The Big Wheel

Sometimes you get so consumed in your own thing that you forget what is going on around you. I would think Conan, Colin & I exchange 50+ emails per week regarding the Gaelic Football team. The topics are always live and need to be solved quickly. They range from training pitches to equipment to jerseys to training to challenge games to money to recruitment and beyond. Each week progress is made in some area and the machine keeps ticking over.

Last week we were putting a push on for an event we want to hold in the club in a couple of weeks. Colin was pushing the girls to promote it. They were of course cooperative and through the exchange they detailed their communications to the girls that week. Clearly they have the same amount of activity in their email accounts.

On Friday night, I went to the gym with Kevin. As Chairman of the club and European club development officer on the County Board, I had plenty to discuss from my seat as Men’s Football trainer and Coaching Officer on the European County Board. Through the exchanges, it was clear how much is going on behind the scenes from his side.
We continued our discussion in an Italian off Place Lux and such was the vigour and passion with which we were discussing our plans, the lady sitting at the table next to us felt compelled to learn more. I suspect she expected us to say we were involved in some big sporting organisation such was the intent with which we discussed our plans. She was just left a bit baffled though.

When I woke up this morning, I found further evidence to bolster my story about Member involvement;

02h09 Text from unnamed Belgian G.A.A. player with constructive suggestion about training

02h28 One word text from Jim saying “Nua?”. Our new PRO is taking a hands on approach! (Nua is a late night bar). No better man.

03h07 Unnamed Belgium G.A.A. player texts to say he won’t make the gym in the morning. At least he is coherent enough for the thought to register. It was an early appointment, no fault.

05h36 Forwarded email from unnamed Belgian G.A.A. lady to myself and Colin with an exchange between herself and an interested player.

All of the above demonstrate why we have grown our club so much in the last 2 years and want to push beyond 100 Members this year. It’s a relentless job and it can’t be done in isolation. The wheel is big so you don’t always know who the lad at the end of the line with their shoulder to it is. When you stand back though, you realise how much it takes to move it forward and it’s an impressive site.