Gaughran, John Green, Declan Murtagh.

Under 10 Hurling Our 2010 season started on Sunday 7 th of February. This year instead of attending the Gormanston Indoor Hurling tournament we decided to run our own “Winter/Spring All-Weather Hurling League”. We teamed up with the 1999 boys and created six mixed teams and each team played a different team each week for four weeks on the new and old all-weather pitches. This year we are playing U10 Go-Games and entered three streamed teams into a three team group which consists of the following ten clubs: Ballinteer St. John, Castleknock, Clontarf, Cuala, Kilmacud Crokes, Lucan Sarsfields, Na Fianna, Naomh Barrog, Raheny and St. Vincents. Teams are 9 a-side. We have played 8 games to date (9 by 18 th Sept) and the players are acquitting themselves well, winning 7 out of 8 on aggregate scoring. Although we have streamed teams we allow movement of one or two players between teams most weeks to give players a chance at playing with a higher team. When the spring training schedule started, we moved to training on Friday evenings on the main pitch. Unfortunately this time does not suit everyone and we lost a few players. Attendance at training has been about 65% while attendance for matches is at about 80%. We lost 7 players this year and gained 4 new players, which leaves our panel size at 36.

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Next year we move to 11-a-side matches, numbers will be very tight to field 3 full teams each hurling weekend. Hopefully we can recruit a few new players, or some of our former players will return. New players are always welcome! This year we were very fortunate to receive many invites to tournaments/blitzes outside of Dublin. In May we travelled to Na Piarsaigh in Limerick for the Tommy Burtchaell tournament where we fielded an A and a B team. Both teams finished in third place, with the B team unlucky not to make the final, loosing out on score difference. We hosted our own hurling blitz on Sat 7 th August for A and B teams. Mobhi Rd hosted teams from Whitehall, Athenry(Galway), Dicksboro(Kilkenny), St. Martins(Wexford). On Sunday 15 th of Aug we hosted Eoghan Ruadh from Tyrone for a challenge. On Saturday 4 th September we travelled to Dicksboro in Kilkenny for an U10 tournament (winning 2/4 games). Unfortunately we have had to turn down invitations from Ballyhale Shamrocks and James Stephens as they clash with scheduled Go-Games hurling and football games. We would encourage all players to have their hurl in their hand every day as only one hour of training per week is never enough! Many thanks to all the mentors, parents and helpers for all the support during the season, especially for the excellent catering for our visitors. Also, thanks to our young referees who have done a great job when ever we had home games. A special word of thanks to Des Tuite and Intel for sponsorship again this year. Mentors: Joe Murphy, Cormac O’Sullivan, Christy Donnelly, Eoin McCabe, Mike Farrell

Under 11 Hurling Another year has passed and as the saying goes ‘Time Flies When Your Having Fun’ and for the Under 11 hurling team it’s true. We have 3 teams in competing in the leagues this season in Division 1 of the 2 team and Division 1 of the single team all teams are doing very well. We also got the 3 teams to semi-finals in the Cup competition earlier in the year. Our numbers have held very well for this season with 45 boys on the panel. The new All-weather with its hurling wall has been a great bonus for the winter training. Again we hosted the Dermot McNulty tournament on the May Bank Holiday weekend, we had teams from Kilkenny, Cork, Wexford and Dublin, along with or own 3 teams, unfortunately we were beaten by Na Piarsaigh in the Cup Final, while other 2 teams had great runs in the Shield competition with James Stephens taking the spoils on the day. I would like to thank all those who helped with the planning and organisation on the day. We will have travelled to James Stephen in Kilkenny on the 25 th of September for a tournament and have been invited to take part in Kilmacud Crokes tournament on the October bank Holiday. As we are heading into the winter months it is important to encourage the players with versatility and fun in the coaching and training during this period. I would like to thank all the parents and guardians who have given their all in encouraging the children by being there at training and matches, it is great to see this and builds up a great community spirit in the club. I would like to thank the mentors for all the work during the year. Finally a big thanks to all the players who made the year so enjoyable for all of us. Here’s to the next 12 months. Mentors: Aidrian Tierney, Eugene McHugh, Fran Gray, Donal Buggy, Jimmy Deane, Hugh McFinn, Willie Bergin, Pat Brennan.

Under 12 Hurling Mary O’Connell Catherine Fitzgerald Declan Feeney Gerry Corcoran Neil Loftus Pairic Clerkin Regina Bregazzi Tony Kelly. The Under 12 Hurlers have had a great 2010 season where they fielded 3 x 13-a- side teams with in the Cup, Camaint and League. U/12 Hurling Cup : They got to the Division 1, Division 4 and Division 6 Cup Finals in May. Unfortunately, they were beaten in all three. On the day, we were just a bit too stretched and struggled a bit, but overall, the hard work that the children did in the early part of the year paid off for them.

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U/12 Camaint : They got to three Camaint Finals again and won all three finals, Division 1, Division 3 shield and Division 4 shield. Many thanks to the Under 11 Hurlers who helped us field three teams throughout the month of July. U/12 League : They are looking good to win the Division 1 League but the 2 nd and 3 rd teams were promoted up from there respective Divisions and as a result we are struggling in these league divisions. They have also competed and won tournaments in Na Piarsaigh (Cork) last May and in a ground hurling tournament in Erins Isle in June. All of the Under 12 hurlers have traveled away and played ‘Liam Mellow’s GAA Club’ in Galway, ‘James Stephens GAA Club’ in Kilkenny, ‘Naas GAA Club’ in Kildare and ‘Ballinamere-Durrow GAA Club’ in Offaly this year. We have brought up and entertained ‘Kilruane McDonaghs GAA Club’ from Tipperary, ‘Na Piarsaigh GAA Club’ from Cork, ‘Tooreen GAA Club’ from Mayo and ‘Dixboro GAA Club’ from Kilkenny. Many thanks to all of the parents for their continued support this year. The responses to the texts sent, the help entertaining other clubs and the financial support given to any fundraising, referee money and lifts required has been a huge help and has paid dividends for this great group of players. It has been a pleasure training these children and we are all looking forward to next year when we hit CCC2 at Under 13.

