TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA - GAA Handball

 
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TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA - GAA Handball
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA - GAA Handball
ANNUAL
                                                                                                             REPORT

      TUARASCÁIL
      AN BAINISTEOIR Náisiúnta
                Ba mhaith liom an deis seo a thabhairt chun fáilte a
                chur romhaibh go léir anseo go McWilliam Park Hotel
                inniu don Cruinniú Cinn Bhliana CLG Liathróid Láimhe.
       would like to extend a warm         no doubt that he will be a fantastic       was especially popular among the
  I    welcome to all delegates to         success in the role. I look forward to     younger generation of handballers. On
the McWilliam Park Hotel for today’s       working with him over the next three       behalf of the Association I would like to
Annual General Meeting. As we              years. I welcome his wife Elaine and       thank him for his outstanding service
reflect on what was another action-        his family and friends here today.         during his tenure and I would like to wish
packed year in GAA Handball we can                                                    him and Annette the very best of luck
do so with immense pride at the            I have no doubt that our outgoing          for whatever the future holds. Although
performance of our handballers both        Uachtarán Joe Masterson will               Joe may be finished as Uachtarán
at home and abroad.                        welcome the break as he steps down         today I know we will see him involved in
                                           from his three year tenure and I am        handball for some time to come.
We are heading into a very exciting        sure his wife Annette will welcome the
period for GAA Handball with the           well-deserved break too after what         I welcome all our special guests who
imminent opening of the new National       has been a hectic three year stint for     are here today to join us as we reflect
Handball Centre. This, together with the   them both where they travelled to the      on another twelve months of success
2021 World Handball Championships          four corners of the country fulfilling     within GAA Handball.
just around the corner promise to be       handball duties.
massive occasions in our sport.                                                       The past year has brought some
                                           Joe has been an outstanding President      fantastic memories and moments and
Today’s AGM sees us descend on             for GAA Handball and has always            we will reflect on all of these throughout
Claremorris in Mayo for what is a          represented the Association with           the report. Some of the standout
proud day for the county as one            great pride at any event that he has       moments of 2019 were as follows:
of their own takes up the position         attended. Joe was always available
of Uachtarán of GAA Handball.              to take a call for advice or to give his   Emotional finals night in Ceannaras
Ballaghaderreen clubman, Dessie            thoughts on any situation and he was       It was a night filled with nostalgia and
Keegan, will today take the baton from     a great assistance to me and the full      emotion as handball said farewell to
outgoing President Joe Masterson as        time team over the last three years.       the iconic Croke Park Handball Centre
he completes his three year term.                                                     in October. Two finals nights filled with
Dessie has some great ideas for            Joe has been a hugely popular President    excitement and drama were a fitting
the game going forward and I have          who made time for everyone and who         farewell to the old centre. The sight

                                                                                      Annual Report 2020 • GAA HANDBALL • 5
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA - GAA Handball
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA
of many of the legends of the game                                                   the last number of years but the Cavan
signing the front wall of the big alley    Féile na nGael breaking records           man proved that at 39 years of age
where they spent many a memorable          The introduction of a standalone          he still has the ability to mix with the
finals night was a fitting way to sign     Softball Féile proved to be a             best when he finally achieved his long
off in the old centre.                     resounding success as 26 teams            term goal and equalled Naty Alvarado’s
                                           travelled to Wexford to compete           record of 11 US Nationals titles when he
Kennedy rolls back the years in epic       in the first ever standalone event.       defeated Galway’s Martin Mulkerrins
Softball final                             The day was a huge success and it         in the final in Los Caballeros, California.
Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy came into the        was encouraging to see a number of        A truly remarkable feat from a
final under the radar, as Westmeath’s      teams from non-traditional Softball       remarkable player.
Robbie McCarthy was hotly tipped           clubs compete. The 4-Wall Féile was
to retain his title as a result of the     held in Cork and Limerick and it also     Double Night of celebration at All
imperious form he had showed so            proved to be a massive success with       Stars
far in 2019. However, Kennedy hadn’t       78 teams travelling south to take part.   Two All Star events made 2019 a
read the script and in a fairytale         With over 100 teams in total taking       unique year within handball. Following
ending for the man who ruled the big       part over the two weekends Féile          the 2018 All Stars held in February in
alley for many years Kennedy showed        was one of the outstanding success        the beautiful Dunboyne Castle Ard
tremendous grit and determination          stories of the year.                      Comhairle decided to bring the All
to defeat McCarthy in an absorbing
and epic final in front of a raucous
home crowd and secure a tenth and
probably the sweetest Softball title of
his career.

Record breaking She’s Ace
The She’s Ace tournament has grown
from strength to strength in recent
years. Last year’s event surpassed all
expectations with over 160 players
converging on Mayo venues for
the female only event. Two days of
entertaining handball, the competitive
4-Wall on Saturday and the fun 1-Wall
element on Sunday saw all ages and
abilities catered for.

McMahon & Casey continue to set
the bar for Ladies Handball
What more can be said about these
two fantastic athletes? We are
fortunate to be around to witness one                     WHAT MORE CAN BE SAID ABOUT THESE TWO
of the greatest rivalries not only in
handball but in sport in general. Rarely
                                                          FANTASTIC ATHLETES? WE ARE FORTUNATE TO BE
does an encounter between the two
fail to live up to expectations and 2019
                                                          AROUND TO WITNESS ONE OF THE GREATEST RIVALRIES
was no different with the pinnacle
being the 4-Wall final when the duo
                                                          NOT ONLY IN HANDBALL BUT IN SPORT IN GENERAL
served up yet another three game
thriller. It was Casey who came out
on the winning side this time as she       Progress on National Handball             Stars back into the calendar year with
edged out McMahon 21-19 in the third       Centre                                    the 2019 event held in November. It
while McMahon would go on to gain          The past year has seen huge progress      proved to be another outstanding
revenge in the Softball Singles final to   made as the opening of the new            occasion in what is quickly becoming
collect her third title.                   National Handball Centre draws            the stand out social event on the GAA
                                           ever closer. Excitement is building       Handball calendar.
Hugely successful 4-Wall Final             within the Handball Community in
Festival Weekends                          anticipation of the opening of the        The 2019 season has been an
One of the big success stories of          state of the art centre, the like of      extremely busy year with a lot to
recent years has been the 4-Wall           which has never been seen before in       reflect on and be proud of as once
Finals Festival Weekends and this          Irish handball or indeed worldwide.       more Irish handball has excelled
year’s instalment was no different.        This is the first centre of its kind to   both nationally and internationally.
Huge crowds made their way to              be built and will be a modern, vibrant    A phenomenal effort has gone in to
Kingscourt, Cavan and were treated         home for Handball and one that will       running the programme of events
to two fantastic weekends of handball      hopefully inspire the next generation     from the National Office right down
for the singles and doubles weekends.      of handball stars.                        to our clubs and with a hugely exciting
The quality of play on display all                                                   period for GAA Handball on the
weekend was outstanding with               Brady equals Alvarado’s record            horizon handballers everywhere can
several games going to tiebreak in         Cavan’s Paul Brady may not have been      look forward with great excitement to
order to separate pairings.                to the forefront of Irish handball for    the years ahead.

