Best club facilities

[Avondhu star]

Its allright praising some of these facilities but look at their finances. Some clubs built with developers money are in dire straits. Maintenance of all weather pitches, floodlighting are costly and will have to be budgeted for. Its fine having a clubhouse etc but to be ran professionally you need full time staff and management. A good bar manager would want 50000 a year. If you dont pay them they will pay themselves.  Clubhouses that are on the outskirts of town wont have the customer base that tbe town pubs have

[JimStynes]

This is what we will be looking at. Having the best facilities that are cost effective and can help pay to run the place. Renting out 3g pitches, gyms, club house for birthday parties etc.  I wouldnt have a bar about the place either.

[GalwayBayBoy]

We just got indoor showers in the past 12 months.

[blast05]

I find that togging outside this time of year at our pitch is made better by the fact that the whin bushes are beginning to flower their yellow buds .... offers a bit more privacy when putting on the football cacks under the togs.

[johnneycool]

This is what we will be looking at. Having the best facilities that are cost effective and can help pay to run the place. Renting out 3g pitches, gyms, club house for birthday parties etc.  I wouldnt have a bar about the place either.

If you're in the North be conscious of the rates as ours took an immerciful rise the last few years and that's even with "charity status".

Unless you bar is guaranteed a big turn over don't put one in and even then you can avail of the occasional licenses for big events.

[Avondhu star]

This is what we will be looking at. Having the best facilities that are cost effective and can help pay to run the place. Renting out 3g pitches, gyms, club house for birthday parties etc.  I wouldnt have a bar about the place either.

You are right about the bar.
I would recommend contacting every community organisation in your locality and see what their needs are and could your club provide same thus creating an income for your club. There are so many crying out for facilities to cater for their often minority interests. They just dont have resources to provide their own. Our GAA club provides a facility for the karate club,chess club, trad music including the Accordion club as well as familiy parties etc. While a lot of tgese people wouldnt be GAA supporters they will buy club lotto tickets and open doors for some sponsorhip. One of these group member sponsors all our first aid equipment and provided defibrillator training

[aontroim]

Keep the bar out of any plans and you'll benefit from 0% rates from this year on if you are registered as a CASC.

[twohands!!!]

Ironic that Cork clubs can have better facilities than Cork GAA itself!!

Frank has had a great career in Cork building over-budget ill-suited stadiums. Most gombeen men only manage to get one abomination built but Frank has managed to build two.

Was it Donal Og who first came up with Centre of Mediocrity as the alternative name for the one pitch Centre of Excellence ?

[manfromdelmonte]

Ironic that Cork clubs can have better facilities than Cork GAA itself!!

Frank has had a great career in Cork building over-budget ill-suited stadiums. Most gombeen men only manage to get one abomination built but Frank has managed to build two.

Was it Donal Og who first came up with Centre of Mediocrity as the alternative name for the one pitch Centre of Excellence ?

yes
Some rural clubs have great playing facilities eg Pearses or Brigids in Roscommon
Kinnegad in Westmeath with three pitches
Raharney have recently developed two new pitches
Kingscourt also have a fantastic pitch, with the handball centre and gym next door

[JimStynes]

This is what we will be looking at. Having the best facilities that are cost effective and can help pay to run the place. Renting out 3g pitches, gyms, club house for birthday parties etc.  I wouldnt have a bar about the place either.

You are right about the bar.
I would recommend contacting every community organisation in your locality and see what their needs are and could your club provide same thus creating an income for your club. There are so many crying out for facilities to cater for their often minority interests. They just dont have resources to provide their own. Our GAA club provides a facility for the karate club,chess club, trad music including the Accordion club as well as familiy parties etc. While a lot of tgese people wouldnt be GAA supporters they will buy club lotto tickets and open doors for some sponsorhip. One of these group member sponsors all our first aid equipment and provided defibrillator training

This is exactly what we will be looking at.

Trying to find a design that will fit all our needs and within a certain price is the big thing. It is important that we are able to make money and have a revenue stream to keep the facility going as well.

[Croí na hÉireann]

Was up at Thomas Davis last sat. They have a new club house looks impressive. Great all weather pitch also. It and castleknock the best ive seen in Dublin .

Aye, Castleknock don't even have a clubhouse. Fine site though.

[Walter Cronc]

Are you allowed to rent out pitches to soccer/rugby clubs? Or does the association ban that?

[Avondhu star]

Are you allowed to rent out pitches to soccer/rugby clubs? Or does the association ban that?

There is some doubt on that but I think it depends on whether the facilities are "vested" in the GAA.
I believe that means if they are totally owned by the GAA whereas there are grounds owned b a community association. The GAA may be the only sports organisation in the parish which will use the pitches whether due to there being no other sports organisation in the parish or thy have their own pitch. If they are GAA vested grounds they cannot be used for rugby or soccer.
I read somewhere that Munster rugby had to stop using the very fine facilities at Mallow GAA for this reason. I dont think there is any objection to a bunch of lads hiring an all weather or indoor pitch to play soccer as long as it isn't booked in a soccer clubs name

[Hound]

Was up at Thomas Davis last sat. They have a new club house looks impressive. Great all weather pitch also. It and castleknock the best ive seen in Dublin .

Aye, Castleknock don't even have a clubhouse. Fine site though.

Maybe he meant St. Brigids.

Parnells have great facilities. Even have an all weather soccer pitch!
(I think they got around the "ban" by saying it was a condition of planning permission)

[theskull1]

More than welcome to come up and look at the facilities up in Dunloy Jim. We had pretty similar objectives as yourself whenever we built our academy after looking at the other developments that had been built before us. Pound for pound I think we've spend our money wisely. The likes of Mallow is crazy in terms of its size and cost. Anyone know how its doing both as a facility and its impact on what was/is(?) a junior club. I remember thinking about the dread of trying to keep a place like that turning over. Must be a constant head wrecker I would have thought.