Work on Kinnegad Juniors venue progressing well

Work on Kinnegad Juniors AFC's new grounds on the Killucan Road, Kinnegad are progressing well, with this week's heightened on-site activity causing much excitement among members of the club.Contractor Arthur McGovern and his men have been busy levelling off topsoil, completing drainage works, and this week, grass seed will be planted on the first soccer pitch to be installed as part of Phase One of the development.Colm Gildea, club chairman, told the Westmeath Examiner that club members are working very hard on the fundraising end, to ensure that monies are made available to fund the extensive project.The next event on the cards is the club's forthcoming race night, which will take place in Scanlon's of Kinnegad on the night of Saturday, November 28. More details will be published about this night as they emerge.Meanwhile, the club is building steadily towards its major annual fundraiser - the auction night and dinner dance at the Hilamar Hotel, Kinnegad."It's likely that the dinner dance won't happen until the middle of February, but we're already working on bringing a celebrity name to Kinnegad for the night, and getting some auction material like signed jerseys and photos," Colm said.Past Kinnegad Juniors dinner dances have attracted such big names as FAI President John Delaney, sports commentator Jimmy Magee, legendary Ireland and Celtic goalkeeper Packie Bonner, and former Liverpool and Ireland midfielder Ronnie Whelan.In the interim, the club has kept the fundraising channels open with a series of monthly raffles with excellent prizes, which most recently included tickets for the All-Ireland semi-finals, and Bernard Dunne's unsuccessful world title defence on Saturday week last.Another raffle in the near future will see tickets for the WWE event at the O2 up for grabs, while bag packing weekends are also planned.All of these small fundraisers, Colm says, contribute towards financing credit union loans drawn down to advance work at the new soccer venue.While financial assistance has already been provided by Lagan Cement, much more will be needed to ensure that the club's Under 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 16 teams can boast of their own, full-time home ground next year.At the moment, with the kind cooperation of Kinnegad Parish, Kinnegad Juniors teams currently play their home games on land to the rear of St. Finian's Hall, Kinnegad."Realistically while we hope that Phase One will be completed for next September, we hope to get as much time on the temporary pitch as we can," Colm said. "That's up to the parish, but we are very grateful to Fr. Gilroy and the parish for their generosity."Colm reiterated the club's thanks to DFGM Properties, Galway, who donated land for the development; Lagan Cement, the FAI, Westmeath County Council and all those parents and players who continue to help the club develop.GAA marks end of seasonThe sun shone on Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA Club on Saturday last, October 3, as the GAA fraternity gathered at the Pavilion to mark the end of the 2009 season with a hugely enjoyable underage blitz.Coralstown/Kinnegad football teams at Under 7, 8, 9 and 10 level were joined by other teams from around the county, as well as outfits from Meath and Kildare, for a memorable afternoon's football.Luckily, the weather held out, and refreshments were served afterwards for all who participated. Coralstown/Kinnegad senior football manager and Meath football legend, Colm Coyle, presented medals to the winning teams afterwards.While the season may be unofficially over, officially there's still plenty to be done and won. Both the Under 14 and Under 16 teams will participate in county finals over the coming weeks; and then, of course, there's the second Monster Drive-Thru Bingo, which takes place on Sunday, October 18.The first bingo event took place in August, and was a tremendous success.