Billy Foley, whose term as Westmeath GAA chairman recently came to an end.

Departing GAA chief calls for action to curb financial disparity

Billy Foley’s three-year stint as Westmeath GAA chairman recently came to an end and he said he was happy with the new life breathed into the club championships by the revised format in 2020.

His only regret was that more fans didn’t get the opportunity to turn out and see the thrilling fare.

Speaking at the recent Westmeath County Board Convention (held online), Mr Foley said that the football championships in particular had been hugely competitive at all grades .

“If the clubs so wish, there is a template there for 2021. With the situation regarding next year unclear, it may well be the best option again,” he said.

On the inter-county football front, the outgoing chairman said that Westmeath were very competitive throughout the year, and against Dublin in the Leinster SFC, fared “better against the Metropolitans this year than anybody else, right up to the All-Ireland final”.

“I believe Jack Cooney is doing great work, and laying solid foundations for Westmeath football for the coming years,” he said.

On the hurling front, Mr Foley described the SHC final between Clonkill and Castletown-Geoghegan as a “magnificent advertisement” for the small ball game in Westmeath.

However, he said that this “masked a moderate championship”, and remarked that “outside of the top three or four clubs”, club hurling is “not in good shape” in Westmeath.

“The traditional hurling powers in north Westmeath are not promoting the game as in the past, and all of them need to have a serious long-term strategy to improve standards. I believe that there will be some good news on this front in January,” he added.

2020 was an “up and down” year for inter-county hurling in Westmeath, he described Westmeath’s first outing in the Joe McDonagh Cup as “deplorable”, but praised the hurlers for finishing the competition strongly.

The Brownstown man echoed recent media commentary about gaping financial disparities between a few elite counties and the chasing pack. “Small counties like ours need a spending equalisation programme to be put in place nationally if we are to return to proper competition,” he said.

“This is especially true in football, where now nobody has any real interest in the Leinster championship, and the All-Ireland semi-finals were sadly farcical, and an embarrassment to the Association. Both games were to all intents and purposes over after 15 minutes.

“Westmeath and other counties need the funding to be able to compete with these powers. The only way to achieve this in both codes is to put a top-class coaching initiative in place over a sustained period, with proper strength and conditioning for our players”.

Mr Foley said plans to advance a centre of excellence project in Westmeath were frustrated by Covid-19, but he expressed confidence that the county board, under new chairman Frank Mescall and secretary Pat Reilly, would get this back on the road.

He praised the condition of TEG Cusack Park, and paid particular tribute to Mick Moody and Peter Butler for their caretaking and maintenance. However, he said that the nets, stand and terrace require “immediate repair”, and that there may be “some good news” on this in the near future.

Mr Foley also said that Westmeath is working on getting its ducks in a row with regard to coaching by implementing a strategic coaching plan. He said that while the county coaching and games committee had major plans for reform in 2020, these were scotched by the Covid-19 outbreak. However, there may be new developments on this front in January 2021.