Under 13 Hurling This is the first year of full 15-side games, and teams were entered in Division 1 and Division 4. The successful placing of our 2 nd team in Division 4 resulted from sustained lobbying of CCC2, who had misguidedly proposed placing them in Division 2 originally. This is fully justified by our league position to date, (5 th of 8), where we perform well against clubs also fielding second teams, but struggle to be competitive with clubs for which the Div.4 team is their first team at that age. Immense credit to Martin Keenan, Michael Flanagan, Seosamh O’Maolalai and Chris Garvey for their commitment to this team. They have recently been joined by Diarmuid O’Connor, famed veteran of junior hurling, who is a wonderful addition. This group have every chance of competing for Feile honours next year, especially if as hoped, a Division 5 emerges consisting largely of clubs’ 2 nd teams.

At time of writing, the Division 1 team is in pole position by one point, with the stronger of Kilmacud’s two teams, predictably, in hot pursuit. The away tie with them on October 9 will, in effect, be the league decider. Our first competitive outing this year was also versus these great rivals from the southside, in the deferred U12 league decider on St. Patrick’s Day, which resulted in a memorable comeback from 8 points down to win by a similar margin. Ten of our players had the honour of playing up for the two Feile hurling teams, and our thanks to Anne Foley and all the U14 mentors for giving them this exciting opportunity. As always, we embarked on tours and challenges versus elite hurling strongholds nationwide, and performed proudly and learned extensively from trips to Na Piarsaigh & St. Finbar’s Cork (shield winners in the latter), and to James Stephens and Kinnity (Offaly). A system of rotating players showing good form for the Div.4 team to the A team is in place, and a total of 24 U13 players have sampled Div.1 fare this year. We are again much indebted to Mary O’Connell, her U12 players and their parents, for their fantastic support to both teams throughout the season, particularly in trips to tournaments during August. Many thanks to Finbar Gaffney, Billy Fenlon, Peter Pringle & Paddy Oliver for their remarkable commitment, energy and expertise. Donal Buggy (Bainisteoir)

CLG Na Fianna AGM 30 th September, 2010 24 CLG Na Fianna AGM 30 th September, 2010

Under 14A Hurling Our A team successfully completed the 2009 season by winning the U13 Division 1 league. At the start of 2010 we welcomed new mentors Colm Burtchaell and Niall O’Ceallachain on board. Our success in the league continues with our A team currently at the top of Division 1. Our Feile campaign in May saw us reaching the Division 1 final in Parnell Park v Kilmacud Crokes. However, the cumulative wear and tear on players, many of whom had successfully won Division 1 Football Feile two weeks previously, meant we were lacking the extra energy needed to win a final. Five of our players are on the U14 Dublin Development squad and all successfully represented Dublin Colleges North in winning the Leinster Colleges final v Kilkenny CBS in May. These players also represented Dublin in the Tony Forrestal Tournament in August losing to Kilkenny in the semi final. Particular thanks to the players, mentors and parents from the U13 squad who helped us out on numerous occasions during the year, most notably during Feile na nGael. Mentors: Colm Burtchaell, Niall O’Ceallachain, Tommy Curley

Under 14B Hurling Numbers are always a challenge when fielding a second hurling team and we have been put to the pin of our collar at times during this year but have always managed to field thanks to support from both U13 and U12 players, mentors and parents. We also typically come up against single team clubs in Division 4 and have done well to hold our own with some tightly contested matches. We played in Division 4 Feile, hosted by Naomh Olaf, and had a very enjoyable day despite not making it out of the group stages. Mentors: Kieran Lowry, Paul Stacey

Under 15A Hurling Our season started off on Feb 11th with training on the all-weather pitch. We finished fourth in the U14 Div 1 league in 2009 and that meant we maintained our Div 1 status. This year the U15 division 1 hurling league consists of six teams, Cuala, Ballyboden St. Endas, Kilmacud Crokes, Na Fianna, St Judes and St.Vincents. Each team plays two rounds of five matches and our first league match was on 6 th March. We started the season strong with wins away to Ballyboden and St. Vincents. We then hit a dip in form and lost the next three games, Cuala (away), St. Judes (home) and Kilmacud Crokes (away). The 23 rd of May was a turning point and we drew at home to Ballyboden, and won our next three games. At the time of writing we have played 9 out of our 10 league games and are currently joint second having won 5, lost 3 and drawn 1. The last league match against the league leaders (Kilmacud Crokes) is on Sun 12 th Sept in O’Toole Park. The U15 Championship starts on Sunday 26 th of September and we are away to Oliver Plunkets in the quarter final. We have recently been hit with a number of injuries, but with the support of the U14s we aim to really challenge for the championship. No fewer than five of our players represent Na Fianna on the U15 Dublin North hurling development squad. Many thanks to all the parents and helpers during the year. Also thanks to Stephen Cooper and Martin Rabbitte for their help recently. Mentors: Damian Murphy, Joe Murphy

