Three Club Amalgamation problem

Wirey40

We are a small rural club with diminishing numbers resulting in us trying to amalgamate at underage level with our two near neighbours who find themselves in a similar situation. The three clubs need to join to provide teams at all age groups and even then will struggle to field full teams. However we have met with a lot of resistance at County Board level and we are in currently in the process of appealing their decision not to allow us to amalgamate. We have heard of teams in Kerry who have joined three clubs and want to know if there are more across the country as this would strengthen our case greatly if there are precedents set all over the Gaa countryside. Long term the viability of these three clubs are at stake if we have to disband the underage structure at any of them

Thanks

Browney7

Wirey40 wrote: »

We are a small rural club with diminishing numbers resulting in us trying to amalgamate at underage level with our two near neighbours who find themselves in a similar situation. The three clubs need to join to provide teams at all age groups and even then will struggle to field full teams. However we have met with a lot of resistance at County Board level and we are in currently in the process of appealing their decision not to allow us to amalgamate. We have heard of teams in Kerry who have joined three clubs and want to know if there are more across the country as this would strengthen our case greatly if there are precedents set all over the Gaa countryside. Long term the viability of these three clubs are at stake if we have to disband the underage structure at any of them

Thanks

Id know of clubs in Limerick that have amalgamated with one club at minor and under 21 level and a different club at under 16 level for instance

nice_guy80

Two clubs in Westmeath lately joined up for hurling at all underage grades - Delvin/Brownstown.

In Roscommon you have St Ciarans which is basically an underage football club which is an amalgamation of 3/4 adult clubs (both hurling and football)

Tom Joad

Article here quotes a few examples. http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/griffin-believes-teams-will-be-forced-to-amalgamate-or-face-extinction-28956109.html

If it is just amalgamating to field teams at underage level - this would be very common all over the country.

Amalgamating fully is a more sticky situation - I can recall a row over two clubs amalgamating in Mayo a few years ago which I think led to Croke Park changing the rules around amalgamations - I'm a bit sketchy on the details but I'm sure some Mayo posters will know the ins and outs.

Sheldons Brain

Cavan seems to have a few of these amalgamations at minor level
e.g. http://hoganstand.com/Cavan/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=184569

and their current champions, Southern Gaels are an amalgamation.

Hesh's Umpire

Wirey40 wrote: »

We are a small rural club with diminishing numbers resulting in us trying to amalgamate at underage level with our two near neighbours who find themselves in a similar situation. The three clubs need to join to provide teams at all age groups and even then will struggle to field full teams. However we have met with a lot of resistance at County Board level and we are in currently in the process of appealing their decision not to allow us to amalgamate. We have heard of teams in Kerry who have joined three clubs and want to know if there are more across the country as this would strengthen our case greatly if there are precedents set all over the Gaa countryside. Long term the viability of these three clubs are at stake if we have to disband the underage structure at any of them

Thanks

In Laois, there are the following three club amalgamations at underage level. There may be a couple more too on the hurling side which I'm not as familiar with.

FOOTBALL
Emo/Courtwood/The Rock
Arles Killeen/Ballylinan/Arles Kilcruise
Mountmellick/Kilcavan/Ballyfin
Stradbally/Timahoe/Annanough

HURLING
Clonad/Park Ratheniska/Timahoe

homeofhurling

would Mountmellick not have a big enough pick on their own, its not a big town but its not small either.

rpurfield

I don't know about number of clubs but there is three or four amalgamations in Meath at minor level. I think it's a good idea, Bellewstown used to have no underage and the kids would come down to us in Stamullen or over to Duleek with the result that the stand out players among them would end up being persuaded to stay at the two clubs, and Bellewstown ended up amalgamating with Duleek in the long term.

