36 years and the quest goes on

We were dumped out of the Wexford Senior football champ yesterday evening. Our "quest" will now go to 36 years in trying to reclaim the title of county champions. The hurt today is massive because over the last 10/15 years I think we never believed we were as close to reclaiming that elusive title as we were this year.
To compound matters we played against the breeze in the first 30 and lead by 2 points came out in the second half and scored a goal to go 5 up only to lose by 8 a 13 point swing. A collapse that equates to anything the Dubs have ever achieved in the last few years(had to use some example).
So now after flopping so bad we find ourselves in a relegation battle that will match any championship, 8 teams in relegation and 3 to go down. the stomach/head and all other body parts are still in total shock.
We are now at a real crossroads we have a team ready to depart to the 4 corners of the globe, we are 3/4 years of having any youth coming through, (we will be heavily relying on our current 14 & 16 teams coming through).
To be honest after yesterday it will be at least 6 years before we could consider mounting a challenge again that's the hurting part there is no end in sight, but the killer of it all is you can't walk away.
That would be so easy but like all things the show must go go, fundraisers, model county tickets, looking for sponsors before you can even consider putting any team out on a pitch to pay that dreaded I word (insurance is €1000 a team now).
This is just a big long ramble that needs to be got out of the system.
Boxtys post the other day shows just what a victory/defeat can do to a rural area in our case a defeat will lead to the emigration of at least 10 lads under the age of 33 years of age.
Last night the re part was taken out of resession and it was taken in the manner of the last supper, some lads hurt so bad the didn't/couldn't stay out.
To rub salt in the wounds one of the local tug of war teams won a leinster championship and did the polite thing of showing us something we'll never get -- a winners medal!!!.
So if anyone out there wants to relocate to Wexford and are
A) A multi millionaire
B) an inter-county footballer (we'll even take the ones from Meath at this stage)
C) Wants to set up a business/multinational company
Please PM me to help lift me out of this doom and gloom. We didn't even blame the ref just Cowen.

Unlucky Jim.

Have you tried poaching a few Australians?

It has been 40 years since my Senior hurling club won the county championship andwe reached our first final last year since 1970 (the last time we won).

Pffft my club hasn't won a senior football championship since 1928. It wasn't even Donaghmore/Ashbourne then, just Donaghmore because Ashbourne only had like less than 200 people living in it...

SamiPremier08 wrote:Unlucky Jim.

Have you tried poaching a few Australians?

We had one last year believe or not and he played for our junior team

JimWexford wrote:We were dumped out of the Wexford Senior football champ yesterday evening. Our "quest" will now go to 36 years in trying to reclaim the title of county champions. The hurt today is massive because over the last 10/15 years I think we never believed we were as close to reclaiming that elusive title as we were this year.
.

Thats bad news indeed Jim. It's hard to keep it going in small rural areas, as I well know, yet every victory lights a new candle....
I'd love to tell you that there's a bright brand new day ahead, but realistaxcally, there isn't.......
Fenagh, Boxty's club, were the biggest, toughest, hardiest baxtards in the summer of 03 at Senior........Today, we'll be lucky to stay Intermediate....

Boxtyeater wrote:

JimWexford wrote:We were dumped out of the Wexford Senior football champ yesterday evening. Our "quest" will now go to 36 years in trying to reclaim the title of county champions. The hurt today is massive because over the last 10/15 years I think we never believed we were as close to reclaiming that elusive title as we were this year.
.

Thats bad news indeed Jim. It's hard to keep it going in small rural areas, as I well know, yet every victory lights a new candle....
I'd love to tell you that there's a bright brand new day ahead, but realistaxcally, there isn't.......
Fenagh, Boxty's club, were the biggest, toughest, hardiest baxtards in the summer of 03 at Senior........Today, we'll be lucky to stay Intermediate....

Sitting here bitching on the internet isn't going to change that Boxty, get down teh field and start throwing a few fcuks into the young fella's, toughen them up a bit.....

The Puke wrote:[
Sitting here bitching on the internet isn't going to change that Boxty, get down teh field and start throwing a few fcuks into the young fella's, toughen them up a bit.....