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Under 15B Hurling

Apart from the fixtures during June, when holiday absences of both players and mentors proved a problem, we have fulfilled all our league fixtures and managed to field competitive teams almost entirely from our own resources. Our record in division 4 so far is P7 W2 L5 WO2. Particular credit is due to that dedicated core of players within the squad who turn up for training and matches irrespective of results, weather or other distractions. It was encouraging to see some of our players improving to the extent that they are pushing for places on the U15A squad. We have been drawn against St Finian’s, a team from division 3, in the first round of the U15D championship on 26 Sept. It’s a tough draw but we are looking forward to the challenge. As ever, the encouragement and support of parents has been wonderful throughout the season and we would like to thank all those within Na Fianna (board delegates, juvenile coordinators etc), who provide, often unacknowledged, the practical support without whom we could not carry on. Mentors: Dave Williams, Oliver Power

Under 16 Hurling Since last year's AGM, this group of hurlers won the under 15 Division 1 Shield after an epic battle with Whitehall Colmcille. It took two matches including extra time in the first game to break the deadlock between these sides. Proving their penchant for making life difficult for themselves, the boys trailed by nine points at half time in the replay at Mobhi Road, only to hold their opponents scoreless in the second half and to win by three points.

The new season for the under 16 hurlers heralded major changes. The first was the amalgamation of the 'A' and 'B' hurling teams into a single squad for 2010. We have a core group of 25 boys playing under 16 hurling. The second was that we lost two mentors, Peter Caulfield and Diarmuid O'Connor, both of whom deserve great credit for their commitment and dedication to the 'B' team. Finally, the U16 hurling team was unexpectedly relegated to Division 2, despite there being no bottom four playoff the previous year. In fact three teams were relegated from Division 1, including Na Fianna who had finished third from last in the League. Two teams were promoted from Division 2. Appeals to Parnell Park failed and the squad competed in Division 2 League this year.

In the Division 2 league, the under 16s were plagued throughout the season by illness and injuries to key players. Despite this they defeated all opponents during the campaign apart from Ballinteer St John and Oliver Plunkett/Eoghan Rua. In the latter match Plunkett's snatched a draw from a 65 at the death. In the top four play-off Na Fianna exacted revenge for their earlier defeat against Ballinteer St John. However, in the next top four play-off match against St Brigid's, they experienced a kind of déjà vu, when they lost by two points, when their opponents scored a goal from a 21 yard free at the death. To win the league outright, in the next round, the boys are depending on an unlikely defeat of St Brigid's as well as winning their own final game.

In their wisdom, Parnell Park decided that Na Fianna would compete in Division 1 of the championship this year. They were drawn against Lucan Sarsfields in the first round. In yet another epic battle, they lost, after extra time, by the narrowest of margins. They are drawn in the semi-final of the Shield against their old nemesis, St Jude's. The other semi-final will be between Kilmacud Crokes and Oliver Plunketts/Eoghan Rua.

This group of under 16 hurlers are a fine bunch of lads and they have great potential. They deserve to secure another title this year but, even if they don't, they will make each of the minor teams next year a force to be reckoned with. Panel: Safari Aketch, Cillian Byrne, Conor Bridgeman, Joseph Brennan, Conor Cronin, Eoghan Delaney, Dan Doolan, Karl Doyle, Aengus Farrell, Joseph Fitzgibbon, Robert Fenlon, Ciarán Gray, Aaron Jesson, Barry Maguire, Joe Maguire, Conor McHugh, Eoin McCullough, Stephen Murray (Capt), Fionn O'Connor, Cian Ó Dálaigh, Adam Ronayne, Conor Stone, Eoin Smith, Niall Shannon, Conor Whooley. Mentors: Dermot Moran, Fintan Brennan, Fran Gray, Greg Ronayne, Greg Whooley.

CLG Na Fianna AGM 30 th September, 2010 26 CLG Na Fianna AGM 30 th September, 2010

JUVENILE GAMES – Ladies’ Football

Under 9 Numbers continue to grow steadily with 52 registered for the Football league .The girls acquitted themselves well and we are satisfied with the progress they are making - we look forward to competing in the Football competitions next year.The midweek training slot in Griffith Park has worked well.

Mentors : Martina Capper,Niall Healy,Deirdre Lambe,Marian Loftus, Martin McCluskey,,Paul McCarville,Terry ( Thierry) MacDonald.,Mark Oppermann, Philip Webb

Under 10 The Under 10 football panel has had a busy year. Having previously only played challenge matches, 2010 saw the introduction of the Under 10 football league. So with that in mind, our objectives have been to maintain our numbers (currently over 50) whilst endeavouring to improve the girls' skill levels so that they are able to compete with other clubs. Three teams were entered into the league and up to the Summer break they have played extremely well, each team having lost only one match. Skill levels are continuing to improve and one of the reasons for this is due to the excellent coaching provided to the girls from Arlene Cushen, Orlagh Egan & Sinead O'Donnell from the senior team - a huge thanks must go to them. This June was our last outing in the mini-leagues and as a result of that we've had a number of new additions to the squad. Crao z on Saturday 26th June involving seven clubs. It was a wonderful sunny day, the girls had a ball & although there was no official winner, the Na Fianna teams fared extremely well in terms of results. Thanks must go to Ber Buckley for her background work & all the other parents for their continued support. Thanks also must go to Karen Fox who has taken over the admin. work whilst also doing a great job coaching our Under 10 camogie panel. We're looking forward to a busy Autumn which will help prepare the girls for their introduction to more competitive leagues next year.