6 • GAA HANDBALL • Annual Report 2020
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA - GAA Handball
ANNUAL
                                                                                                         REPORT
4WALL
The finals festivals in Kingscourt
were a massive success once more
as players from all over the country
descended on Kingscourt over two
weekends to take part in finals from
juvenile level to over 70s.

This format of multiple games
across three days with all players in a
central venue has proven to be hugely
successful since its introduction in
2016. The format not only allows
spectators to watch several games
under the one roof it also gives an
opportunity for players at all levels
to play their finals in front of huge
crowds. Several games on Saturday
needed tie breakers to separate very
evenly matched pairings resulting in
a marathon programme of games on
Saturday that finished late into the
night.
   One note of caution in relation
to the weekend is that finishing at
nearly midnight after the programme
commenced early that morning is
unfair on players, spectators and the
volunteer venue officials. This was
not a fault of scheduling or avoidable    battle in the McMahon and Casey          continued their impressive form from
delays but due to the unpredictable       rivalry as the two best players in the   2018 as they captured the Minor
nature of handball games and the          world locked horns once more in the      Singles and Doubles titles in 4-Wall.
potential length of same. The obvious     final. McMahon and Casey’s duels on      Doyle was partnered by Abby Tarrant
solution to this is to change the         the court are the stuff of legend now    while McGinnity was partnered by
format of the games or to reduce the      within the handball community with       Konrad Kowal who became the first
amount of games played during the         their outstanding skill levels and the   Polish born player to win an All Ireland
day and this is something we need to      tight tussles between the two. With      Handball medal. The young Kildare
seriously look at going forward.          Ladies sport overall on an upward        lady is sure to make an impression
   We are indebted to the Kingscourt      curve these two supremely talented       in the Senior ranks if her impressive
club for hosting both weekends over       athletes deserve more recognition for    Minor career is anything to go by.
the past number of years, it was an       their talent and for the entertainment      The 4-Wall Nationals took place in
enormous undertaking but one that         they routinely provide.                  Galway and Mayo venues and were
you embraced fully and played a huge         Casey went on to complete the         once more a huge success. The open
part in making the event the huge         double in 4-Wall as she, with her        titles went to Westmeath’s Robbie
success it was. You can be very proud     partner Aishling O’Keefe defeated        McCarthy and Limerick’s Martina
as a club to have facilitated such a      Roscommon’s Tully sisters, Fiona &       McMahon following a cracking finals
major event over the last five years      Siobhan to capture the Doubles title.    day in the impressive Claregalway
with such great success.                  This was the Cork duo’s fifth title in   Handball club.
   At open level the competition          the last six years.                         There was over 700 games played
is closer than ever with numerous                     At Minor level both Leah     at National Level in the 4-Wall code
genuine contenders for the number                      Doyle (Kildare) and         which is a huge undertaking for our
one spot in both Mens and Ladies.                        Eoghan McGinnity          venues and officials around the
This year’s finals saw Westmeath’s                        (Monaghan)               country over a five month period with
Robbie McCarthy retain the title he                                                     club, county and provincial games
last won in 2016 defeating Clare’s                                                        also adding to the burden.
Diarmuid Nash in a repeat of the                                                             Congratulations to Clare who
2014 final. Huge credit is due to both                                                     sit on top of the 4-Wall honours
players for providing a high-class                                                        list taking 8 titles of the 72 on
spectacle despite having to wait                                                        offer followed by Galway next on 7.
to take the court and finishing                                                        Wexford and Kilkenny follow close
late into the night.                                                                     behind with 6 titles each. In all,
   Clare’s Diarmaid Nash and                                                               22 counties took home one title
Colin Crehan retained their                                                                 or more over the course of the
Doubles title by defeating                                                                championships showcasing once
Galway brothers Martin and                                                            more the widespread popularity
Diarmuid Mulkerrins in the                                                            and the great work being done in
Doubles Final to capture their                                                         the 4-Wall code at present.
second All-Ireland Senior title.
   In the Ladies, it was another epic

                                                                                   Annual Report 2020 • GAA HANDBALL • 7
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA - GAA Handball
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA
SOFTBALL
The introduction of the first
standalone Softball Féile breathed
some much needed life back into
the Softball code as 26 teams from
across the country competed in the
Féile na Gael competition.

This was a huge increase on previous
years and with several traditional
4-Wall clubs taking part it gives great
hope for the future of the code to see
so many young players enjoying the
traditional game.
    The Irish Softball Nationals travelled
to Wexford where a warm welcome
was received by all who attended. The
organising committee and the clubs in
Wexford deserve great credit for the
hospitality they displayed and also
for the condition of their facilities on
the day. Galway’s Martin Mulkerrins
broke his duck at senior level when
he took the Mens Open title with
Martina McMahon defeating Catriona
Casey to seal the Ladies Open title in
Castlebridge.
    It was a nostalgic occasion as
the last Softball Finals Nights took
place in Ceannaras in September
and October. Kilkenny’s Kyle Dunne
had the honour of being the last
Minor champion in the old centre as
he overcame Monaghan’s Eoghan
McGinnity. Martina McMahon
ensured her spot in history as the last
ladies winner at Ceannaras as she
outgunned Catriona Casey in two
games in the Ladies Senior Singles           O’Keefe ensured their status as the      complete the clean sweep at Minor
final.                                       most successful Softball Doubles         level.
    The Softball Singles final was played    partnership in the Ladies game             On both the Singles and Doubles
out in front of a large crowd with           when they captured their seventh         Finals night, we recognised the past
Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy rolling back the       title defeating Kilkenny in the Ladies   Senior Singles winners who joined
years to capture his tenth title with an     Open Doubles Final. Kilkenny duo Kyle    us on court for the presentations
outstanding performance to defeat            Dunne and Billy O’Neill collected the    which provided a fitting end to the old
hot favourite Robbie McCarthy. This          final Minor title in the old centre as   centre. There are so many memories
final had everything and was a fitting       they defeated Monaghan’s Eoghan          and so many stories from nights in the
finale to honour the finals nights that      McGinnity and Tiarnan O Rourke.          old centre and we now move to our
had gone before. It was an absorbing         Kildare’s Leah Doyle (Kildare) had an    new home and will make many more
encounter between two of the                     outstanding year as she captured     memories as we watch the next batch
finest Softball exponents and                     the Ladies Minor Singles to         of stars take to the courts and bring
one that will live long in the                                                        the magic of finals nights back once
memories of all who witnessed                                                         more.
it.                                                                                     A special commemorative booklet
    Meath duo Brian Carroll                                                           was produced for the occasion and
and Gary McConnell ensured                                                            my thanks to all who contributed in
another title was added to                                                            particular Paul Fitzpatrick. One of the
the long list of title wins                                                           most pleasing aspect of the Softball
in Ceannaras for the                                                                  Finals was the media coverage that
Royal County as they                                                                  the finals attracted and I thank
proved too strong                                                                     everyone who contributed to this
for Westmeath’s                                                                       effort.
Robbie McCarthy                                                                         The events of this year have proven
and Colm Jordan                                                                       to be a positive start and should give
in the doubles                                                                        hope that with the right promotion
showpiece. The                                                                        and right attitude that we can build
Cork duo of Catriona                                                                  a bright future for the Softball code.
Casey and Aishling                                                                    With the Féile set to grow and more

