‘Small step on big journey’

Westmeath GAA launch plans for multi-million euro training centre

Shane King

Westmeath GAA have taken a significant step towards the development of a new Centre of Excellence, as plans for the multi-million euro facility were presented to representatives of the county’s 47 clubs at a meeting in the Mullingar Park Hotel on Saturday.

However, county secretary Keith Quinn stressed that the announcement is only a “very small step on a very big journey”, and said a planning application is expected to be lodged within the next two to three weeks.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Keith Quinn said Saturday’s meeting was an important milestone for the long-awaited project.

“We brought 47 clubs in this morning to approve the planning application pack that we’re going to submit to the council in the next two to three weeks.

“It’s six pitches, six state-of-the-art pitches, with a building complex as well that will house eight dressing rooms with a fully equipped gymnasium, meeting rooms and video analysis rooms.

“It’s top of the range, it’s where Westmeath football and hurling need to be and I suppose it’s a proud moment for Westmeath GAA to be in that position today.”

While the county board hope to have the centre operational within the 10-year planning period, Keith said work could begin on parts of the development relatively soon if planning permission is secured.

“We submit the planning application and it’ll take the council a three-month period to review the application pack and hopefully then, if it’s good news and positive news and we get the green light to do what we need to do, we’ll then sit down and look at moving on to site as soon as possible.

“We’ll be putting in the road infrastructure that we need to get into site and then grass pitches and a gym are two of the most important things for us at this moment in time.

“There’s no reason we can’t have two or three grass pitches in three years’ time in Westmeath.”

The financial scale of the project, however, means that development will have to be carefully phased.

Keith estimates that the six pitches alone could cost approximately €6 million, based on current construction prices, before the cost of the main building and the infrastructure required to service the site is taken into account.

“Construction is fickle at the minute in terms of inflation. It’s going to be a significant cost, obviously.

“The average pitch is costing €750,000 to €1 million, so six pitches is €6 million.

“No matter what you do, you need to get in the pitches. First you’ve got to put a road in as well, so infrastructure like civil, foul water, storm water, ESB, water, all that costs money as well, has to go in.

“We’ll take it one step at a time, getting in a road, getting in a base, and then hopefully start putting in maybe one to two, if not three pitches within the next couple of years… It’s a 10-year planning application. We would love to have the Centre of Excellence complete within that 10-year period.”

With the development set to benefit all three Gaelic associations in the county, Keith believes securing the support of clubs, businesses and the wider public will be crucial.

“It is important that we have the 47 clubs fully supportive of it. This home is not just for Westmeath GAA, it’s for the three associations, it’s for the LGFA and it’s for the Camogie… so we need every club in Westmeath, boy and girl, to support this centre.

“You’ve seen what has been done in Westmeath GAA this year, particularly in football. You have the footballers winning the Leinster title, being unlucky to lose out in the National League. Our U16 footballers won the Ted Webb Cup. We’ve two All-Ireland Puck Fadas in Conor Raleigh and Pat Burke also got to the All-Ireland Puck Fada final.

“Sport in this county is really triumphant at the minute and we need the full support of all clubs, male and female. I think we’ll get it.

“All we’re asking for the general public to do now is support initiatives. We have some good sponsors behind us, we have some good business behind us, but look, this is a step, a very small step on a very big journey and hopefully everybody in Westmeath will put their shoulder to the wheel now and give something for the future of the kids to be proud of.”

That support is set to include a renewed fundraising drive, the county board having already held a number of major fundraising initiatives in recent years. Keith said that further events will be required to help fund the Centre of Excellence, while emphasising that fundraising for the project will have to operate alongside the county board’s existing financial commitments.

“Absolutely, there’s going to be more fundraising initiatives and obviously there’s going to be some big ones and some small ones. We can’t forget the day-to-day running of the county board as well. That needs to happen too, and support of the teams as well.

“But obviously this will be separate and it needs the full support of the general public and it needs full support from every business.

“We all have seen the joy that it brought to Westmeath this year when we had 20-odd thousand people in Galway and no one will ever forget the day in TEG Cusack Park when we had 12,500 people roaring on the Westmeath footballers.

“Hopefully we can give the people of Westmeath something for the future to be proud of.”