Annual Report 2015 1 Annual General Meeting 2015 The Annual General Meeting will be held in Harlequins RC on Sunday, 10 th January 2016, at 8:00pm 2 CHAIRMAN ’S ADDRESS Good evening fellow members, This is where the fun is and the kids get a May I welcome you to the 2015 AGM. It has chance to simply enjoy kicking ball and been a great year for the Club and although pucking about. However, as we move up the Phil will go through the finer details, I would groups, it is difficult not to be competitive and like to mention some of the highlights. trying to win as against playing all children. Firstly, I would like to thank everybody who This is always a dilemma for managers, as they has helped Naomh Brid in any capacity need to ensure that all players are kept throughout the year. There have been so involved. Of course, this does not always many contributors and volunteers that it work, but it is important that team leaders are would be dangerous to try to mention you all aware as to the affect of their selections on so please accept my general go raibh maith these children. At the younger groups we agaibh. must ensure that all children get equal time We should be very proud of what we have and that winning is only part of the process. achieved throughout the year, both on and off However, as we move up to the older groups, the field. The Club continues to grow and it is we need to develop a winning mentality which credit to all involved. helps them be ready for the rigors of Senior May I firstly thank the Managers, Coaches and football. We need to get this right. helpers with all the different teams. Being May I thank our Referees, Conor Campbell involved with any team involves time and Donal McCarry and Martin McCarney who commitment and our volunteers have risen to continue to serve the Club on the pitches of the challenge. May I especially thank the Antrim. Senior team coaches, Eunan Conway and Sean To the committee and my fellow officers, Carter who managed the Senior men and took thank you for your continued support. When us back to Division One, Barry Mulligan who concerns arose I could always able to turn to led the Senior ladies and of course, Anthony them for a listening ear and this made it Carleton who took on the task of developing easier. Special mention at this stage to Pat O the Gaelic for Mums team after Una McGurk Hagan and John McKeever for their continued proffered the idea to develop this team. attendance at the respective Antrim and To have approximately 50 ladies turn out is a South Antrim Boards. Their patience is to be remarkable achievement and well done to all. admired and hopefully things will improve It augurs well for the future. with the possible changes in the old guard at To the other coaches, whether it be at Hurling, County level. These potential shifts in power Ladies, Boys and Fun Sunday, well done to all can only help move Antrim forward and this and we thank you for your efforts. It can be will provide the platform for a better Antrim. difficult coaching a team with all the To the money men, Declan and James, well frustrations of other sports, exams, non done on keeping our feet on the ground with attendance, fixtures gluts and pitch access, a dose of reality each time we discussed but nevertheless our coaches kept going and where we were with regards to the finances all credit should be given for that. within the Club. Of course their contribution As we have said before, the very heart of the to the Strictly event was unquestionably a Club is our Fun Sunday group as it is here that huge part of it's success. we can develop our stars of future. All credit To the Strictly sub committee, led by the to Peter Mulgrew and his coaches and helpers evergreen Frank Cassidy, what an for keeping the momentum going and looking achievement! I say this not only from the after 150 children. financial aspect but also from what the event 3 achieved from a social aspect. The parish and * To develop a strategy as to where we are beyond is effusive in its praise in what was going on and off the pitch and where we want achieved and so I thank all involved in the to be in the future. committee, never mind the dancers * We need to develop the 'connectivity' themselves who stepped out the comfort aspect of the Club so that ALL know what is zones to perform for Naomh Brid. May I also happening at ALL levels and ALL codes comment at this stage, that the support we * To ensure our teams have the right had from Bredagh, St Pauls Holywood and St coaches and coaching in place and that we Johns also shows how, although there is develop a goal for where we want to be on rivalry, Clubs can work together and this can the field at ALL levels only serve the GAA well. * To develop the Ladies and possibly To the Ladies Dance Committee, Suzanne, camogie Geraldine, Grainne and Helen, well done once * To try to develop the cultural aspects of again. This year's event was a triumph in the the GAA. That we encourage participation in way the Ceili was enjoyed by all. Well done Scor, and create an access to the huge amount thank you and we look forward to another of talent which lies within the Parish. That we event in February where we can acknowledge use Naomh Brid as a conduit to bring these our victorious teams. groups together. Thank you to all those who contributed * To develop the Irish language is part of financially to the Club, with special recognition this. the McGrady Insurance for their continued * To raise the remaining monies to fund support of the Men's Senior team. Musgrave and create a sustainable system of To Pat O Hagan, Paul Campbell and Leo funding the Club Browne for negotiating through the * To develop closer links with Antrim and development of Musgrave, which now seems South Antrim IF the necessary changes are ready to start. This has been a delicate path made on these boards as anticipated, so that and one which has had frustrations and thank we can help not only Naomh Brid move you for guiding us. Leo's legal know how has forward, but that it happens within a County kept us right and I thank him for his time and which lies very much dormant. patience. * That we develop a tighter Child Protection To Fr. O Donnell, for his continued support policy and develop and promote the and for other groups who have supported us importance of Health and Well Being within throughout the year. Thank you the Club So where do we go from here? We cannot sit Now is the ideal time to grasp the euphoria back on our laurels. We need to address those which exists at present. Keeping our Club areas which need possibly tweaked and bring members together is a huge part of that, in more volunteers to help us on along this never mind getting that new blood involved in road. Going forward I would like to suggest running teams and participating on that we concentrate on the following points in committees and I would urge all to recruit. an effort to create an even better Club. Personally, I have said that I would commit to The Strictly event has no doubt given us a very remaining as Chairman of Naomh Brid until solid base to work from and we need to the Musgrave facility is sorted and unless capitalise on that and moving forward I think others feel a change is required, I would like we need to remain as Chair. However going forward we need to develop a system of succession at all 4 levels, so that new blood comes in and brings in the season, but a draw in the league four new ideas and that the younger groups have a days before the championship game showed greater say. they had improved. So it proved. We were By the very fact that we have so many well beaten on the day although the result volunteers who have committed their time to was not helped by a combination of injuries, a Naomh Brid we are now one of the main Clubs farcical eight match suspension for Jack in Antrim and for that I thank everybody's Dowling (later reduced to one game), players effort. We have built something of which we on holiday and playing in a blizzard on 2 nd should be proud. But let's not sit back and let's August! build something which our children can take The team returned to winning ways in the over and continue to develop and that we league however and the only two defeats of become a force not only in Antrim but also in the campaign came in the last two games Ulster. when the League and promotion to Division 1 Well done everybody and go raibh mile mile had already been won. The overall record of maith agaibh achan duine played 18 won 14 drew 2 lost 2 reflects great Is mise credit on the team and promises much for Dermot 2016 back in the top division.