8 • GAA HANDBALL • Annual Report 2020
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA - GAA Handball
ANNUAL
                                                                                                          REPORT

                                                                                     facilities in mind. While in Wexford
                                                                                     at both the Irish Nationals and Féile
                   ONE OF THE MOST PLEASING ASPECT OF THE SOFTBALL                   it was inspiring to see the pride that
                                                                                     the clubs had in their facilities with
                   FINALS WAS THE MEDIA COVERAGE THAT THE                            several Softball courts warm and
                                                                                     welcoming with a splash of colour,
                   FINALS ATTRACTED AND I THANK EVERYONE WHO                         proof of what can be achieved with

                   CONTRIBUTED TO THIS EFFORT.                                       a can do attitude and a hard working
                                                                                     committee.
                                                                                        We must continue to look at ways
                                                                                     of improving the aesthetics of our
young players being exposed to the         on children’s perception of the game      current 60x30 venues and making
game it is vital we do everything we       will be extremely positive. While many    them more attractive places for both
can to encourage all these young           challenges remain we must embrace         players and supporters if we want
players to keep playing the Softball       them head on and set a positive tone      future generations to take up the
game.                                      for the code and it’s growth in order     code.
   I have previously mentioned and I       to see the next generation of stars          The big alley needs more
would reiterate that we do need to         develop.                                  tournaments and more opportunities
be careful of the language we use            I would hope the new centre will        for players to play the game. Club
when talking about the code. Phrases       inspire our current Softball clubs to     tournaments are the perfect way to
like Softball is dead or dying or on its   modernise their facilities and to make    achieve this so I would encourage
knees immediately gives a negative         them more welcoming to potential          more clubs to take up the mantle and
impression of the code. If we, as an       new players. Softball courts in general   run tournaments.
association, cannot talk about the         can be a vast concrete arena with            In 2019 a total of 20 counties won
code in a positive light, then how can     often little or no colour in a building   titles with Tipperary and Kilkenny
we expect non handballers to have a        that to non handballers has little        leading the way on 8 titles each.
positive impression of it?                 charm or appeal. This is mainly due       Numbers were in line with 2018 and
   With a vibrant new modern court in      to the fact that Softball courts are      with a spread of 20 different counties
our state of the art National Centre, it   much older buildings and were not         winning titles this is encouraging for
is hoped that the impact this will have    built with the modern-day sports          the traditional game.

                                                                                     Annual Report 2020 • GAA HANDBALL • 9
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA - GAA Handball
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA

MISSING CUP
Unfortunately the saga continues
with the missing Senior Doubles
cup. Last presented to Meath in
2014 the cup has not been seen
since which is most disappointing.

This is a most unfortunate situation
and is an insult to those legends who
received the cup and returned it for so
many years before. If anybody has any
knowledge of the whereabouts of the
cup I would ask them to come forward
to ensure that the cup is returned to
its rightful place as soon as possible.

WALL BALL
Over 400+ players made their
way west to compete in what has
become the best weekend in the
GAA Handball calendar in recent
years.

The Wallball Nationals is in my
opinion the best and biggest National
tournament in the World. The
introduction of player walk-ons and
music to the finals night added to
the atmosphere and was warmly
welcomed by all. This is something we
must build on to create a complete
package for players and supporters
going forward.                             on show the largest crowds were often      work in Wallball and there is no reason
   On the court the action was as          surrounding the courts with juvenile       why we cannot explore other ideas
competitive as ever. Galway’s Martin       encounters taking place.                   for a Wallball All-Ireland to ensure
Mulkerrins came through a strong              This year’s event was another           the competition would be a success
field in the Mens Open to take the title   major success and thanks must go to        and would not have the dropout rates
following a final victory over Tyrone’s    Breaffy House Hotel and the countless      that the previous competition had.
Sean Kerr. The athleticism shown by        volunteers who ensured the event ran       I welcome alternative ideas from
both players in the final was a joy to     smoothly.                                  counties in this regard. We should not
watch.                                        The Loughmacrory showdown once          always have to do the same and run
   In the Ladies Open Armagh’s Megan       more attracted a huge crowd and is         the same competitions for each code
McCann caused a shock by defeating         growing in strength year on year while     of handball as each code is different
reigning Irish and World champion          successful tournaments were also           and different formats might suit
Martina McMahon in the semi final to       held in Mount Talbot and Inis Mór.         better.
qualify for her first Ladies Open Final.      The subject of a Wallball All Ireland      We have a huge opportunity to
Galway’s Ciana Ní Churraoin came           is a cause for debate at the moment        introduce the game of handball on
through the other side of the draw to      after CCCC reviewed the three-year         a large scale to clubs and schools
qualify for her maiden final too and it    trial and recommended that the             through the game of Wallball and one
was the Galway girl who took home          competition would not continue in          which we must take advantage of. The
her first Wallball Open title with a two   its current format based mainly on         Wallball schools initiative continues to
game win over McCann.                      a high withdrawal rate that would          grow from strength to strength but I
   In the Juvenile grades the standard     suggest there is not an appetite for an    would urge clubs to tap into this and
is higher than ever with several high      All-Ireland competition in this code       explore club school links to avail of
quality encounters taking place over       at this moment in time. I feel that        potential new members and also to
the weekend. Such was the skill level      the one game model does not really         provide a pathway for the handballers

                  THE WALLBALL NATIONALS IS IN MY OPINION THE BEST AND BIGGEST NATIONAL TOURNAMENT IN
                  THE WORLD. THE INTRODUCTION OF PLAYER WALK-ONS AND MUSIC TO THE FINALS NIGHT ADDED
                  TO THE ATMOSPHERE AND WAS WARMLY WELCOMED BY ALL. THIS IS SOMETHING WE MUST BUILD
                  ON TO CREATE A COMPLETE PACKAGE FOR PLAYERS AND SUPPORTERS GOING FORWARD.