Mentors: Fran Claxton, Fran Cullen, Karen Fox, Paul Kenny, Manus Mc Aleer, Billy Mc Laughlin, Arlene Cushen, Orlagh Egan & Sinead O'Donnell.

Under 11 Ladies’ football The Under 11 girls have a large panel in 2010 with 44 girls registered to play football. We are fortunate that we have an enthusiastic bunch of girls. Despite demands on the girls and parents at weekends and during the week, the training sessions and matches are very well attended and we thank the parents for showing such great commitment to the girls and the club. The U 11 girls have had a very busy year with their first introduction to competitive leagues. The biggest change the league structure introduced for the girls was moving from 9 a side games to full 15 a side. This brought a change not only for the girls but also for all, mentors, parents and the players. Happily the girls adapted well to the new team format.

The U 11 girls had the honour of being the first Na Fianna team to train on the new All weather pitch when it opened in September 2009. In November we used both all weathers to host a mini blitz spread over two weeks with visiting teams from Castleknock, Clontarf and Scoil ui Chonaill. Our aim is to maintain our numbers but also to raise the skill level of the squad as a whole. With our large numbers we are fielding two teams for the 2010 season. The league structure has required us to stream our squad.

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In dividing our squad into the two panels we recognise that skill levels vary within the squad. Our aim therefore was that both panels will compete well in their matches and thereby improve the skills of the squad as a whole. As we head into our first Championship this September we have seen improved performances in our girls in training and in challenge games. So we anticipate great performances and great days ahead for our U11 girls.

Mentors: Dave Fenton, Austin Rock, TJ Gleeson, Mary Rock, Conor Buckley.

Under 12 Ladies’ football – See below, page 31

Under 13 Ladies' football – N/A

Under 14A Ladies' football Congratulations to all the girls on a very successful season, we are currently in joint second place in Division 1with one game to go. We were only beaten once this year in the league, hopefully we can keep that statistic until the end of the season. We have new coaches this year; Nadine Doherty and Lorraine O’Sullivan from the Ladies Senior Team who are doing a great job with the girls We are also looking forward to the Championship which starts off on 17 th September at home to St Judes There has been a great turnout to training sessions, normally 13/15, which out of a squad of 17 is excellent, keep it up girls Thanks to all the parents for their support during the year. A big thank you to our sponsor: Des Tuite who organised sponsorship from Intel. Mentors : Tony Lynch, Brendan Gearon, Seamus Boland, Des Tuite, Declan Mulvey, Nadine Doherty, Lorraine O’Sullivan.

Under 14B We had a successful start to the season. Four of our players were promoted to the A team. However, with a fairly solid base that remained (including a few who decided not to go up), a couple of girls that came over to us from the As and some help from the u13s we were able to put together a solid squad. The league went well for us - everyone getting plenty of action and winning a few games to boot (pun intended, sorry!). We had a nice day trip on the Dart out to Bray to play Bray Emmets, stopping off for some pizza on the way home. There was a big build-up to the feile which in the end just amounted to two short games for us. I think we had the girls prepared well and they weren't too disappointed when it was all over. Michael Griffin is still owed a drenching, so watch your back Mick! We were lucky in that a photographer from gaapics.com was present and took some really fantastic action shots of the players. Most of the team headed over to Kilmacud to cheer the A team on and with the beautiful weather it was an enjoyable day out for all. Our thoughts are now beginning to turn to next year and to whether we can continue with two teams or not. We're not sure if there will be a decent u15 league so we may consider asking some girls to play with the 16s and the remainder to play at u15. There's plenty to discuss there. Thanks to the mentors Michael & Regina x2 and to all the loyal parents who support the team. Now let's go out and do some damage in the champo!

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Under 16 Ladies' football

Panel : 25 registered players (1994 & 1995 DOB) , €2 contribution /player /game for referee is fine and not problematic , 2010 team jersey sponsor – Casserly Construction , Captain / Vice Captain – Aoife Nolan & Roisin Baker (girls made decision at kayaking event 11/09/2010

Team Manager – Paul Nolan Mentors : John Lynch, Mary Murray & John Murchan Additional Mentors (recently ratified) – Dave Daly, Oliver Casserly, Jim Grew, Nora Lee & John O’ Rourke

Division 1 : 8 competing teams NaFianna finished 3 rd in league Championship commencing 19/09/2010

Team Building ‘Championship’ Gigs : Canoeing / kayaking East Wall Water Sports Centre – 11/09/2010 , Parents Cycle – 18/09/2010 , Nursery & club premises clean up – ongoing , Trip to Carlingford Adventure Centre - October 2010

JUVENILE GAMES - Camogie

Under 8 Camogie and Ladies’ Football The attendance on Saturday mornings for the 2002 girls has continued to grow with nearly fifty girls present on our first two mornings back after the summer break. The session starts at 9.30 and finishes at 11 with camogie from 9.30 to 10.15 and football after. The group have just moved to the back pitch from the new all weather pitch. The session has been organised around a series of stations in order to focus on the skills in both codes and we have incorporated the match as one of the stations, with the move to the back pitch the format may be changed in order to reduce the amount of time spent moving between drills. The mini leagues were a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by all; players, mentors and parents. The group participated in the camogie blitz organised by the county board during the spring/summer 2010, in total there was four organised, one a month starting in April with the last blitz in August. We had four teams and all teams represent the club proudly and really enjoyed it and overall it was a great success. We had one football blitz with Clontarf, with both clubs having four teams, which was very well organised on a beautiful morning down in clontarf. The interest and euthusiasm shown by both mentors and girls has been excellent. Additional mentors have joined and this has helped immensely in making the sessions more productive and of course more enjoyable for all. Current mentors include Aine Galvin, Paula White, Gerry Keating, Lesley Jamieson, Pat Rogan, Georgina Caraher, Sandra Tarr, Cormac Ó Donnchú, Fearghal Scanlon, Colum Cronin and Tommy Burke. We would also like to thank the under 15 and under 16 girls who come down on occasion and help with the session, it is much appreciated.

