Sometimes integration happens while everybody is looking in a different direction. The coming together of the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association is working its way through a process of consultation and negotiation to make sure it is sustainable, while in Wexford it is happening on the ground.
Wexford Camogie, Wexford GAA, and Wexford LGFA have announced a historic partnership in respect of Halo Tiles Wexford GAA Centre of Excellence, “solidifying a mutually beneficial collaboration aimed at enhancing player development and promoting excellence in Gaelic games across the county.”
The agreement establishes an alliance between the three bodies to share the facility as their premier training base. The state-of-the-art centre will serve as a hub for nurturing talent, honing skills and fostering a centre for elite performance across all Wexford teams, and will also have a spectator pitch for the associations to host club and county games alike.
The second phase of the development will open in November 2024 with three new floodlit pitches together with a new access road off the old N11. This will be added to the original four pitches that first opened in Ferns in 2015.
The final cost of this phase will be €1.8 million.
The three associations will join forces to launch and fundraise for phase three with the submission of a planning permission application for the development of additional changing rooms and a new high-performance gym.
Once timetabling and access to the pitches on an equal access basis is enshrined then this is what integration looks like.
“In 2021 we set out an action plan to make significant improvements to our facilities, to instigate inclusion projects and to improve our coaching standards across our county,” said Wexford GAA Chair Micheál Martin.
“The plan, entitled “Ar Aghaidh Linn Le Chéile (Onwards Together), was based on a shared vision of togetherness and ambition. Significant progress has been made in many areas and this partnership signifies a groundbreaking step towards strengthening the Gaelic games landscape in our county.”
“We look forward to having a centre that is inclusive of all with seven pitches catering for the needs of all players.”
“Halo Tiles Centre of Excellence provides top-class facilities for the advancement and development of our county teams, making it an ideal centre for all Wexford’s county teams,” added Martina Donnellan, Chair of Wexford Camogie.
“This collaboration will provide players with access to cutting-edge resources, enabling them to reach their full potential and achieve on-field success.”
“The collective dedication to excellence by Wexford Camogie, GAA and LGFA, combined with these unparalleled facilities promises an exciting future for athletes and supporters alike,” concluded Denis Nolan, Chair of Wexford LGFA.
“This collaboration reflects a united vision to elevate sports performance and elevate the profile of Wexford county teams.”
With Government grants through the Sports Capital Programme now making it a requirement that all funded facilities must have equal access for men and women this kind of coming together in the future will be the norm. It already is at many clubs around the country where the vision of equality has long been accepted.
One step at a time sees you covering the ground.