10 • GAA HANDBALL • Annual Report 2020
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA - GAA Handball
ANNUAL
                                                                                                              REPORT
once they leave school to continue in
the game.
  With new and unique forms of
exercise in constant demand in this
country to beat the battle of obesity
and to get people active what better
way is there to get out in the fresh
air and exercise and all you need is a
ball and a wall! As a sport we are very
much competition centric but Wallball
can be the perfect recreation game
to keep fit, get active or simply just to
have fun.
  Plans are still in the pipeline to host
a stop on the European Tour but the
issue is finding space in a packed Clár
to host such a weekend that suits the
European calendar of stops. Talks will
continue to find a solution and I hope
that this will be achievable in the near
future. Once up and running I believe
that this exciting venture will add to
the growing popularity of the code
throughout Ireland and across Europe.

HARDBALL
A total of 69 entries were received         defeated neighbours Kerry’s Dominick          The Juvenile Softball Finals took
in the Hardball Championships this          Lynch and John Joe Quirke with the         place in Moycullen and St. Comans
year with 46 games played across            Minor Doubles title going to Kilkenny’s    and again the standard was excellent
the championships.                          Billy O’Neill and Harry Delaney            throughout both venues with several
                                            following their victory over another       high octane encounters taking place.
The number of withdrawals is still          Kilkenny pairing of James Love and         Eleven counties took part in the
very high in this code and this needs       Sean Barron.                               finals with Cork topping the medals
addressing if it is to continue in its                                                 table with four titles while Galway,
current format.                                                                        Roscommon and Tipperary took two
                                            JUVENILE HANDBALL                          each and Clare, Kilkenny, Sligo, Tyrone
  In an effort to promote the Hardball
code a decision was taken to stream         The standard at Juvenile level in          and Wexford all took home one title.
the finals live this year.                  all codes is incredible and this is        Congratulations to all on the hard
  On the honours front Robbie               testament to the fantastic work            work being put in to promote our
McCarthy continued his good run             carried out by coaches throughout          traditional game at Juvenile level.
of form in 2019 when he captured            the country. You can all be very              At the Wallball Nationals in Breaffy
the All Ireland Men’s title following       proud of the great work you are            the standard of the Juvenile grades
victory over Limerick’s CJ Fitzpatrick.     carrying out.                              was exceptional with several high
The Minor singles title was won by                                                     class encounters taking place
Kilkenny’s Billy O’Neill who defeated       Throughout the different Juvenile          throughout the weekend. It was often
Meath’s Daniel Farrelly. The Senior         grades they are littered with quality      the case that the largest crowds were
Doubles title went to Cork’s Michael        players each capable of forging a long     gathered round the courts watching
Hedigan and Daniel Relihan who              successful playing career in the game.     an underage game such was the level
                                            Huge credit must go to the coaches         of quality on display.
                                            and parents for the way these players         At colleges level successful
                                            have developed and the standards           competitions were held in 4-Wall and
                                            that they are continuing to reach.         Softball. The 4-Wall Colleges took
                                               The Juvenile 4-Wall Finals took         place in Bawn, Corduff and Kells and
                                            place in Kingscourt on the Festival        like the Juvenile Finals the standard
                                            finals weekend. The standard at these      was exceptional with many familiar
                                            finals continue to rise each year with     names taking part representing their
                                            this year being no exception. Fourteen     schools.
                                            counties travelled to the Cavan               The Softball Colleges competition
                                            venue to take part on finals day with      took place in Clogh, Kilfane and
                                            ten counties sharing the honours.          Talbots Inch and again there was
                                            Kilkenny topped the medals table           some excellent action on show as the
                                            with an impressive four titles followed    up and coming Softball stars took to
                                            by Wexford, Tyrone and Clare with two      the courts.
                                            each while Armagh, Cavan, Galway,             It is getting increasingly hard to get
                                            Tipperary, Kerry, Roscommon all took       schools to commit to handball and
                                            home one title. Congratulations to all     to bring kids to competitions. This
                                            the winners and to all the counties        is often left to the volunteers in the
                                            involved in getting to the finals.         clubs to take care of and is something

                                                                                      Annual Report 2020 • GAA HANDBALL • 11
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA - GAA Handball
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA

that is currently being reviewed           FÉILE NA NGAEL                              tournament. The introduction of a
with a view to coming up with some                                                     standalone Softball Féile proved to
alternative colleges structures to         The Féile na nGael tournament has           be a resounding success as 26 teams
grow the game at second level. It is       been one of the real success stories        travelled to Wexford to compete in
hoped that the schools taking more         in recent years for GAA Handball            the first ever standalone event. When
responsibility will take some pressure     with numbers competing exceeding            you consider that only two teams
off the already overworked volunteers.     the 100 mark this year between the          had taken part in the previous couple
   Other juvenile competitions             three codes.                                of years this represents a fantastic
organised at national level were the                                                   increase in the number of young
Gael Linn, the Team of Four/Six in         The 4-Wall Féile was held in Cork and       people getting the opportunity to
4-Wall and Softball, the Girls Team of     Limerick and it was a massive success       experience Féile and also to play the
6 in Softball and the Girls Team of 10     with a total of 78 teams travelling         Softball code.
in 4-Wall.                                 South to take part. The event saw              The day was a huge success and
   As an association we can be very        56 4-Wall teams (37 Boys and 19             it was encouraging to see a number
proud that the structures we have          Girls) taking part in 6 divisions with      of teams from non-traditional
in place produces the best juvenile        Loughmacrory (Tyrone) and Lahorna           Softball clubs competing. In the end
players in the world. Right now, Ireland   (Tipperary) taking the Division 1 Boys      Loughmacrory and Lahorna made it a
are a long way ahead of the rest of        & Girls titles respectively                 very impressive double for their clubs
the world when it comes to juvenile          The Wallball Féile that was               as they took home the Division 1 titles
development and the standard               introduced two years ago continues          in the Softball to add to the 4-Wall
of our juvenile players and this is        to grow and this year an impressive 22      Division 1 titles won earlier in the year.
something we should be rightly proud       teams took part in the fantastic Conna      This is a remarkable achievement for
of. We must ensure that we provide         complex with the Division 1 titles going    both clubs and credit to the great
the correct platform to keep these         to Clogh Ballacolla (Laois) in the Boys     coaching work being done in both
fantastic players playing Handball and     and Oughterard (Galway) in the Girls.       clubs.
try to prevent a drop off in numbers         A wonderful welcome awaited                  As with the 4-Wall and Wallball
when they progress from juvenile to        the young Handballers in Cork and           Féiles, the welcome afforded to the
senior handball.                           Limerick with every club stepping up        young players was second to none in
   There will always be a lure of other    to the mark in terms of officiating         Wexford with fantastic hospitality and
sports, of social lives and other life     and also hospitality in what was an         top class officiating at all venues. This
pressures but if we provide a clear        excellently ran competition. Over           commitment from our clubs helps to
pathway and an exciting modern             350 games were played over the              add to the experience for our young
sport then I am confident we can and       weekend over ten venues which gives         players to give them a memorable
entice them to remain as handball          an indication of the level of effort that   Féile experience.
players.                                   went into running such a fantastic             I would like to thank the committees

