Grounds for congratulations!

There have been many times over the years I've wondered at the sanity of anyone who steps forward and volunteers as a club official in a sports club because, and this is purely from experience and observations down through the years, it is a thankless job that comes with often unquantifiable work behind the scenes.

It was a thought that leapt to mind over the weekend as I crossed the county from venue to venue, taking in the sights of some remarkable developments undertaken by clubs not seeking the instant reward of titles and victories but rather with the simple aim of providing the best possible facilities for the young people of their areas.

But before I get into that, I can't let the column go by without mentioning three extraordinary interventions on the playing fields that I witnessed personally over the weekend and if the word extraordinary seems like hyperbole, believe me it isn't - we've all seen great points, great saves, even better passes but this weekend I saw one of each category that simply blew my mind. In this job, it is easy to get jaded - multiple games per week, trying to retain objectivity and keep a track of what is going on but I can't let these go by without comment.

Time to finally see the light

By John Connolly

First up was last Friday evening when Ray Cox scored a truly extraordinary point in Annaduff's victory over Aughavas, going away from goal but hooking the ball back from almost on the endline and somehow getting it over the crossbar - it was a truly ridiculous shot but one that sums up Ray Cox. Regular readers of this column will know I'm a fan of the Annaduff legend but that point would have been an extraordinary one for a man half his age, let alone the 43 years young that Ray is.

On Saturday, it was at the opposite end of the field when Ryan McVeigh made a truly stunning save to prevent a goal going in against Drumkeerin. It didn't prevent a Kiltubrid victory but diving towards the goal line, the corner back somehow made the save, stopped himself from flying across the goal line and then got the ball away. I had a bird's eye view from up in the new press box at the new dressing room complex in Drumkeerin and the save simply took the breath away.

On to Sunday and the final wonder intervention - this time the creation of a score that was so audacious that if David Clifford attempted it, he'd be beatified here and now! Carmel McGovern's vision in spotting a pass to a running Clare Owens, threaded between a host of Ballinamore defenders was so staggering that you couldn't believe it was possible. It led to a goal for Michelle Heslin but the real beauty was in McGovern's pass.

My excellent vantage point for Ryan McVeigh's save got me thinking about the equally extraordinary work so many clubs, be they GAA, soccer, rugby or athletics, are doing in this county right now to improve the sporting lives and social fabric of Leitrim. 

Aughavas and Mohill celebrated the official opening of their new facilities over the weekend, only the latest in a long line of fantastic developments showcasing the vision and confidence of this county's sporting organisations.

Aughavas' astro-turf, named after a truly great Leitrim man in James McGovern, is staggering when you first see it, both in terms of style and presentation - a facility that will ensure it becomes the centre of the entire area for years to come and comes in the wake of astro-turf developments in Drumreilly, Bornacoola and Annaduff GAA clubs.

Manorhamilton Rangers have a superb astro-turf at the Bee Park, one of the best examples of a community project serving several strands of their communities. Dromahair Art & Recreation Centre have gone one step further with a full sized astro turf pitch that is, I'm sure, the object of envy among many areas in this county.

A view of the new Mohill Park Sports & Leisure dressing room complex at Philly McGuinness Park Picture: Willie Donnellan 

Gortletteragh and Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins are developing new pitches - the one in Gortletteragh, from the sneak peek I've seen, looks fantastic while Ballinamore have always done a good job in providing excellent facilities for both club and county.

Around Carrick, there is a fever to develop facilities right now. For many years, the County town and its environs have lagged behind but St Mary's Kiltoghert, Carrick Town and Carrick Rugby Club are at full speed in delivering plans for new facilities - and that is all without  the long awaited dream that is the Shannonside Recreational Campus, a project that will transform sport in the  region.

I'm sure there are plenty of projects and club developments I've missed, it is not deliberate but the point I'm trying to eventually make is that none of these projects get off the ground without the vision to first dream  it up, followed inevitably by the hard work and sacrifice, financial and emotional, to make it possible.

Let nobody be in any doubt, these projects exact a toll on those who undertake them in terms of time, time that might be better spent with family or even their own clubs, but time that eventually pays off much further down the line.

One Drumkeerin official, I'll not name who, told me that the aim of the new dressing room complex and astro-turf at Pairc Naomh Brid was not to produce championship winning teams (although that would be an added bonus) but to provide facilities for the youth of the area, to enhance life for all those who live in the area.

Similarly, the new clubhouse at Philly McGuinness Park is truly transformative for a club that have set the standards on the field for the past ten years, a fabulous facility that wouldn't have come about without untold and unseen work from the Mohill Park Sports & Leisure committee, so for them on  Saturday, and for Aughavas GAA club on Sunday, it was a proud, proud day.

Back to the future for Leitrim's Dubs

THE LAST POINT

What both events tell us is that these occasions don't come about without the efforts of people who may never kick a ball, run on a track, swim or jump or anything else but their efforts are just as integral to a club  as those achieving remarkable feats of athleticism and skill like Ray Cox, Carmel McGovern and Ryan McVeigh.

All this development of facilities comes with the often dreaded burden of fundraising but when you see the transformation of club grounds, in whatever sport, in this county over the past quarter of a century, that burden is, in all honesty, a light on. To everyone involved in such work at whatever level, you're truly doing work worthy of celebration so a well deserved congrats to one and all!