Under 9 Camogie Numbers continue to grow steadily with 52 registered for the Camogie league .The girls acquitted themselves well and we are satisfied with the progress they are making - we look forward to competing in the camogie competitions next year.The midweek training slot in Griffith Park has worked well. Mentors : Martina Capper,Niall Healy,Deirdre Lambe,Marian Loftus, Martin McCluskey,,Paul McCarville,Terry ( Thierry) MacDonald.,Mark Oppermann, Philip Webb

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Under 10 Camogie As a certain sport reporter on Today FM would say the Na Fianna U10 Camogie Gals are ‘Flyin It’.....Huge thanks goes to members of the Intermediate Camogie team who volunteered when Foxy asked for assistance alongside the current mentors to help with the U10 team. Deirdre Quinn, Orla Behan, Celine Campbell and Eve O’Brien have put huge work and time into the girls. We wish Eve well on her promotion to the Senior Camogie team. All these girls have had a huge influence on the U10’s progress over the past year. Many thanks. The enthusiasm for training and matches can be seen as the average attendance at training is between 36 and 40 girls Great for us as mentors but unfortunately most of the time our opposition don’t have the same numbers which can cause a few headaches trying to ensure each child has the same amount of game time. Highlights of the year so far were a recent victory over Lucan in our first match back since the summer break. We had suffered a heavy defeat by Lucan earlier in the season. We would also like to thank a very supportive bunch of parents particularly Ber Buckley, Carmel Casserly who assist very regularly with logistical support, bibs etc. A big thank you to Fran Gray who has assisted with coaching when time has allowed him. Fran Cullen, Karen Fox, Manus Mc Aleer, Fran Claxton, Dee Quinn, Orla Behan, Celine Campbell, Eve O’Brien and Billy McLaughlin

Under 11 Camogie The 1999 girls competed in the U11 camogie Division 1 two-team group in the league. This competitive league format has an A team and B team, with players streamed by ability. The objective of this is to establish an A team capable of competing at the highest level possible and a strong B team. Based on final league positions and with impressive results the girls easily exceeded that expectation. The A team finished in fourth place in their eight team league, with only 2 points separating the teams in 2 nd and 4th places. In 14 games played, they won 8, drew 3 and lost only 3, beating every team bar the league winners. This U11 team has at its core a very competitive, physical and skilful group of motivated players who are developing into a strong and balanced team. The B team finished in 5 th place in their eight-team league. In 14 games played, they won 6 and lost 8. Three of these losses were recorded against two teams that balanced their A and B teams, instead of streaming as they should have. The B team recorded victories against two of the four teams that finished above them. Training sessions have always been well attended over the course of the year, and commitment is strong with most girls practising outside of scheduled training times. The girls have individually and collectively improved benefiting from the training regime and the number of league games they have played. A relaxed informal training session was maintained through the summer months in preparation for the U11 Championship which began at the start of September. The championship format is two groups per division with round-robin matches home or away and the top two teams in each group meeting in the semifinals. The A team are in a tough five team Division 1 championship group containing two teams that finished above them in the league. The opening game was a narrow high scoring defeat, 12-9 at home against Lucan. The girls have since bounced back defeating Naomh Jude 6-2 away in their second match. The B team are in a four-team group, and won their opening match 6-3 away against Naomh Mearnog. Both teams are still very much in the competition and well on target to achieving the goal of making the semi-finals. The focus will then be to bring the panel forward and to raise the overall skill levels to enable both teams compete strongly in the U12 leagues which will start in March 2011. Support from parents and mentors is magnificent which contributes to a great sense of common purpose between all involved. Mentors : Ann Purtill-Kalk, Austin Rock, Conn Flynn, Dermot Conroy, Joseph Devins, TJ Gleeson Managers : A team – Austin Rock B team – Joseph Devins

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Under 12 Camogie and Ladies’ Football The Under 12 girls had a huge panel this year consisting of 53 girls for football & 43 for camogie. We fielded 2 teams in each code. In January, we entered one team for the Gormanstown indoor hurling/camogie competition & got 3 rd place with great performances from the team.Towards the end of the year, we brought the group to Belfast. We visited Bredagh GAA Club where we played a football match. Afterwards, we were treated to great hospitality in the Community Centre by the host club. We went from there to W5 where the girls had a thoroughly enjoyable time. As a fundraiser this year, the girls did some bag packing in Dunnes Stores in Charlestown. At the end of June, we organised a trip to Causey Farm where the girls & mentors had tremendous fun. Special thanks to parents who helped out in any way during the year & who supported the girls on the sideline. Mentors: Brian O’Gorman, Liam Connolly, Ricky & Róisín O’Sullivan, John McDaid, Jim Aughney, Seamus Gill, Adrian Tierney (Camogie), Gabriel Travers, Pat Montague