12 • GAA HANDBALL • Annual Report 2020
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA - GAA Handball
ANNUAL
                                                                                                             REPORT
in both Cork and Wexford for the
fantastic job they both did hosting the
respective Féiles. Also, to our Féile Rep
Willie Roche and to National Fixtures
Officer Austin McKenna for their hard
work which is clearly paying off. With
over 100 teams in total taking part
over the two weekends Féile was one
of the outstanding success stories of
the year.

LADIES HANDBALL
The 20x20 initiative is at a crucial
juncture with the campaign aimed
at creating a measurable cultural
shift in the presentation and
perception of Women’s sport in
Ireland.

It is a broad-based approach with
three key metrics in mind to boost
media coverage, attendance at key
events and participation each by 20
per cent by 2020.
   GAA Handball are delighted to be
part of this very worthy initiative
and look forward to being part of the
campaign over the next year. Over the
past decade, huge work has gone in
to developing and promoting Ladies
handball and the advances made
have been excellent. While there is still
more to do, we are heading in the right
direction.
   Just this year I was delighted to
sit down with Nora Stapleton, WIS
lead for Sport Ireland, and she was
very impressed with GAA Handball’s
progress in terms of promoting ladies
handball. We had a full and open
discussion on the challenges facing         Singles while the Bridín Uí Mhaologáin        At the moment we are blessed to
ladies sport and in particular ladies       Cup will be awarded to the winners         be around to witness the outstanding
handball. I thank Nora for her time and     of the 4-Wall Ladies Senior Singles.       rivalry between our top two ladies
her advice and wish her well in her role.   Munster GAA Handball have also             players Catriona Casey and Martina
   We are aware that although we are        generously committed to donating           McMahon, one of the greatest rivalries
doing a lot of things right it is vital     a cup for the 4-Wall Ladies Senior         not only in handball but in sport in
that we must continue to improve and        Doubles competition. There are still       general.
maintain these standards. It remains        a number of competitions in both              The duo have competed in the last
disappointing that there still a small      codes that do not have cups but            three 4-Wall Finals, six Softball Finals
number of our venues that have not          steps are being made to rectify this so    and the Worlds Final with five of the
got adequate changing facilities for        that all our elite ladies competitions     ten major finals going to tie break
Ladies and in reality this is not good      have a cup to match the significance       and each game being a spectacle of
enough in this day and age. Our top         of the competition. I wish to thank        handball. These two ladies have raised
female players do not receive the           the Long family, Aidan Mulligan and        the standard in ladies handball and
recognition that they deserve in the        the Munster GAA Handball Board for         continue to set the bar for others
media but unfortunately this is not         donating the cups.                         to follow both at home and on the
just confined to ladies handball and           The She’s Ace tournament has            international stage.
we will continue to strive to better this   grown from strength to strength               I would like to take this opportunity
and give all our players the exposure       in recent years. Last year’s event         to commend those who are
they deserve.                               surpassed all expectations with over       replicating the She’s Ace format and
   Just recently Ard Comhairle              160 females converging on Mayo             are running She’s Ace Events in their
approved two new cups for Ladies            venues for the female only event. At       counties. It is by showing this sort of
Competitions in honour of two               the time of writing this report the        initiative and continued hard work
prominent figures of the game. The          2020 She’s Ace tournament has              that will see ladies handball grow and
Julie Long Cup, which is being kindly       once more surpassed all previous           reach its full potential.
donated by the Long Family and              tournaments in terms of competitor            It is encouraging to see more
friends of Julie will be awarded to the     numbers which is a most welcome            women involved at administrative,
winner of the Ladies 4-Wall Minor           development.                               coaching and officiating level in

                                                                                      Annual Report 2020 • GAA HANDBALL • 13
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA
clubs and counties and this is a huge      in Wallball is a priority for us and       Aguilar to take the Womens Open
positive for the game. I would like to     positive discussions around this have      Doubles title defeating DCU pairing
see more female representation at          been ongoing with the hope of finding      Fiona Tully/Meadhbh Ní Dhalaigh
Provincial level and National level and    a suitable date for all parties in 2020.     I congratulate the ICHA on a
hopefully this will be the start of more      As an association we must               fantastic year and commend them for
getting involved.                          continue to work alongside our fellow      the great work they are doing. I look
   We currently have a wealth of talent    associations in both the US and the        forward to working with them once
in our ladies game with a host of top-     rest of the world to grow the game         more throughout 2020.
class players at senior level added to     globally. I look forward to working
possibly the strongest ladies underage     closely with our sister associations
crop of players in a long time and this    throughout the world over the next
                                                                                      CLUB TOURNAMENTS
all bodes well for the ladies game.        year as we build up to Ireland 2021.       Once more a large number of clubs
   While numbers in female grades                                                     hosted tournaments throughout
are steady there is always room                                                       the year and I compliment them
for improvement. There is a high
                                           ICHA
                                                                                      for putting in the effort to host
drop off of girls in their late teens/     The ICHA had another successful            tournaments and provide handball
early twenties and this is something       year in 2019 and once more ran             for members at all levels.
we need to address and improve             some excellent competitions in all
numbers.                                   three codes.                               Tournaments like the Gaffney
   Finally, I wish to thank the She’s                                                 Tournament, Golden Gloves have
Ace Committee of Frances Ni                The ICHA 4-Wall Singles event              a long history behind them and
Churraoin, Paula Doyle, Paula Clarke       took place in Belfast venues with          continue to excel while newer
and Pat Murphy for their assistance        Colin Crehan (UL) and Fiona Tully          tournaments like the Moycullen and
throughout the year.                       (DCU) retaining their titles. The          Breacach Open in recent years are a
                                           4-Wall Doubles saw Galen Riordan/          welcome addition.
INTERNATIONAL                              Brian Mahon (UCD) and Fiona Tully/            The Lough Showdown once more
                                           Meadhbh Ni Dhalaigh (DCU) take the         attracted huge numbers while
Irish Handballers once more                titles.                                    regulars Mount Talbot and Inis
proved their dominance on the                 The Softball Singles saw Kilkenny’s     Mor both catered for the Wallball
international stage with several           Shane Dunne representing ITT and           community.
victories for Irish players in the US      Fiona Tully (DCU) capture the open            There are numerous other club
in 2019.                                   titles.The Softball Doubles Mens title     tournaments held throughout the

