Getting involved
As a small club in a rural area, Ballyvary Hurling & Camogie Club has defied the odds.
Mayo is not known as a hurling stronghold, the club has gone from strength to strength with club members competing at county and even national level and the club becoming the envy of other communities in the County.
The Club has enabled our community’s young people to develop skills not just on the sports field but also in life as they forge friendships, develop character and become confident young people. As our youngsters who have come up through the club have entered adulthood with many having to leave the area for work and study they will most likely draw on that camaraderie as they in turn make their contribution to society.rough
The club had recently expanded it’s remit to provide recreational activities for adults of all ages and genders through Caman Abu
All of this has happened because of the dream, passion and sweat of the club’s founders and those who initially created and continue to maintain and develop the wonderful facilities, support from the GAA and other clubs in the area and those who lent their expertise particularly in the early days.
We have such a great club mainly because of the people who live in the community, our dedicated coaches, committee members, parents, local businesses, sponsors and all who generously support the club financially through our fundraising ventures.
And of course, the real heroes, our young people who week after week opt to switch of the tellies, the playstations and pc’s to don their helmets, and grab their hurls, come rain or shine to turn up for training and matches.
The club will continue to grow as long as this level of support is sustained but there is still so much to do and still so many opportunities to become part of the success story. Here’s some of the ways that you can get involved.
- Players. Parents, please encourage your children to become involved in the club. Don’t assume that he/she isn’t sporty or wouldn’t like it. Our coaches are dedicated to ensuring that training sessions are FUN
- Coaches. Becoming a coach is in the club is one of the most rewarding ways you can become involved in the club. It doesn’t matter that you have not played hurling or other sports – Many of our coaches haven’t. All coaches receive foundation training in hurling / camogie, First Aid and child protection. Many of the coaches in the Club became involved as parents but more have simply volunteered their time. Coaching is a great way of develolping new skills and looks great on a CV.
- Coaching Assistants: If you are intimidated by jumping in as a coach, one of the most important roles is simply helping out at the training sessions or matches, preparing equipment, helping players put on helmets.
- Committee: Much of the work of the club goes on in the background and often unheralded. The committee run the club with business-like efficiency planning club activities, ensuring that the equipment is up to date and that there is money to pay for it by planning fundraising venture and submitting funding applications. It’s always great to get new blood on the committee with new ideas.
- Financial: The club officers are often overwhelmed by the level of support they receive from the public, through it’s fundraising activities. As money becomes scarce it places greater pressure on the club to come up with innovate fundraising ideas. The Club is always grateful for donations and sponsorship. You can also get involved by coming along to some of our fundraising ventures
- Social Media: Social Media has become an important way of letting people know about the club and it’s activities. If you use Facebook please “like” our FACEBOOK page and share and ask your friends to like.
If you want to get involved in any way in the club, please let us know. You can give our Chairperson Bernard Joyce a call on Mobile: (087)2254698 , come along to one of our training sessions and say hello or Contact us through our CONTACT page