Under 13 Camogie

Mentors: Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, Billy Mc Loughlin Liam Rainsford, Cormac Ó Donnchú, Anthony Lynch Brian Murphy, Áine Clerkin, Pauline O Neill Numbers: We currently have approx 27 girls registered with the Under 13 camogie panel with about 24 in regular attendance. We have a great crew that with regular practice will go a long way!!! Progress: We have been progressing well this year and are currently in a play off for second place in the B league. We are unlucky not to have won the league since we beat the winning team in our last match, but some poor results at the beginning of the campaign (before we had learnt how to score) went against us. We conceded least amount of scores of any team in the league!!! Friendship / Fun: The girls have bonded very well as a squad and a number of away trips (Clare and Carlingford) have helped this, as has our few trips to Mc Donald’s following key victories! Dublin Squad: Seven girls from our squad were involved with the initial training for the Dublin U13 Development squad with four girls (Ellie Halloran, Aoife Nic Con Iomaire, Ava and Emily Lynch) being picked to play for Dublin at three different inter-county Blitz this year. Two mentors (Máirtín and Anthony) also were involved as Dublin mentors and this experience has been great in learning new drills and training methods.

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Under 14 Camogie Our U14 Camogie panel is made up of 19 girls. The girls are tremendously committed, enthusiastic and talented. Our Division 1 League campaign was a campaign of two halves. We started poorly losing our first four matches. Thereafter , our results improved dramatically winning four of our last six league matches , leaving us mid table at the end of the campaign. 2010 was our Feile year and the Division 1 Feile was contested by 6 teams. The Feile took place in the middle of May. Our 14 squad was supplemented from five girls from the U13 squad . Na Fianna was drawn in a group with Ballyboden and St. Judes. In two very high quality games we were narrowly beaten by Ballyboden and beat St. Judes. This performance allowed us to progress into the semi final stage where we were drawn to play Lucan. In the semi final the girls played their best ever camogie and were leading by a goal and a point at half time. Sadly, Lucan's strength in depth told and in the second half they reeled back in the deficit and edged us out by the full time whistle. The Na Fianna girls had given their all and there was a very proud group of parents and mentors waiting to applaud them off the pitch at the end of the game. ( Lucan went on to win the Dublin Feile and subsequently the National Feile). On the Sunday of the Feile weekend, the team headed off on the Viking Splash Tour and dined in Captain America's. A great afternoon was had and we hope the girls will fondly remember their Feile experience. Nine of our girls represented Dublin in U14 Camogie on either the A , B or C teams through the year. The nine are Aoife, Blathin, Laura, Heather, Vanessa, Kate, Shannon, Ciara and Ellen. Laura won the Dublin Feile Skills Competition and represented Dublin at the National Final . Our Division 1 Championship campaign starts at the end of September and we are looking forward to it with optimism. Thanks to the 19 girls on the squad. Thank you for your commitment , dedication and interest. There would be no team without you ! The 19 are : Amy, Aoife, Aoife, Blathin, Ciara, Ellen, Hannah, Heather, Kate, Kate, Katie, Laura, Martina, Niamh, Nuira, Sarah, Shannon, Sinead and Vanessa. The U14 Camogie is a team effort and it is great that every parent is involved in helping in some way. Thank you to all the parents and our mentors who have put so much effort into the team.:The mentors are Fiona, Ger, John and Mary. A final word of thanks to Jules and Eva who have transformed our training over the year.

Under 15 Camogie This year we were in Division 2 and won all but 1 of our matches. The division was the exact opposite of last year where we, in division 1, were well beaten in all matches. In division 2 we were generally much too strong for the opposition and the games were very one-sided in our favour. We have proposed that maybe division 1 could include more teams, possibly 8 , with the bottom 4 being of similar capabilities. Therefore, the girls wouldn't be severely beaten at all matches and the experience would be beneficial! We had difficulty fielding our team this year and would like to say a big thank you to the u14s and u13s who helped us fulfil our fixtures. The girls reached the division 2 feile final and the division 2 championship final but unfortunately were beaten. Great performance by all the girls including the u14s. On Monday 6th September we played our first match in championship against Oliver Plunkets. Again with the help of the u14s the girls put up a great fight and lost by 4 points, despite a disgraceful referee and extremely poor weather conditions. Donal, Nora, Grainne, Phil, Ann

Under 16 Camogie Tá an fhoireann ag imirt sa Dara Sraith i mbliana. Níos mó bhuanna ná caillteannais go dtí seo. Faraor, bhí orainn cupla cluiche a ghéilleadh toisc nach raibh imreoirí in ann imirt ar chúiseanna éagsúla. Tá 24 imreoir an an bpainéal againn, beirt bhall nua Na Fianna ina measc. Bhí Eleanor Ní Bhogaigh ina leaschaptaen ar fhoireann faoi 16 Átha Cliath a bhuaigh Craobh Laighean na bliana seo. An-éacht ag ball dár bpainéal go bhfuil an-chion ag gach éinne uirthi.