In the US, Catriona Casey continued
her dominance as she captured the
US Nationals title and also the Race                      CAVAN’S PAUL BRADY REALISED A LIFETIME GOAL
4 Eight Players Cup. Cork’s Killian
Carroll, who is based in Boston,                          WHEN HE EQUALLED NATY ALVARADO’S RECORD OF 11
continues to dominate the Men’s
scene as he captured the Men’s Race                       US NATIONALS TITLES DEFEATING MARTIN MULKERRINS
4 Eight Players Cup.
   Galway’s Martin Mulkerrins picked                      IN THE FINAL IN LOS CABALLEROS
up his first title on the US tour when
he took the Tuscon Stop of the tour.
   Cavan’s Paul Brady realised a           went to ITT with Shane Dunne &             year and I congratulate all clubs on
lifetime goal when he equalled Naty        Gearóid O’Connell) while Fiona Tully       their successful events.
Alvarado’s record of 11 US Nationals       capped off an impressive year joining         Club tournaments are a fantastic
titles defeating Martin Mulkerrins         up with Meadhbh Ní Dhálaigh to take        way for handballers to get more
in the final in Los Caballeros. He         the Ladies Doubles title for DCU.          handball and also great social
also captured the New York Stop              In the Wallball Singles LIT’s James      occasions to meet handballers from
title defeating Westmeath’s Robbie         Prentice took the Mens Open title          all over the country.
McCarthy in the final.                     defeating Terry McElvaney (DCU)
   With the 2021 World Championships       while Aishling Mullin (NUIG) defeated
coming to these shores in less than 24     Eleanor Percy (NUIG) to take the
                                                                                      FIXTURES
months’ time, planning will commence       Ladies Open.                               A quick glance at the competitions
to make this another World                   A strong representation travelled        table will give you an idea of the
Championships to remember.                 to the USHA Collegiates 4-Wall             number of fixtures that were
   The success of the 2021 World           Championships in the University of         administered at national level
Championships hinges on good               Minnesota where there was success          in GAA Handball with nearly two
participation and buy in from the          for the Irish in the Men’s Open Singles    thousand games administered at
other member countries of the World        where Galen Riordan (UCD) defeated         national level over the year.
Council in order to provide credibility    Tyler Stoffel (MNSU) and also in the
to the World titles. We want to            Men’s Open Doubles where David             When you consider that this does
encourage the best players in the          Walsh/Adam Walsh (CIT) defeated            not include club, county or provincial
world to come to these shores in 2021      Niall Joyce/Kevin Diggins (DCU). In        games it gives you a sense of the
and every effort will go in to making      the Women’s Open Galway’s Ciana            weight of expectation on our
this happen and making the 2021            Ni Churraoin representing MNSU             volunteers and venues to host such a
World Championships the best yet.          defeated Fiona Tully (DCU) while           vast fixtures programme.
   An Irish stop on the European Tour      Ní Churraoin partnered with Corina           Often times when one competition

14 • GAA HANDBALL • Annual Report 2020
ANNUAL
                                                                                                              REPORT

ends another starts immediately                The job of administering fixtures is      administrators and also to the
which increases the pressure on not         often a very unforgiving job with very       majority of other players who abide
only our Fixtures Administrator but         little thanks. One huge problem that         by the fixtures as they are set. I also
also on our venues and volunteers. We       still rears its head is when players or      feel it is extremely disrespectful
need to be cognisant of the pressure        counties wish to change fixtures. The        when players repeatedly seek fixture
that this puts on families who may          rules surrounding fixture changes are        changes.
have family members wishing to              clear and one of the great frustrations         There will always be exceptional
play in multiple events in multiple         in organising fixtures is the blatant        circumstances and the CCCC always
areas of the country. This needs to         disregard some players and counties          try to look at these in a balanced and
be addressed and a better-balanced          have for these rules.                        fair way but it requires a common
programme of fixtures produced for             Players organising games between          sense approach and co-operation
everyone.                                   themselves or pulling out of fixtures        from players, county boards and all
    The past year has seen at times a       without notifying the relevant               units to ensure everybody involved in
struggle to get venues to host games        officials is not acceptable and shows        fixtures are given the best platform to
due mainly to overloaded fixture lists      a complete lack of respect to the            run as effective a fixtures programme
and venues having multiple fixtures         officials, the volunteers and venue          as possible.
over multiple days. Venues are asked        officials who all have an important             I would like to compliment the
to cater for club, county, provincial       role to play. With the amount of ways        National Fixtures Officer Austin
and national fixtures and often the         now available to contact people              McKenna and the CCCC for the
venues in the most accessible parts         nowadays this is really not acceptable.      excellent job they carry out year in
of the country become inundated. As         We cannot expect people to take our          year out in completing such a hectic
an association we have a duty to our        games seriously if we want to treat          programme of fixtures often under
volunteers to act on this and to try to     our fixtures with such little respect at     trying circumstances.
counteract the clear slide in available     times.
venues and volunteers throughout               When you consider that a fixture
the country. Otherwise we will see          contains an opposition player, a
                                                                                          VENUES
the volunteers we do have becoming          venue official, a referee and possibly       Without venues we can have no
burnt out and it will be too late to stop   supporters who all have made time            fixtures so to those venues who
it.                                         for the original fixture and are now         have stood up once more in the last
    There is a responsibility too on our    been asked to accommodate a fixture          year I say a huge thank you, you are
county boards and our players to            change often at short notice you             making a huge contribution to the
respect the fixtures list and to work       get a sense that it is not always just       success of our sport.
with the CCCC instead of against            as simple as two players agreeing
them to enable the fixtures list to run     between themselves to rearrange a            The standard of hosting for our
off smoothly.                               fixture. It is unfair on venue officials,    National events has been exemplary

