Making Plans a Reality - 2 New Pitches

Post date: Jul 24, 2016 9:45:33 PM

Since taking ownership of its new lands behind Carrick Esker and 150m from our existing pitch various committees of Edenderry GAA have been working in the background to bring forward the best plans possible for the new lands. Over the past year a Masterplan for our total landholding has been developed in conjunction with the wider membership and the local community. From an early stage is became apparent that the most critical piece of infrastructure required by the club was additional pitches and areas for training.

Emerald Pitch Developments Ltd. Appointed

This week the delivery of 2 additional full sized top quality pitches moved a step closer when John Foran of Emerald Pitch Developments Ltd. was appointed as main contractor to construct the 2 pitches. The site was cleared last week and the construction of the pitches began in earnest over the weekend under the supervision of the Club Appointed Turf Specialist Mr. Richard Hayden of Sportsturf Solutions Ltd. To mark this historic milestone, Club Chairman Willie Forde, Ladies Chairperson Fiona Brady and members of the Club Executive Committee and various sub-committees visited the site to formally mark John's appointment.

Chairman of Edenderry GAA WIllie Forde marking the formal appointment of John Foran of Emerald Pitch Developments Ltd.

Planning Issues

Modern pitch construction is a delicate process and a narrow window exists each year in order to complete the works and seed the pitches so that they will be ready for use the following year. Therefore to make every effort that these pitches would be available to the club in 2017, Edenderry GAA have commenced the pitch construction under a Section 5 Declaration from Offaly Co. Co. This essentially means that this element of the works does not require planning permission but an application will follow in the coming months for the more permanent structures proposed for the site e.g. dressing rooms, hurling wall etc.

Year Round Use

The works are very weather dependent but the programme set out by John Foran hopes to complete the laying out of the pitches in a number of weeks and seed by the end of the summer. Each pitch will contain nearly 800 tonnes of sand as a top layer and its this element along with an intricate drainage system that will allow the pitches to used year round regardless of weather conditions. The use of high quality pitches all year round will be a great benefit to the club and local schools.

External Oversight

We are delighted to also have Richard Hayden on Board to oversee the works and advise during the grow in period and to assist with early maintenance. Richard is the leading expert in pitch construction across all codes and has worked in some of the most famous stadia in the world including Croke Park. As the club is investing money in these facilities on behalf of the membership we feel it is of critical importance that we get the best outcome possible for the club in terms of product and value for money.

Members of various Edenderry GAA Committees meet with John Foran of Emeral Pitch Developments Ltd. on site to mark the formal commencement of works. L-R Aidan Burke, David Farrelly, Tom Lawton, Angela Swords, Willie Forde, Fiona Brady, John Foran, Padraig Foy & Lisa Harte

Trust of the Membership

Following one of the most successful fundraising drives ever held by the club members of the committee are very conscious responsibility to spend hard earned money wisely. We aim to make every single of our 200+ Donors very proud. We wish to reiterate that moving forward this quickly would not be possible without their support. Everyone involved should be very proud of their generosity and investment in future generations. The minimum donation is 250 and some gave much more. Donations are still being excepted and its our intention to make each Donor on a permanent Donor Wall once this element of the project is complete. This structure carrying the family name of each Donor will stand as a testament to the confidence this generation has in the next. We thank each and everyone one of you and hope that you keep an eye on the project over the coming weeks.

Outstanding Volunteers

This ambitious project is the work of many. People of different backgrounds and skill sets have come together over recent years to put the Club first and move us forward with purpose. From the initial Land Acquisition Team, the Development Plan Team the excellent Fundraising Team and the current group that will oversee the delivery of the project, everyone can be proud of their achievements to date and should be confident that similar involvement in the future will bring equally great results. All of this was over-seen by a strong Executive Committee who have overall responsibility for the smooth running of the club.

Planning Application & Future Phases

Hopefully with the delivery of this phase of the project others will be enthused to get involved. Whist 2 new pitches will be very much welcomed, we will not rest on our laurels and will move forward with the next phases of our ambitious plans as soon as possible. Our Architect Bernard Voortman will be lodging our planning application in the coming weeks for some exciting infrastructure on our new and old lands. We have been working very closely with Edenderry Swimming Pool as part of this process and there will be some very beneficial collaboration between both parties that will lead to improved facilities for the wider community.

For those interested we will be keeping our website fully up to date during the project and the status of each week can be monitored here Facilities Development .