Yerragh!! ! Puke I've given up on the hoors....On a personal level and with a touch of poignancy, we contested the C/Final (Senior) in 2003.
Boxty Mór (Captained our last winning team '32) was in a nursing home at the time and the last surviving member of that team, I had the stall set...But...

The wait enduires....

Boxtyeater wrote:

The Puke wrote:[
Sitting here bitching on the internet isn't going to change that Boxty, get down teh field and start throwing a few fcuks into the young fella's, toughen them up a bit.....

Yerragh!! ! Puke I've given up on the hoors....On a personal level and with a touch of poignancy, we contested the C/Final (Senior) in 2003.
Boxty Mór (Captained our last winning team '32) was in a nursing home at the time and the last surviving member of that team and I had the stall set...But...

The wait enduires....

When I win a munster club medal I might call up to Leitrim and give you a look at it

The Puke wrote:[

When I win a munster club medal I might call up to Leitrim and give you a look at it

Gorsóón , tisn't about medals my fine Clon friend,. When you're in advancing years the victories/defeats don't matter a scheit,....
The lads you played with(sic)/against are loyal to the backbone, we might have been parochial back in the day but The Grim Reaper is now in the game..

Are you Gusserane? did ye win in 1975, a mere 35 years?

I thought Kilanerin won in 1974. But I could be wrong.

patrique wrote:Are you Gusserane? did ye win in 1975, a mere 35 years?

I thought Kilanerin won in 1974. But I could be wrong.

Correct on both counts
But it will be 2011 before we can win it again

JimWexford wrote:

patrique wrote:Are you Gusserane? did ye win in 1975, a mere 35 years?

I thought Kilanerin won in 1974. But I could be wrong.

Correct on both counts
But it will be 2011 before we can win it again

I never thought of that...................

One of my many clubs won the senior hurling in 1974.......

Jim - if I was in management mode I would be asking WTF happened to produce a 13 point swing? Did your guys get the goal and decide 'game sorted' ... strange!

Na Fianna had not won a county championship until 1969 and then they won 10 years later in 79 and in perfect symmetry - nearly - in 1999 - and 2000 and 2001. But only one Leinster and a losing Paddys Day final ....... to CMG - but bloody heady days!

Jayo Cluxton wrote:Jim - if I was in management mode I would be asking WTF happened to produce a 13 point swing? Did your guys get the goal and decide 'game sorted' ... strange!

Na Fianna had not won a county championship until 1969 and then they won 10 years later in 79 and in perfect symmetry - nearly - in 1999 - and 2000 and 2001. But only one Leinster and a losing Paddys Day final ....... to CMG - but bloody heady days!

They have all day yesterday, it wasn't anything to do with them more so we disappeared on the field. Tuesday now the morning after the day before and just after the first taxi run of the compulsory all day on the beer were out day.Love to know if this "tradition" is strong in other counties of a day flat out, usually be part of it but wasn't allowed yesterday.
Started at 11am finishing soon

Big tradition even back in 1999 when Na Fianna were doing well. Also big in intercounty. I have seen a young potential All Star - gone out of Champo on the tear recently. And the lad smokes too!

ps Jim - not blaming management by the way - just saying they must have been tearing their hair out as to what went wrong on the pitch ..

Jayo Cluxton wrote:ps Jim - not blaming management by the way - just saying they must have been tearing their hair out as to what went wrong on the pitch ..

Not a member of the management (Just to get that one in), believe it or not our managers name was all over the national papers due to his job in the last week (in a good way).
They (management) are absolutely gutted especially when the 1/4 final draw was made our conquerors secured a perceived easy passage to the semis.
3 days after and we are all still scratching the heads and the only answer we van come up with is the players bottled it very much like Dublin a few years ago.
Now the dogfight begins 3 out 8 to get relegated from senior, if this was to happen to us (a possibility) it would strike a serious blow to the club and been able to garner support and sponsorship.
But the show has to go on, even to get people to take positions next year is looking hard already.
Unfortunately GAA clubs are now expensive items to run, as well as playing I have been club secretary and vice chair as well as other various positions in my short career to date.
Typical breakdown
Players insurance €1000 per adult team, 4 teams €4000, 10 teams €10,000, etc
Property insurance/liability etc approx. €5000
Underage sensibly has a limit of €1200 which nearly ever club in Ireland pays.
U21 teams usually €400 a team.