                                                                                        Annual Report 2020 • GAA HANDBALL • 15
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA
in recent years and 2019 was no           welcome, top class venues and             on committees at local level. Of our
different.                                officiating. Breaffy House hosted         current volunteers we have seen
   Wexford hosted two exceptional         another excellent Wallball Nationals      a number of clubs and volunteers
Softball events with the Softball         while Ceannaras in Croke Park played      decline to host fixtures over the past
Nationals and Softball Féile heading      host to the last ever finals in the old   year mainly due to the sheer amount
to the Sunny South East. The              handball centre.                          of time that fixture programmes take
welcome received by all players, the         When you add to this the hundreds      and a lack of help at ground level in
excellent venues and the efficient        of venues who hosted individual           hosting same.
hosting made the two events very          games throughout our major                   A lot of volunteers are also players,
enjoyable.                                championships and team events             but it is impossible to keep the
   Galway/Mayo once more stood up         you see a phenomenal example of           volume of games going and expect
to the plate to run the Adult Nationals   all that is good about volunteering       people to play and volunteer in the
for the second year in a row. Again       in our sport. We are blessed to have      current climate. People are more time
the clubs in both counties were           some amazing venues and amazing           sensitive nowadays and have other
excellent with plenty of volunteers       volunteers who make hosting events        commitments and we must look at
and the competition was efficiently       a pleasure throughout the country.        ways to alleviate the pressure on our
run. The Junior Nationals went north         I would like to offer thanks on        venues and volunteers.
to Tyrone/Monaghan/Armagh with            behalf of all the association to our         We will prioritise efforts to try and
the finals held in the impressive         venues who hosted games from              attract more people into volunteering
Bracach Handball club and was a           major national events down to club        in GAA Handball and to do this
huge success with players receiving       championships throughout the year.        we need to create an attractive
excellent hospitality in every club and   It is hugely appreciated and is a major   environment for volunteers that is
a huge volunteer effort was evident       credit to you all.                        both rewarding and enjoyable. Many
over the weekend.                                                                   hands make light work and we can
   The 4-Wall Féile headed for Cork                                                 never have too many volunteers. At
with Limerick lending their assistance
                                          VOLUNTEERS                                national level we will continue to look
and as outlined above the Féile           We are indebted to our network            at meaningful initiatives to energise
experience for the competing players      of volunteers throughout the              our current volunteers and attract
was enhanced by the excellent             country who ensure that our sport         new volunteers. This must be a
hosting of all clubs involved. Once       is in safe hands at the moment.           priority for us all in 2020.
more the Kingscourt club was              From venue officials to coaches to           In 2019, a total of 1948 games were
impeccable and hosted the two             referees to administrators we are         played across 223 venues. This is
major 4-Wall Festival weekends.           blessed to have a fantastic group of      a phenomenal undertaking by our
Mayo venues hosted the Annual             volunteers in our sport at present.       network of clubs and volunteers. I
She’s Ace tournament and as is the                                                  salute you all for your dedication to
case every year they did a fantastic      In recent years we have seen a decline    the game it is very much appreciated.
job with all players receiving a warm     in new volunteers taking up positions

16 • GAA HANDBALL • Annual Report 2020
ANNUAL
                                                                                                           REPORT

CLUBS                                                                                 together we will grow our sport from
The club is the lifeblood of GAA                                                      the club level up.
Handball. It is at club level that                                                       The Club Iontach programme
the game can only ever truly                                                          was launched this year by our
grow and attract new players.                                                         Development team. Club Iontach is
                                                                                      GAA Handball’s new quality standards
With this in mind GAA Handball                                                        programme for Handball Clubs
welcomed the appointment of                                                           across Ireland. The programme was
Pauric Dowdall to the positon of Club                                                 devised to help guide clubs to achieve
Support Officer earlier this year. I hope                                             minimum operating standards in core
you would all join me in welcoming                                                    areas, aimed at improving all aspects
Pauric to the team and we wish him                                                    of club development.
the very best of luck in his role.                                                       We are confident that there is
   Pauric’s role will concentrate on                                                  something in this document that
club development and support and            have managed to raise funds and           all clubs can learn from as they
will run a number of initiatives to         to upgrade their facilities over the      continuously endeavour to create
help strengthen our clubs. This is a        last year and I congratulate them for     positive sporting experiences in
very positive addition in our plans to      having the foresight and commitment       a safe, enjoyable and supportive
support our club network.                   to do so. It takes a supreme effort to    environment.
   November saw the first ever Club         do so but the reward is worthwhile.          There is no deadline for completion,
Forum take place with 35 clubs                I would encourage clubs to learn        instead clubs can work at their
represented on the day. The day was         from those clubs who have already         own pace for accreditation. We
a resounding success with several           been successful in fundraising and        are confident that all clubs who
informative talks and interactive           obtaining grants as we can all assist     sign up will reap the rewards and
sessions held. This is the first of         each other in developing our clubs.       inevitably grow stronger as a club. The
a number of initiatives aimed at            This was one key aspect of the            development staff at GAA Handball
helping our club network to thrive and      Club Forum in November that was           are always on hand for guidance when
prosper.                                    warmly welcomed as a number of            required.
   Throughout 2020 a greater                clubs shared knowledge in relation           This is a fantastic scheme and one
emphasis will be put on club support        to funding, structures, player            that will help our clubs to grow while
and training for volunteers. Several        development etc.                          operating to the best standards and
further club support initiatives and          At national level we will offer all     I encourage all our clubs to embrace
workshops to upskill our volunteers         the support we can and by working         the programme.
in areas such as Club Officer
Roles, Coaching, Safety, Recruiting
Volunteers, Fundraising etc are in the
pipeline for the coming year.
   It is important that our clubs work                     NOVEMBER SAW THE FIRST EVER CLUB FORUM TAKE
with Pauric to enable them to grow
and prosper and that clubs make                            PLACE WITH 35 CLUBS REPRESENTED ON THE DAY. THE
every effort to attend any training
or development workshops that are
                                                           DAY WAS A RESOUNDING SUCCESS WITH SEVERAL
provided.
   There are a number of clubs who
                                                           INFORMATIVE TALKS AND INTERACTIVE SESSIONS HELD
                                                                                     Annual Report 2020 • GAA HANDBALL • 17
TUARASCÁIL AN BAINISTEOIR NÁISIÚNTA

