CLARE GAA, UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CLARE COUNTY COMMITTEE (OR COUNTY BOARD) OF THE GAELIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (GAA) IS ONE OF THE 32 COUNTY BOARDS OF THE GAA IN IRELAND, AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR GAELIC GAMES ACTIVITIES IN COUNTY CLARE AND THE CLARE INTER-COUNTY TEAMS.

Alongside Clare GAA, our sister organizations, the Clare Camogie Board and the Clare LGFA, have responsibility for the female versions of our national games. 

We provide activities for thousands of young players through our 54 Club Units, with games for youth and adult players from late Springtime to early Winter, and have the support and interest of tens of thousands of Clare people based at home and abroad.

In recent years, we have learned that being competitive on the national stage and providing an outlet for our young adults to play and compete at the top level requires an association that is run with a professional approach to managing what is an amateur sport. This learning brought us to develop a five-year strategic plan for the period 2022-2026 to help us deliver on the coaching, facilities, and organizational structures required for our young members.  

A big part of our strategic plan is to complete and deliver the facilities that we need for our playing members in our games center at Caherlohan, Tulla, Co Clare. We have invested close to €5M in purchasing the site and providing four playing pitches which have had high traffic/use levels during the decade since they were developed. We plan to spend approximately €500k on resurfacing the four pitches between this year and next.

The next phase of the development is the provision of a full-sized, floodlit 4G-Astro playing pitch that will enable our squads to train 12 months of the year. The pitch will cost close to €2M and, upon delivery, we will have facilities to match the best in the country. It will enable us to provide games facilities not just to our boys and men’s teams, but also will allow us to properly facilitate our girls and ladies teams, ensuring parity of opportunity for all.

In addition to the capital spend and ongoing maintenance spending on our facilities, we are also investing in coaching development in our schools and clubs, ensuring that the numbers of children exposed to our native games are maximized, and future generations of Clare GAA stars are nurtured in their formative years.

Of a total project cost close to $3M, we have resources of approximately $1M. We are applying for Sports Capital Grants which we expect to benefit us to the tune of $500k. We are currently running a large fundraiser which we expect to earn us between $500k and $1M. The remainder, $500k approximately, we hope to raise from donors, sponsors, or borrowings.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible gift in support of Clare GAA, you can do so here.