September 23 can’t come quick enough for Offaly GAA.
The Faithful Fields have long been mooted as a crucial component in kick-starting a revival of sorts in Offaly GAA.
The Faithful county have been in the doldrums in recent years, with their hurlers succumbing to disappointing lows year after year, and their footballers lacking the class to compete at the top level.
Though on-field problems have been plentiful in Offaly, it hasn’t been plain sailing off the field either. Management of teams changes hands way prematurely, there are complaints about funding, the county board’s lack of provision of resources and their interest is often brought into question.
It has all been very dis-harmonic in the King’s county. Their minor and under-21 teams haven’t set the world alight either, and it’s fair to say the whole thing is at rock bottom.
The only bright spark that they have had, is the production of the Faithful Fields plan, which has been in the construction process along the Birr-Tullamore road in Kilcormac for a few years now.
The county’s senior hurlers and footballers have had problems in the past with arranging venues for training sessions, with the hurlers famously locked out of O’Connor Park only a week before Championship a few years ago.
The Faithful Fields will prevent such occurrences. It will ensure that the set-up is more organised, that development squads, senior panels and even club teams are singing off the same hymn sheet, and won’t have problems with finding a suitable field for training.
The pitches are only a fortnight away from completion, and it must be said, the surface looks like a carpet, with the quality second to none.
There are four full-sized pitches, all equipped with headlights and nets, and they couldn’t really ask for much more.
The clubhouse also looks spacious, and as impressive as you could possibly want a clubhouse to be. It has six dressing rooms, a dining area, two upstairs meeting rooms, a wall-ball, and an all-weather training area.
Perhaps the most impressive feature of the whole plan, however, is the gym.
Offaly GAA took to Twitter on Friday morning to post a picture of their new gym, and it looks unreal.
It is a state-of-the-art set-up. It is as big as you could hope for, and is bright with the sun shining in. The squat-racks look ready to be attacked, the dead-lift platforms aren’t on top of the next one, which can be so annoying in many gyms, the benches look class and the dumbbells look modern.
Gym full fitted out ahead of official opening of The Faithful Fields on September 23rd @DuignanMichael @ClubFaithful @MidlandsSport pic.twitter.com/co0uE54ZPv
— Official Offaly GAA (@Offaly_GAA) September 8, 2017
There are absolutely no excuses for the GAA players of Offaly not to be hitting that up.
The best thing about the whole project, is that it has been completed debt free, as a result of fundraising, as well as funding from Croke Park, Leinster GAA, Sports Capital Funding and Offaly West Enterprise funding.
Here’s to hoping it is the key that the great county needs.