COACHING & DEVELOPMENT                      to be a great support to the full time       CCCC for a decision when they are
Our Coaching & Development team             team. Finally, I thank our National          bound by a rule but then fail to bring
continue to perform to the highest          Development Officer Darragh Daly             a motion to the AGM to amend the
possible standards despite limited          and Club Support Officer Pauric              rule in question if they feel it needs to
resources and a lack of manpower.           Dowdall for their continued hard work        be amended. The easier option is to
                                            that has achieved impressive results         blame the committee who made the
In reality more Development Officers        despite limited resources.                   decision instead of addressing the
are necessary if we are to truly realise                                                 issue and looking to amend the rule.
the potential of our great game on                                                          The CCCC have worked extremely
                                            DISCIPLINE                                   hard throughout 2019 and have been
a nationwide basis. This must be a
priority for our sport if we are to fully   Our CCCC committee continue to               consistent and fair in their decisions
realise our potential in developing the     do their work under at times very            and this is all we can ask for. I want
game throughout the country.                trying circumstances.                        to thank the CCCC committee led by
  Despite this there are a number of                                                     Kevin Cooke for the excellent job they
exciting projects that have happened        As a committee they make decisions           did in 2019 and would urge all units
or are coming soon. Last year saw           that may not always be popular               to work with the CCCC in the coming
the launch of the brand new Club                but they have the courage and            year.
Iontach programme and the GAA                    conviction to make them                    The new referee pathway was
Handball Academy both of which                    nonetheless as that is their           launched in late 2019 and it is
are excellent initiatives. The Club               remit and they are simply              planned to set up a referees panel of
Forum in November was a huge                     following the rulebook. Many            experienced referees to take charge
success with plans for further                   people who criticise them               of the open championships. It is also
workshops and forums in                             seem to forget that they are         planned to recruit and train more
the future.                                           volunteers elected by their        referees in 2020 to hopefully ease
  You will see from the                                peers and they are trying to      the burden on venue officials and
Coaching Report later                                   make decisions in the best       current referees. This is not as easy
on the volume of                                        interest of the game.            as it sounds as there needs to be
work that has taken                                        A lack of knowledge           a willing cohort of volunteers who
place throughout the                                            surrounding the          wish to become referees firstly. With
last year is impressive                                           rules of the game      the right pathway hopefully this will
considering the                                                    often leads to very   attract more people to referee and
shortage of staff this                                            unfair abuse been      ease the burden on our current batch
year.                                                           directed towards the     of excellent officials.
  I want to thank                                CCCC arising out of decisions              This will only be a success
our tutors who have                                made by the committee.                however if players, officials and
delivered courses all over                            One source of frustration          spectators observe our respect
the country and continue                            is when counties blame the           initiative and respect the referee.

18 • GAA HANDBALL • Annual Report 2020
ANNUAL
                                                                                                            REPORT
                                         show our voluntary administrators            coverage in local media outlets. This is
                                         the respect they deserve, they are           very important in the overall context
                                         volunteers at the end of the day             of gaining media coverage as the more
                                         and they have stood up to the plate          coverage at local level then the more
                                         often when no one else was willing           likely it is to seep through to national
                                         to. Maybe think about this before you        level. I commend all the active PRO’s
                                         criticise the next time.                     for their work in promoting our game
                                            If genuine changes in personnel           and achieving such coverage.
                                         need to be made at any level, there             From a TV and general media
                                         are official channels in which to            interest point of view, the fact that
                                         do this and if a member feels that           we will have a state of the art centre
                                         they could do a better job then they         in the confines of Croke Park will
                                         are free to get involved and put             hopefully remove some of the barriers
                                         themselves forward for the position.         to media exposure as the majority of
                                            As an association we need to              the national media are Dublin based.
                                         provide more support and educate                Once more our Live stream coverage
                                         all administrators at all levels in their    of our major games on Facebook
                                         roles of what is expected of them and        Live has been a resounding success
                                         best practices in carrying out that          bringing our games to a worldwide
                                         role. If we do this and our members          audience with fantastic viewing
                                         allow them to do their jobs then the         figures. This year saw over 80 live
                                         administration of the sport becomes          games streamed to a worldwide
                                         a lot more streamlined and efficient.        audience.
                                            I commend all our administrators             GAA Handball began streaming live
                                         for the work that they do throughout         games five years ago and it has been
                                         the year and hope that they have             a huge success since. The number of
                                         found the experience enjoyable and           live games continues to grow with our
                                         some way rewarding.                          audience and potential reach growing
                                                                                      year on year. When you think that
                                                                                      our sister associations are only really
                                         MEDIA/PR/COMMUNICATIONS                      beginning to explore live streaming in
                                         The battle continues in what is              the last couple of years it shows that
                                         a hugely competitive field for               we have been ahead of the pack in
There is absolutely no place for
                                         media coverage yet 2019 saw an               terms of online coverage.
abuse of officials in our game, they
                                         improvement in media coverage for               The work and attention that goes
are volunteers and have given up
                                         our sport.                                   into streaming an event is not always
their free time to officiate and they
                                                                                      noticed but it has become a valuable
deserve respect for doing so. The fear
                                         Our All Ireland Softball finals attracted    tool for us to showcase our sport to
of getting abuse for making a split
                                         the best coverage in a number of             mass audiences. We are constantly
second decision can often put people
                                         years with coverage on RTE Radio,            looking for ways to improve our live
off refereeing and this should not
                                         RTE News, TG4 and in many of the             streaming offering and introduced
be the case. All our officials should
                                         National newspapers not to mention           some of these throughout this year’s
feel welcomed and comfortable in
                                         numerous sports websites.                    finals.
their role, mistakes will be made but
                                           On a local level a number of counties         I thank MacAV for their camera
everybody is human at the end of the
                                         have forged successful relationships         work throughout the year which as
day and we are all there to enjoy our
                                         with local media and receive good            always was excellent. I also thank all
games officials included.
  Showing respect to officials should
not be an exception but the norm.
As supporters emotion can get the
better of us but this is still not an
excuse. Our top players need to lead
by example here too and the younger
generations will follow. We need to
create a safe culture for our referees
and officials and then we will see
more people volunteer to officiate.

COMMITTEES
Our provincial and county
committees were tasked with a
huge workload once more in 2019.

For a provincial or county setup
to operate efficiently then the
committees must be given the full
support and backing of the members
of that county/province.
  I would urge all members to

                                                                                     Annual Report 2020 • GAA HANDBALL • 19
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