Ballyboden St.Endas GAA Club Club Development Program March 2018 The Formation of our Club Next year in 2019, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of our club. Ballyboden St Enda s was formed in 1969 by the amalgamation of Ballyboden Wanderers & Rathfarnham St Enda s. It really all started in 1964, when Rathfarnham St Enda s purchased our main club grounds on the Firhouse Road, grounds which we now know as Pairc Uí Mhúrchu. The task in purchasing these grounds required an enormous effort by a dedicated group of people. Door to door collections were organised as well as undertaking a monster raffle and finally the task of raising the required funds was achieved. The purchase price back in 1964 of Pairc Uí Mhurchú was, the princely sum of IR 4,000. This seems like a very small amount in today s terms but back then, it was an enormous sum. However, it was thanks to the efforts and foresight of a dedicated few more than 50 years ago that our club, as we know it today, was founded. In very simple terms, the amalgamation of Ballyboden Wanderers & Rathfarnham St Enda s came about because Ballyboden Wanderers had teams but no grounds, whereas Rathfarnham St Enda s had grounds but only juvenile teams. One of the prime movers in bringing about the amalgamation of both clubs was the late Fr. Ryan of the Augustinians who made a very significant contribution to the integration of both clubs in1969 to form what is now known as Ballyboden St Enda s GAA, Camogie & Ladies Football Club. Page 1 Later on this year, under the guidance of John Kirwan and his team, a program of special events will be announced to celebrate the Club s 50th anniversary in 2019.
Club Achievements Success on the playing fields did not happen overnight but there was a gradual build up in player commitment which resulted in our club winning our 1st Dublin Championship when our adult hurling team succeeded in winning the Junior Championship in 1973. Thereafter this momentum continued mainly as the result of more and more juveniles (boys & girls) from adjacent schools joining our club. What a success story it has been as we prepare for our 50th anniversary. To date the following is our Championship success story, just at adult senior level across the 4 codes of football, hurling, ladies football & camogie. LADIES FOOTBALL SENIOR FOOTBALL 2 All Ireland Club Titles 6 Leinster Club Titles 10 Dublin County Club Titles 1 All Ireland Club Title 1 Leinster Club Title 3 Dublin County Championship Titles CAMOGIE SENIOR HURLING 1 Leinster Club Title 10 Dublin County Club Titles 6 Dublin County Championship Titles There are a number of very interesting facts behind this ongoing list of achievements by our senior teams. We are the only club in Ireland to have won senior county titles across all 4 codes. For 17 consecutive years from 1999 to 2015, our club has won at least 1 senior county title. Page 2 In 2008 & 2010 our club won 3 out of the 4 county titles. In 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2013, our club won 2 out of 4 county titles.
I think also it would be fair to say from an examination of these statistics that the ladies section in both football and camogie have numerically enjoyed more success than men s senior teams! Success on the playing field however is not just confined to senior adult teams. We have enjoyed success at Intermediate and Junior adult championship level as well as winning U21 & Minor championships. Across all 4 codes, we have won numerous county championship titles at U15 & U16 and we are the only club in Ireland to have won All Ireland Feile Titles in all 4 codes. These success stories prove that the bedrock of our achievements at adult level is based on the foundation & development of all our boys & girls at juvenile level. Perhaps even more important than the winning of league and championship titles is our belief that as a result of providing playing facilities to literally thousands of juveniles over the last 50 years, our club has helped with the development of their careers when they reached adulthood in their working life. Being part of Ballyboden St Enda s and the wider GAA community has helped our juveniles in developing their character, social skills, teamwork, leadership and in many cases helping them make friends for life. Facilities Page 3 Thanks to the foresight of various Executive committees and the dedication of so many of our members, there has been a continuous expansion and improvement in the facilities that we can offer to all our teams from the academy section right through to adult teams. Apart from our main pitch at Pairc Uí Mhurchú, we also have 2 full size pitches, including a floodlit all-weather pitch in Sancta Maria. In addition in recent years we have added a ball-wall, a refurbished gymnasium and a physiotherapy unit to ensure that our teams have every advantage in developing their skills. We also wish to extend our thanks to SDCC, where we have agreements in place with them for the use of an additional 9 pitches that help us cater for our games, especially at juvenile level. We also have an agreement in place with St. Colmcilles National School that during the harsh winter months, we can use their wonderful indoor facilities to help our academy youngsters on a Saturday morning to develop their talents.
The Future The growth & development of our club, combined with the level of success that we have achieved means that there is an ever increasing demand for more facilities and more resources to help our club cater for the increasing numbers of juveniles who want to play our games. As of today, we now have 143 teams (adult & juvenile combined) who wear the club jersey in games played over the course of the calendar year. Only 4 years ago, the number of teams we had was less than 100, so it gives you an idea of the growth that we have experienced and will continue to experience into the future. Hence we must prepare and plan for this future growth. Today, as we prepare to celebrate our 50th anniversary, we have over 140 teams, 3,500 members and close to 400 volunteer coaches, mentors, selectors & female liason officers. In addition, to help foster our community spirit, we also have a thriving drama club, An Ciorcal Cainte, a very active golf society, a walking group, a pool & darts section, bingo evenings and a variety of dancing and music activities that help engage our members & friends with the very important social side of our club. Drama Group Na Súiltóirí The Boden Session Ciorcal Cainte D E N B O 15 35 11 23 8 45 48 4 65 12 7 39 19 5 28 43 13 27 33 G O N I B Page 4 67
This continuing development of our club means that we need more playing facilities, and our Executive will have to consider future investments in areas like additional pitches, floodlit facilities and the replacement of the all weather surface in Sancta Maria. The additional teams also mean that there will be more demand for footballs, sliotars, jerseys, track suits, as well as improved rehab facilities. The running costs of Ballyboden St Endas are now approaching 1m per annum and this amount is likely to increase in the coming years. To provide you with just one financial statistic, our club have commitments to pay each of the county boards (mens, juveniles, ladies football & camogie) registration and affiliation fees for competition entries. These costs amount to 100,000 per annum and must be paid before the season commences. Membership fees account for approximately 33% of our annual income, and over the years we have been very fortunate in obtaining sponsorship from many companies and enterprises, especially the club s major sponsor H&K International. Despite the generosity of all our sponsors and income from membership fees, we have been running an annual deficit of in excess of 100,000 in recent years and we must bridge that gap. More importantly, we need the resources to continually invest in coaching facilities so that we can offer the increasing number of juveniles joining our club the opportunity to develop their characters & talents. 4 Page 5 We can only achieve our goals & ambitions with your help.
How you can help To provide us with the level of income required to achieve the future growth and development of our club, we are now launching the Club Development Fund. To do this, we are going to use the structures already provided by the existing Club Lotto scheme. We are asking you to join the club s lotto scheme. By clicking on or visiting https://ballyboden.club/ you can play your part in building our future. The cost by monthly Credit card or Direct Debit will be 12.50 and we would like to think that this sum is affordable for most of our members & friends. As well as greatly supporting future development, there is the added bonus that you are in with the possibility of winning a substantial money prize when the weekly draw takes place. Accordingly, I am inviting you all to the clubhouse for a presentation of our future plans regarding this Club Development Program at the time highlighted below. I look forward to meeting as many members and parents of juvenile members as possible to explain our program, answer any questions you may have and seek your support for the years ahead. Ciarán Maguire Cathaoirleach Page 4 6 Club Development Program Monday 26th March at 8pm