St Vincents GFC
Welcome to St. Vincent’s GFC 2016 autumn newsletter. We are delighted to share club news and progress made since Autumn 2015. We as a committee are very proud of the developments to date at Masterson Park and we hope everyone has taken some time to visit the park (pictured below) to view the progress. Of course, none of this is possible without the very generous support we have received in the past, and hope to receive in the future.
Over the winter months and over the recent fine spell of weather our new walking track has being enjoyed by many parishioners. Many people have said ‘having a safe, well-lit area to exercise, is wonderful additional to the community’. It is hoped to have the new pitch ready for use in September, and this is something we are working toward and looking forward to achieving.
Since the start of the new football season our teams have played home fixtures in Bellewstown and used the training facilities in Garristown. We are very grateful to our neighbouring clubs for facilitating the club in this way. Our teams at all levels are doing very well and we hope to build on recent wins this over the coming months.
Willie Tuite, Chairman, St Vincent’s GFC.
Vin Ógs – Under 6 to Under 12
We have seen an increase in interest in our younger teams this year with numbers attending training and blitz events growing. Our Under 8 and Under 10 teams have taken part in a number of blitzes where they were able to use new skills learned at training. Our Under 12s played in Group D of the Spring League.
They played 6 games, won 3, drew 1 and got to the semi-final but were beaten by Dunsany. They have shown great improvement as the league went on. All of our Vin Ógs teams have performed very well this year and have shown great pride in the jersey.
Under 14
Our under14s played in division 4 of the spring league. Played 5 won 4, played Ballinabrackey in the semi-final and won 5-7 to 3-12, we played Drumconrath / Meathhill in the Final and won 2-11 to 2-8. We also won the summer league shield. Congratulations to Gary Tuite, Adam Tuite, and Conor Early for making the Meath u14 squad.
Under 16
Our under 16 team played in division 3 of the spring league having won the division 4 u15 last November. We played 6, won 6 and faced Ballinabrackey in the final game. Unfortunately, 2 of our players were injured and could not play on the day of the final and we lost out by 2 points. 2-7 to 2-5. We got to the final of div 2 summer league and lost by 3 points to Ballinabrackey.
Under 18
Our under 18 team played in division 2 of the spring league. We played 7 and won 7. Reaching the final Again we were 2 players short and lost out to Dunshaughlin, 2-12 to 2-10. We have kept an upward trend with our underage teams through the divisions and can compete with the Senior Clubs and this prepares our young players well for adult football.
Adult Teams
St Vincents GFC are enjoying a good season. Our first team are sitting in second place in Division 4 of the league. We got to the semi-final of the Tailteann cup, and qualified for the quarter final of the championship. Our new management team of Coach Kenny McDonnell and his brother Karl and team manager Jonathan Hickey are all doing great work. After a defeat in last year’s junior B Championship final, hopefully we can go one stage further this year.
Pitch Development
Our last newsletter shared with you the different phases of pitch and facilities development at Masterson Park. Here is an update of each of these phases:
Phase 1 – Development of new sand based pitch complete with perimeter fencing and flood lights (completed). We hope that we will get to play some football on the pitch in September but before any football is played we need to erect goal posts and ball stops at both ends of the pitch. We also require 3 gates and 2 dugouts.
Phase 2 – Development of a walking/jogging track (completed). We plan to install track lighting and some outdoor exercise equipment alongside the track which will encourage further physical activity and complement walking and jogging. Lights will be installed first as a result of to some welcome financial assistance from our Ashbourne based County Councillors. Exercise equipment will follow.
Phase 3 – Development of a new juvenile sand based pitch, complete with perimeter fencing and flood lights (work to commence mid 2017). This Phase will be grant aided by the Capital Sports Programme to the tune of €40K.
Phase 4 – Development of a Children’s Playground (planned for 2017).
Phase 5 – Development of a new Clubhouse / Community Centre complete with a new car park (planned to commence this phase in 2018)
Spending and Funds – The work completed to date has cost €182K approx. This has been raised through grants received (€87K), fundraising (€55K) and a short term loan (€30K) from the Credit Union. Unfortunately, this leaves us with a shortfall of €10K approx. When we add an estimated €12K for goalposts, ball stops, dugouts and gates it becomes clear that we need to raise €22K to clear our debts before moving onto Phase 3 next April.
Proposed Fundraisers for 2016
Sponsorships of Track/Fence.
Current and past members, supporters and friends are asked to sponsor 1 metre of our new track/fence for €100. In return a name plate will be erected on the fence. See the picture or visit the pitch to see further examples of name plates already in place.
Dublin /Meath Border Run or Walk
A 5 km and 10 km road run/walk will take place on Sunday October 16th 2016. This is a great opportunity for the community to come together and put all your jogging and walking practice to the test. A couch to 5k program started recently to get our community in shape for the run! First night training is pictured below
That’s Showbiz
A Music and Dance Show is planned for Saturday December 3rd in the TLT in Drogheda. More information will follow over the coming weeks and months on this fun and community inclusive event.
Corporate Advertising
Businesses will be invited to avail of advertising space around our new pitch.
Finally
There is a great effort going into all our teams from the Vin Ógs all the way up and we thank all of our coaches, mentors and parents who help out and support.
St Vincents GFC 