It's a bit silly if Croke Park are clamping down on clubs joining up, it's going to be the way forward in some parts of the country the way employment chances are for people.

macadam

Its common place here in Louth at minor level and other underage teams, few I can think of this year U 21s was a 3 team combo of o Connels Stabannon Mitchells. Joes Stabannon oConnels minor finalists two years ago, previous minor winners were st Kevins Lannleire and Naomh Finbarrs. Glyde rgs Sean mcDermotts and Westerns..

Donnielighto

The idea of amalgamation only works if you give the county boards a unilateral system where they can split clubs up as well. A lot of club are amalgamating due to being uncompetitive but there will always be someone at the bottom of the pile.

dring

As far as I know Mt Leinster Rangers, All Ireland senior hurling runners-up last March were an amalgamation in 1987 of three small clubs in rural Co. Carlow (may have been one hurling and two football clubs).

Hesh's Umpire

homeofhurling wrote: »

would Mountmellick not have a big enough pick on their own, its not a big town but its not small either.

I'd imagine they would but its an arrangement that's been working well for them for a few years now.
Ballyfin are traditionally more of a hurling club (although will be senior in football next year) and Kilcavan are a very small club in the same parish who have nearly always gone in with Mountmellick in underage.

keep going

Member of a small rural club and starting to struggle for numbers -we now struggling to field at 11 or 12 aside.the problem is all the clubs around us are strong senior clubs and would not entertain losing their identity at under age level.there is a club that would consider amalgamation but it is a distance away from us.have ye heard of an amalgamation working with other clubs in between, I find it hard to see it working myself as ithink the dedicated will travel back and forth for training and matches but you would loose alot players especially if the parents are not gaa orientated.

munchkin_utd

is that a struggle to field an underage or senior team?

In Cavan theres loads of underage amalgamations, and they can change from year to year often between 2 clubs that have a club or 2 located in between.

castletownman

Anyone who knows Wexford GAA will know that Castletown and Kilarnerin are one of the biggest rivalries in the county. Remarkably they joined forces at minor football level this year (together with tiny junior club Tara Rocks, who have been joined at underage with Kilarnerin for a few years now).

The remarkable thing is both have strong under-14 sides coming through (Castletown can field two in the championship), and are well stocked in juvenile too. And are operating seperately at under-21 as well. It's amazing how often generations skip coming through the levels.

Hesh's Umpire

keep going wrote: »

Member of a small rural club and starting to struggle for numbers -we now struggling to field at 11 or 12 aside.the problem is all the clubs around us are strong senior clubs and would not entertain losing their identity at under age level.there is a club that would consider amalgamation but it is a distance away from us.have ye heard of an amalgamation working with other clubs in between, I find it hard to see it working myself as ithink the dedicated will travel back and forth for training and matches but you would loose alot players especially if the parents are not gaa orientated.

In Kilkenny, Galmoy and Windgap are around 30 miles apart and have been amalgamating for a good few years. There would be quite a few clubs in between them. How well it works I can't say.

nice_guy80

Some county boards insist on an amalgamated club staying in place for 3 or 5 years.

I don't know where they pull those rules from, or u suspect they are making it up as they go along.

Some counties allow clubs to amalgamate at just one age group. Why don't all counties do that?

keep going

Thanks.at the minute we are working hard to get every young fella out and we are but theres two things about , some of the young lads have very poor sporting abilities even with al8t of coaching will only come so far and not sure will thay stay at it and the handy lads we have are suffering too as therecis not enough of them to compete with other clubs in matchs.I wonder would some parent make the 45 to 50 mi ute trip

radharc

dring wrote: »

As far as I know Mt Leinster Rangers, All Ireland senior hurling runners-up last March were an amalgamation in 1987 of three small clubs in rural Co. Carlow (may have been one hurling and two football clubs).

True but it was a crazy situation in the first place as the three clubs were all from the same parish.

nice_guy80

radharc wrote: »

True but it was a crazy situation in the first place as the three clubs were all from the same parish.

Parish in Westmeath with four hurling clubs