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Tá súil againn go leanfaidh gach duine den phainéal ag imirt camógaíochta do Na Fianna, mionúr agus b’fhéidir sóisear, an bhliain seo chugainn. Ba mhaith linn ár mbuíochas a ghabháil do Óstán The Maples as ucht na geansaithe nua a urrú dúinn. The team is playing in Division 2 this year. Results have been mixed with more wins than losses. Unfortunately, we had to concede a couple of games during the year as some players couldn’t play for various reasons. We have 24 players on the panel, including 2 new recruits to Na Fianna. Panel member Eleanor Buggy was vice-captain of the Dublin under 16 team which won the Leinster Championship this year. A fantastic achievement for a very popular member of the under 16 group. Our hope is that most, if not all, of our panel will continue playing Camogie for Na Fianna at minor and possibly junior level next year. We would like to thank The Maples Hotel for sponsoring our new set of jerseys. Anne Chambers Declan Murtagh Seosamh Ó Maolalaí

JUVENILE Games – Handball A very good year for Na Fianna handball in both inter-club and inter-county competitions. To date we have won 4 adult 40x20 All Ireland titles and are waiting to take part in one adult 60x30 final, one adult 60x30 semi-final and 2 juvenile 60x30 finals. We have also won many championships and leagues in Dublin. This year we had the use of our new outdoor 40x20 alley. This added facility is a great asset to handball and has increased the visibility of handball and members’ interest in the game. It is hoped in the coming year to bring handball to more of our members, both juvenile and adult. Some fun handball events are planned to get current non-players and lapsed players into the alley. One of the biggest challenges for the juvenile section at the moment is trying to service the surge of interest from youngsters. If there are any ex-handballers or parents who would be able to give a hand with supervision and training, please let us know. Dublin Juvenile Inter-Club We started this year hoping to continue where we left off last year and are so pleased with our year to date. Our young guns have won county leagues and championships playing in our adult county competitions. Juveniles are allowed to play in adult competitions a policy which allows the older juveniles to gain invaluable experience before they play inter-county matches. The Junior B2 league team won all their group stage matches and won their semi final and final in style. Team: Seán Caverly, Pierce Caulfield, Seán Griffin, Niall McKenna. The Junior B 40x20 team were favourites going into this competition and never looked like being beaten from their group stage matches to the final. They have really progressed from last year and all their court time has payed off. Team: Corey Fay, Cian Ó Dálaigh, Naoise Greene, Brian Traenor. Doubles brother and sister pairing Niall & Lisa McKenna had a slow start in the Junior B2 40x20 championships but finally finished the championship with a great win over two of our latest recruits to Mobhi Road; Stuart Adams and R Lawless . The Junior B championship singles started with us having 4 or5 potential winners, but all went by the wayside with Cian Ó Dálaigh and Naoise Greene coming closest - both took the eventual winner to a third game. The Junior B Doubles had 3 pairing from Na Fianna. All reached the semi-final with the pairing of Naoise Greene & Martin McKenna beating John Walsh & Brian Traenor. In the other semi-final Cian Ó Dálaigh & Corey Fay beat the favourites in a very close game, which went to the third. They won the first 21-14,lost the second 21-20,and won the third 21-20. This set up an all Na Fianna final. This was a great game with Cian & Corey winning 21-12, 21-19. The 60x30 Dublin championships are just starting this month and no doubt we will win our fair share of titles.

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Juvenile Inter-County Leinster A 40x20 Championship This is our best year to date. We contested in 9 finals, winning the under 17 girls doubles. 40x20 Leinster Winners Under 17 A girls doubles Susan Clinton and Lisa Mc Kenna who lost to Clare in the All Ireland final. Under 17 B Boys Singles Owen Tracey 40x20 Leinster R/UP Under 12 A Girls Doubles Laise Ni Donnchú & Ciara Tierney Under 13 A Girls Doubles Meadhbh Ní Dhálaigh & Ailbhe Clerkin Under 14 A Girls Singles Rachel Malone Under 15 A Girls Singles Eleanor Buggy Under 1 7 A Girls Singles Dianamh Greene Under16 A Girls Doubles Aoife Gaughan & Róisín Ní Maolalaí Under 16 A Boys Doubles Cian Ó Dálaigh & Corey Fay Under 17 A Boys Doubles John Walsh & Brian Treanor

Leinster A 60x30 Championship 60 x3 0 also proved our best year to date reaching 13 Leinster finals and winning 5 (see below). Of the 5 Leinster wins, two have reached All-Ireland finals, which will be played on Sun 12 September. Under 13A Girls Doubles Meadhbh Ní Dhálaigh & Ailbhe Clerkin . These two girls played out of their skins beating a fancied Kilkenny pair by a convincing margin and it’s great for them after their disappointment earlier in the year losing to Kilkenny in the 40x20 final. Both girls have handball in their blood and they are to be watched in the years to come. Well done. The under 13 only goes as far as provincial level so maybe next year under 14 they will have a chance to go all the way. Under 17A Girls Singles Dianamh Greene . Great win for Dianamh winning in a tie break 11-9. She was beaten in the All-Ireland semi-final by Galway. There is a lot more handball in Dianamh so watch out for her. Under 17A Girls Doubles Lisa Mc Kenna & Susan Clinton had a great win beating Kilkenny coming back after losing first game 21-18 and being behind in the second game coming back to take it 21-18. The tie break was tense and the girls won 11-6 after a struggle. Lisa and Susan contest the All-Ireland final on 11 th September. I am expecting good things from this pair. Under 17A Boys Singles Naoise Greene won a titanic final by the exact same score in a tie break 11-9 as his twin sister Dianamh won the girls’ final, He played great stuff that day in Garryhill but he lost out narrowly in the semi just like his sister. He lost a very close game in the tie-breaker, so hard luck Naoise. Under 17A Doubles John Walsh & Brian Traenor . This pair have been knocking on the door for some time and have put a lot of hours in the court so deserve their win in Leinster and look forward to their final on 11 September in Garryhill, Co. Carlow, so best of luck lads. Leinster 60 x 30 team events The under 16/17 team of 4 reached the Leinster final against Wexford. The members of the team are Owen Tracey, Pierce Caulfield, Tadhg Ronan, Daniel Kenny, Seán Caverly and Niall McKenna. Colleges Colleges Girls & Boys. We had seven colleges representing Dublin in both 40 x 20 and 60 x 30 competitions last year. A number of players made it to the Leinster finals with Lisa Mc Kenna and Susan Clinton wining Leinster Titles in both courts. Lisa and Susan were defeated in the All Ireland Semi Final in 40 x 20 and in the All Ireland Final in 60 x 30. Féile na nGael Both a boys and girls team took part in Féile 2010, held in County Clare. The boys team came second in division 4 and were beaten by Goresbridge, who finally won the division. The boys’ team was Ciarán Tynan, Jonathan Tracey, Shane Barrett, Conor Saunders and Cian Sutcliffe . Jonathan took part in the skills competition. The girls’ team competed in division 3 and consisted of Rachel Malone, Catrina Carrigan, Ailbhe Clerkin, Emily Lacey , and Meadhbh Ní Dhálaigh . Meadhbh won the silver medal in the skills Competition.

