Galway’s local authorities must join forces to appoint a sports coordination and relationship manager, to ensure consistent support and a level playing field for all clubs across both the city and county. This is the view of Galway City West Independent candidate Kenny Deery, who says sporting organisations are being “neglected and ignored” by the local authority.
“In the Galway West area alone, there are thousands of men, women, and children who are engaged as playing members on a daily and weekly basis, across a whole variety of sports. Facilities are stretched, clubs are at breaking point, the population is continuing to grow, but the local authority seems to be closing its eyes to the situation,” said Deery.
The high-profile business leader, who entered the race for a city council seat last month, met leaders from several of the largest clubs in the city, as well as many of the smaller organisations. He has found that the common sentiment among them is utter frustration.
“The sporting organisations are frustrated with how they are being treated by the local authority. There is a huge problem with a lack of facilities and nobody is managing the relationship between the local authority and the clubs. This is despite the vital role these organisations play across the city and county in providing sporting activity for people of all ages. There does not seem to be any appreciation of the level of volunteerism keeping the clubs running,” voiced Deery.
Continuing, the Independent candidate pointed out that in several cases, clubs are straddling both the city and county. In these instances, they are facing unnecessary difficulties when it comes to accessing facilities or seeking planning permission, due to the need to work with both the city and county council; “This is yet another compelling case for the amalgamation of the local authorities.”
Taking the shared facility at Cappagh Park as an example, Deery pointed out that clubs were unable to enjoy the maximum benefits due to restrictions imposed by the council.
“Cappagh Park is run by the local authority and access is therefore restricted to the hours that the council can provide cover for. I was there on the Bank Holiday Monday this week and the gates to some of the pitches were padlocked. It is a bizarre situation, when our local clubs are so desperately in need of additional facilities and resources.”
Feelings of neglect and exasperation from club officials has resulted in non-existent relationships between some clubs and the local authority, according to Deery.
“We have such a wonderful culture of volunteerism in Galway city and county that we are almost a victim of our own success in sporting terms. There is so much demand for space and facilities – both for training and for games – but we need a dedicated office that would be tasked with managing this important area of community life.
“We have the sports people, the teams, the volunteers and the committees behind them. We need someone to take charge of the overall coordination and also to help manage the relationships between the various organisations. The clubs are not interested in the politics around it, they just want a solution that works.”
Creating an office of this kind is not without precedent, he pointed out; “Look at the Galway Culture Company, an office that was created by the local authority to support and promote Galway’s cultural sector.
"It has proven to be a huge success and is well worth the investment. Surely the promotion of lifelong sporting activity – whether it be at an elite, amateur or social level – is worth similar investment and focused attention.”