Then you have all the other items physios bills, laundry (which we have cut down on by making all team managements wash that teams jerseys), ESB, water, buses, hurls, sliotars, footballs, training gears, maintenance/upkeep of grounds, tractor insurance, diesel etc etc etc, the list goes on.
I am from a small club and our usual costing is around the €55K mark.
they bullshit about relegation in queens ball, it has the same effect for rurals clubs as well.
We have a "set" fanbase our parish, we have a set income revenue "our parish" ( you can't run these super draws every year).
Anyone got any good ideas for a fundraiser please post here or PM me as we are looking to run something off before years end.
Ruled out are Race night, Barn dance at the moment because these have been run in the area this year already.

In my club we run caberets. I also would suggest maybe a golf classic or among our juveniles we do have a sponsored run (laps of the pitch).

fight night get the local preist involved too - if under fifty mind!

funny our lads didnt cue up to box in it but most weekends love a wee sorting out!

redhandman wrote:fight night get the local preist involved too - if under fifty mind!

funny our lads didnt cue up to box in it but most weekends love a wee sorting out!

Thinking of this one, have had our classic

Sell a couple of calenders with creative images of your good self Jim

Fundraisers in the past 2 years:

Masterchef night - 4 club members (1 player, 2 management, and a former Chairman) have a cook-off. Tickets were €10 each, raised about €3k, and another €500 from the local pub/restaurant that sponsored it.

Fashion show - members of senior team and ladies team were models. Tickets were €5 each, raised about €1,500 from tickets, and an additional €2k (€500 each) from 4 outfitters in Sligo who provided the clothing.

Golf Classic, not sure how much raised.

Poker night - €40 to enter. Winner walked away with €500, club made approx €1k from the night.

Produced a picture history of the club - went on sale early this year at €10 each. Needed to sell 300 to break even, over 750 sold so far, with another 250 still available.

black&white wrote:Fundraisers in the past 2 years:

Masterchef night - 4 club members (1 player, 2 management, and a former Chairman) have a cook-off. Tickets were €10 each, raised about €3k, and another €500 from the local pub/restaurant that sponsored it.

Fashion show - members of senior team and ladies team were models. Tickets were €5 each, raised about €1,500 from tickets, and an additional €2k (€500 each) from 4 outfitters in Sligo who provided the clothing.

Golf Classic, not sure how much raised.

Poker night - €40 to enter. Winner walked away with €500, club made approx €1k from the night.

Produced a picture history of the club - went on sale early this year at €10 each. Needed to sell 300 to break even, over 750 sold so far, with another 250 still available.

Thanks B&W have ran most of those (did underage calender this year).
Masterchef looks a good one something new and novel. How did that one run sounds a good one.

JimWexford wrote:
Thanks B&W have ran most of those (did underage calender this year).
Masterchef looks a good one something new and novel. How did that one run sounds a good one.

Basically we'd four "masterchefs" each with an assistant. The chefs were selected in advance, basically looking for active club members who could rustle up a meal which would impress the judges (we had Kevin Walsh as "celebrity" judge, along with the club chairman and the head chef from the Yeat's Tavern - the main club sponsor). Judge's based it on the creativity/uniqueness of the dish, on presentation, and on how it tasted!
The cook-off was hosted in the Radisson (who provided the function room gratis, as partial sponsorhsip - although I'm sure they more than made it back in bar takings), which meant that there was sufficient power, etc, for cooking facilities. The cooking equipment was provided by a combination of the hotel, and the Yeat's Tavern.
Chef's were set a time limit for cooking (on stage), and were given a budget for purchasing their ingredients (can't remember how much) - they were allowed to spend more than the budget out of their own pocket if they wished, but no pre-cooking of items was allowed.
It ended up being quite a good night out, and there's talk of repeating it again in a year or two.


Also, forgot to mention in the last post, we'd a barbeque a few weeks ago.
Hosted at Harry's Pub in Rosses Point that opens out onto the sea-front promenade, was €15 per person for selection of burgers, chicken, frankfurters and various slad items. Meat/salad was provided by sponsors, so all money collected went into club coffers.