As I sat in his front room talking to him about his successful election as vice chairman of the county board I couldn’t help but reflect on how committed to and interested in the GAA and our communities Martin is. He was wearing an Annacurra top and around the walls were pictures of many of the highlights of his own and his family’s sporting achievements, it appears that the GAA runs deep in Martin’s blood.
Martin has had a distinguished career both on and off the field in the GAA having played both football and hurling for Annacurra, which is an achievement that not that many others can also claim. In addition he has held almost all of the club officer positions.
Martin reckons it was in 1986 when he took his first committee position for his first period as Annacurra GAA Club secretary under the then chairman Andy O’Neil. He held the secretary position subsequent to that as well as the Treasurer and PRO positions. But is most likely the seven years that Martin held the chairman’s seat that his involvement in the committee is best known for, particularly as in the ultimate year of his chairmanship Annacurra won the Intermediate Championship we had so long chased.
It is not Annacurra alone that has benefitted from Martin’s guidance as he has been involved with the Tinahely Ladies Football team for the last four years of amazing success. Four years that have seen them win a championship in each of those years, starting at Junior and culminating with taking the last two senior titles. That is a record that any club would be amazingly proud of!
Martin’s election as the county board’s vice chairman is not his first involvement at county level. He was on the managerial team that helped to bring All Ireland glory to the garden county last year when the Wicklow Ladies Football team won the Junior Football All Ireland.
Looking forward to his new role as county board vice chairman Martin has some idea’s on what he can do to help make the organisation within the county better. His fist area of interest is the matter of fixtures and scheduling of matches. Martin would like to see a list produced and published at the beginning of the year outlining all matches for the year to allow clubs and players some certainty of the commitments that they need to offer. While flexibility would need to be built in to allow some level of rescheduling when necessary there should be limits to that aswell Martin argues. Where a match cannot be played on its original date then for example a period of one week before or after the scheduled date should be enough to allow for the re-fixture, no more.
Another area of interest to Martin is the rule that prevents county players from playing for the club 13 days before an inter-county match. The Wicklow county board are bringing a motion to congress this year to lower that limit and it is change that Martin supports. On the matter of discipline within the county Martin will concede that there is a need for change there but that the matter starts at the club and underage level and it is there that some of the focus should be turned as well as initiatives at a higher level.
Martin is under no illusions that he has to deliver during his term as vice-chairman. He will have to run for the position again next year if he wishes to retain it and he is aware that the pressure is on to deliver results to earn his position back. In saying that however Martin did not have any major concerns about the upcoming term. Obviously the onus is on him to deliver the goods but he is happy to work with the rest of the county board team and has no worries about any of them.
Martin would like to thank all those who helped him to get elected around the county and the local clubs that were good enough to support him. He expressed a special thanks to the Chairman and Secretary of the Annacurra GAA Club Declan Finn and Declan Byrne for their help in addition to all the other club members.
As we welcome in the new year it is a positive step to welcome in new members of the county board to initiate some much needed change and make progress. We are lucky to have an Annacurra man in that group and blessed that it is a person as committed and dedicated to the GAA and its people as Martin Fitzgerald. Best of luck Martin, we know you will do a great job and wish you every success.