Call to put €1m JP fund towards centre of excellence
A leading Westmeath GAA club has called for the €1m funding from businessman JP McManus to go towards the planned centre of excellence in the county.
The Downs put forward the idea at the first County Committee meeting of the year in the Mullingar Park Hotel on Wednesday evening. Delegate Aiden McGuire encouraged clubs to support the move.
"It's time to make the big leap of faith; we have been waiting so long for a centre of excellence in Westmeath and news, I believe, is imminent. It's €11,000 we (the 91 clubs, including ladies football and camogie) didn't have in November. No club had a budget for it," he said.
"The centre of excellence has to be paid for and it will be there for all units of the GAA in Westmeath."
However, there appears to be no strong support for the move. Garrycastle's Peter O'Halloran said it would be "twisting the parameters" of the guidelines laid down by JP McManus regarding how the funding is distributed.
Inclusion is a key element of the funding, it was also suggested, with areas such as health and wellbeing central as to how the money will be spent. There was concern that this could not be covered by donating the €1m directly to a centre of excellence.
Martin Williams (Lough Lene Gaels) asked for costings which were unavailable, but Chairman Frank Mescall estimated a centre of excellence may cost between €10m and €15 when fully complete. It could take another five years before it is fully operational.
Mr Mescall said Westmeath GAA cannot ask clubs for the funding, but they would be willing to accept the gesture. Head Of Operations Patrick Doherty explained that the money would be ring-fenced for the centre of excellence project and it was explained that areas such as inclusion and wellbeing would be fully addressed.
The chairman stressed that ladies football and camogie are fully included in the plans for a centre of excellence. "It is for all of Westmeath GAA," he added.
Aiden McGuire felt clubs who donate their share of the funding should be exempt from any levy that may be required to pay for the project.