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Gael Linn Cian Sutcliffe and Meadhbh Ni Dhalaigh represented the club in this competition and while they did the club proud they did not make the final. Dublin Juvenile One Wall Competition For the first year a Dublin one wall handball competition was held in Ballyboden for players who had not reached a Leinster Final. There were two grades under 11 and under 14. Cian Tynan won the under 14 competition. Na Fianna Beginner’s Competition. A one day beginner’s competition was held for under 14 boys and girls. Jonathan Tracey took title in the boys with Cathal Caverly as runner up. Meadhbh Ní Dhálaigh took the girls tilte with Rachel Malone as the runner up.

Adult Inter-County 40x20 The adult 40x20 Leinsters started with Dublin winning 4 All-Ireland medals. Na Fianna were the represented in all cases: Over 65 A Singles Ned Flynn Over 45 A Doubles Frank Daly & Egin Jensen Over 55 B Doubles Paddy Clerkin & Jim Heffernan (Naomh Pádraig) All of these players performed very well to win Leinster titles and were pushed all the way in their finals. Congratulation to them. 60x30 We reached 4 Leinster finals, winning 3 . The one we lost was over 45A doubles. Egin Jensen & Frank Daly . These men were going for a double and were narrowly beaten 21-19 21-18. But our over 65 hero Mick O’Brien won a great Leinster final and beat one of the favourites in the All- Ireland semi in his own court in Sligo 21-16 in the third game. He also won a Leinster 65A doubles with our own Ray Walsh but was narrowly beaten in the semi-final 21-18,21-18. Last but not least we have Egin Jensen awaiting the All-Ireland semi-final to be played 12th Sept so best of luck to Egin in the All-Ireland semi-final and to Mick in the All-Ireland final. Leinster Winners Over 65A Singles Mick O’Brien Over 65A Doubles Mick O’Brien & Ray Walsh Senior Doubles Egin Jensen & Eoin Kennedy (St Brigids) Leinster Runners Up Over 45A Doubles Frank Daly & Egin Jensen Dublin Adult Inter-Club 40x20 The Dublin over 50 Singles was won by Frank Daly . He also won the doubles over 50 competition along with Ned Flynn . They beat their club-mates Finny Farrelly & Éamon O’Brien in the final. Ned Flynn also won the Junior singles title. 60x30 Championships are getting started in September.

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Motions and Recommendations

Motions: Proposal of amendment to Rules 6(a) and 6(b) of the club constitution – Proposed by Colum Cronin RULE 6. THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

(a) The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Assistant-Secretary (Registrar), Treasurer, Assistant-Treasurer, Chairman Adult Games, Chairman Juvenile Games, Public Relations Officer plus two other members without specific roles of office. The maximum period of office for any specific role shall be five consecutive years.

(b) The Executive Committee shall meet at least twelve times a year and six members shall constitute a quorum. with

Add 'Players' Representative and Cultural & Language Officer' after 'Public Relations' Officer' so that Rule 6(a) will now read Replace 'six' with 'seven' so that Rule 6(b) will now read

6(a) The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Assistant-Secretary (Registrar), Treasurer, Assistant-Treasurer, Chairman Adult Games, Chairman Juvenile Games, Public Relations Officer, Players' Representative, Cultural and Language Officer plus two other members without specific roles of office. The maximum period of office for any specific role shall be five consecutive years.

(b) The Executive Committee shall meet at least twelve times a year and seven members shall constitute a quorum.

Recommendations: None

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NOMINATIONS

Position Nominees Uachtarán President Leas Uachtarán Vice President Cathaoirleach Chairman Paul McCarville Leas Cathaoirleach Vice-Chairman Des Ó Dubhlainn, Jim Aughney Runaí Secretary Tom Ryan Leas Runaí Assistant Secretary Eoin Ó Ceallacháin Cisteoir Treasurer Karen Dunne Leas Cisteoir Assistant Treasurer Ber Buckley Cathaoirleach Cluichí na Chairman – Juvenile Pairic Clerkin nÓg Games Cathaoirleach Cluichí Chairman – Adult Tom Ryan, Shinsir Games Colum Cronin Oifigeach Caidreamh Public Relations Cormac Ó Donnchú Poiblí Officer Ball den Comhar (x 2) Member of Executive Fiona Greene, Jim Aughney (x 2)

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