AGM Booklet 2020
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RANELAGH GAELS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Thursday, December 3rd 2020 Microsoft Teams Agenda Chairperson’s Address Adoption of 2019 AGM minutes Secretary’s Report Treasurer’s Report Juvenile Secretary’s Report Children’s Officer’s Report Registrar’s Report Tuarisc an Treoraí Gaeilge agus Cultúr Fundraising Committee Report Diversity & Inclusion Report Facilities Report Election of Officers for 2021 Any Other Business !1 ! Chairperson’s Address Tonight’s AGM is due to be my last act as Ranelagh Gaels Chairperson as the reins are handed over to my successor, who I have no doubt will bring fresh eyes, new ideas and additional enthusiasm to a role that it has been my absolute pleasure and honour to have held for the past two years. It was my intention to serve another year in the chair, if elected, but a change in my personal circumstances during the year has forced a rethink and now is the right time for me to step away after more than ten years involved with the club committee and make way for somebody else. A GAA club, like much else in life, is a constantly evolving work in progress and is never the finished article. Over the past 12 months we have made incredible strides forward, though we can never stand still and the new committee for 2021 will no doubt do everything they can ensure progress. It goes without saying that 2020 was a trying year on and off the pitch for the club, with games and training shut down for months on end, venues locked up and near-constant logistical headaches. The club rose to meet these challenges magnificently and I am in awe of the work put in by so many to ensure that training sessions could take be run, camps held and games played involving players from four to 40-plus. I would particularly like to pay tribute to our Juvenile Committee of Chair Joe Davitt and Secretary Paul Walsh, without whom the whole thing would have fallen apart. Joe and Paul - thank you. I would like to pay special tribute too to my great friend Louise Donohoe, who is stepping down as Secretary following two years of tireless work in the role. Louise started out as a player, and she may be one again next year, and she has held a variety of roles on the committee. Your break is well earned as there will hardly ever be anyone involved with Ranelagh Gaels who will do as much for the club as you have. Your friendship and constant support have been a huge source of strength to me. I have served on the committee with literally dozens of people over the years and to every one of you, sincere thanks. Whilst we didn’t all of us always see eye to eye, your commitment to building a better club, a club rooted in its community, was never in question and will always be appreciated. To all of you, thank you too. Along with myself and Louise, our Registrar John O’Callaghan and our Cub Development Officer Barry Chambers are also stepping down from their roles tonight. John is responsible for turning our membership process from a messy paper and cash affair five years ago into the slick online operation it is today. Barry’s stay on the committee was relatively brief, but in that time, he made an important difference to the club in terms of the facilities open to us to use and this will stand to Ranelagh Gaels into the future. Thanks too to everyone who over the past 12 months, and way back beyond that, volunteered their time, efforts, and energy in any way to help out with Ranelagh Gaels. The club and community owe you a debt of gratitude. Something I am passionate about is inclusivity and we have made great strides on this in recent months with the launch of the Ranelagh Rockets, our training initiative for children with additional needs. This was overseen by our Diversity and Inclusion sub-committee, chaired by Clíona O’Leary and the project was driven on by Stuart Banks. Gearóid Hussey spearheaded the fundraising drive to make it happen and ended up smashing through all expectations to raise more than €11,000. The Rockets will make a huge and lasting difference in the lives of so many children and their families; a legacy worth the effort. The thing I enjoy most about being part of this club is the feeling of being part of something bigger than oneself - it’s about building a better community. And while the club continues to move forwards on all fronts, particularly on the field with record numbers in our Juvenile Academy and young players on the threshold of jumping up from our underage teams to joining our adult set-up for the first time, I sincerely hope that inclusion and diversity continue to be cornerstones of our ethos. We need more women and girls involved at all levels and I would love to see a 50-50 gender balance in terms of playing, coaching and administration in the near future. We need to make Ranelagh Gaels a welcoming home for everyone in the community, whatever their ability or even their interest in sport, a home that offers shelter from the troubles of the outside world for however brief a period. There is a place for everyone under our roof. When our club President Liam O’Hagan set up Ranelagh Gaels nearly 20 years ago now, hard and all as that is to believe for some of us who have been around for most or all of that time, he said he wanted this club to be more than a bag of jerseys and a few balls. Thankfully, Liam has seen his wish come true. We are so much more than that and we can still become so much more again. The potential of this club is virtually limitless and I look forward to watching Ranelagh Gaels grow and progress from the sidelines. Peter Sweeney, outgoing Chairperson, Ranelagh Gaels !2 ! Secretary’s Report 2020 Welcome 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone and it is no different for Ranelagh Gaels. Due to the Covid-19 situation, all GAA clubs had to close and all activities were suspended from 13th March until 29th June. Then in September, our adult teams had to stop again while the juvenile teams could continue to train only and under restrictions. Due to the restrictions, we also lost the use of a number of key training facilities this year and this created the biggest challenge for the club. Firstly, I would like to thank all of the people who work so hard to keep the club running so smoothly - that includes my fellow committee members, particularly those that joined during the year and got stuck in straight away - you know who you are, and all of our dozens of voluntary coaches at all levels. Without them, the club would cease to function in any meaningful way. Several others who are not coaching or on the committee put themselves forward to lend their particular expertise to Ranelagh Gaels over the past year, in terms of facilities, fund-raising and others and to those people we are particularly grateful. I would like to say a special thank you to our Juvenile Chair and Secretary, Joe Davitt and Paul Walsh who worked tirelessly to get our underage teams back in action this year. And also to those who volunteered as Covid supervisors and to all our coaches who followed all the necessary procedures and kept our club safe and covid free so far, not an easy feat. The club appreciate all your hard work in this area. Despite the lockdown and subsequent cessation of all GAA activity, it has been a busy year for the committee. I would like to thank Peter Sweeney, Club Chairperson and all my fellow committee members for their help and guidance throughout the year. Chairperson, Secretary, Registrar and Club Development Officer Tonight, a number of our committee members step down after being involved in the committee for many years. Peter Sweeney, our Chairperson has been on the club committee for as long as I have been involved with the club, more than 10 years. John O’Callaghan has been our registrar for many years and is leaving our registration and membership database in a better place. Barry Chambers has worked tirelessly this year on our current and prospective facilities. I would like to express our sincere thanks, on behalf of the Club Committee, for all their dedication and commitment to the club. I will also be stepping down from my role as Secretary and again I would like to thank anyone and everyone who has helped and supported me in the various roles I have had since joining the club 10 years ago. I would especially like to say a word of thanks to Peter Sweeney who was always there for advice and guidance and I leave knowing that I can call him a very dear friend. Obviously, I will still be a regular on the side lines and will champion this wonderful club to anyone who will listen. Covid 19 When the pandemic introduced us to a new world in the form of lockdown, Ranelagh Gaels didn’t just down tools. We signed up to the Club Together initiative in partnership with Supervalu. Ciaran Doyle co-ordinated this project, and assisted by a dedicated group of volunteers, they delivered shopping for vulnerable members in our community straight to their doors.