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Irish Independent

Why two Wexford town GAA clubs have decided to amalgamate – ‘This is a commitment to the entire community'

Club members of all ages, along with their families, were welcomed to the pitch in Páirc Garman recently for a day filled with various activities including face painting, henna art, bingo which was called by Wexford Mayor, Catherine Walsh, mini football games, a raffle sponsored by local businesses, musical statues, and all topped off with water guns, much to the surprise of the parents. The fun day was a testament to how the club has been providing a space for all members of the community, including those who have a long line of history within the club, and others from various nationalities who have taken up the game for the first time. The occasion was marked by the launch of the 2025 to 2032 Club Strategic Plan which presents a bold, inclusive, and community-focused roadmap for the future of Gaelic games in Wexford Town. Born from the unification of two proud clubs the plan reflects a shared vision rooted in tradition, driven by community, and focused on sustainable growth. Developed through extensive consultation with members, coaches, and community stakeholders, and aligned with national and local development frameworks, the plan outlines a clear path forward under eleven strategic pillars. These address key areas such as participation, inclusivity, facilities, coaching, sustainability, governance, and innovation. Among the standout goals in the plan are the development of a Green Clubhouse; the expansion of youth pathways; deeper community engagement; and the adoption of modern technologies. With a phased implementation strategy, strong oversight, and an unwavering commitment to member leadership, the plan ensures that progress will be transparent, accountable, and adaptable. By 2032, the St. John's Volunteers GAA Club aims to be carbon neutral, digitally connected, and widely recognised as a leader in delivering inclusive, future-ready Gaelic games. 'This plan is not just a strategy, it is a commitment to our players, our families, and the entire Wexford Town community,' stated the committee in the document. Speaking at the event, the Chairperson of Clonard Volunteers, Wendy Walsh described the event as 'a very big day for the club.' Wendy explained how the ladies first began 25 years ago, and was built up over the years with the commitment from parents and also the realisation of the difficulty and importance of keeping young girls in sport, having battled against huge drop offs at the 16-year-old mark. When the Clonard Ladies and Volunteers Ladies amalgamated in 2017, Wendy said the main focus was 'to try and keep as many girls in playing football as possible.' "Since then, the goal for our club has to be encourage girls of all ages to play football, including women. We've been building our numbers, getting great support and commitment from volunteers and we've also had a good track of producing county players, this year being no different with Aisling Halligan, Aoife Tormey and Julia Dempsey representing the club at intercounty level. Both Aisling and Aoife have also been named on the Team of the League 2025, which is great for the club. The Clon Vols currently rent pitches from Na Fianna in Clonard and the Loreto Secondary School in the winter months. When the pitch is available in Páirc Garman, they have use of the space. 'The guys are brilliant. They accommodate us for matches and training wherever needed,' Wendy continued. 'We've built the club, but we have no home and what better way to drive the club forward than to come together with the Volunteers who have the same ethos as us. "They're about respect on the field, they're about community, they're about kids playing football, and that's what we're all involved in. We've decided to embark on this joint-development plan, a plan that will bring an even larger community together, from nursery under sixes, right up to Mothers and Others and Dads and Lads and everybody in between. "We, as a club, are delighted to be part of this strategic plan and looking forward to working with the Volunteers to build a community hub for so many boys and girls to promote inclusion, respect and excellence on the pitch,' Wendy concluded. Club Secretary of St John's Volunteers, Eoin McCarthy, reiterated the community factor in club football and explained how the community spirit of Wexford town will be called upon to build on the club. Whilst speaking at the launch, he began: "We're a little bit older than the Clonard Volunteers, we were formed in 1893 and so we're just a little bit older and our history is very important to us and everyone should know about it, but today is about building on that foundation. 'We've had numerous meetings with the ClonVols over the last little while, and I was positive going into the meetings. I'm even more positive on coming out the other side of them. There's a buzz around both clubs at the minute. There's like-minded people working hard, and their numbers are fantastic, our numbers are fantastic, and I can see that they're looking to be the best club they can be, but they're also trying to do it the right way, which is what we try to ingrain in our side. 'That leads us on to the community side of things because this is the first June bank holiday weekend in the last six years that we haven't done our 100 Hour Relay, where we've raised over €40,000 for different charities over those years, which is nothing to be snubbed at. The club could do with that money, but it's sometimes more important that it goes elsewhere, and we're happy to support anything like that,' said Eoin. While speaking about how the clubs play an important role in the community, Eoin highlighted the impact the various initiatives that both clubs have established continue to be successful such as Mini Vols, which caters for players as young as three years of age, Mothers and Others, Dads and Lads, Vols All Stars, for children on the autism spectrum, Green Club, and Gaelic4Girls. 'We have the numbers, we have the community spirit. Now we need facilities,' Eoin continued. 'We're out here, we've this pitch we're on, and we've a couple of dressing rooms. Thankfully, we've had a grant to drain the pitch, but we need more than that. "We're renting facilities all through the winter and now we're looking for a facility for ourselves. We currently have planning permission for a clubhouse, but as things develop, we're looking to maybe update the plans on that to make it a bit more sustainable and inclusive. "We're looking for a greenfield site, hopefully to build a home for the club, and so any help we can get with that, we're open to all options. We're in a good place, so we'll continue to push these two clubs forward, together as one, and I can see a strong future in us,' he concluded. Local representatives, Councillors Tom Forde and Aoife Rose O'Brien, alongside Senator Cathal Byrne were in attendance at the event and offered their full support for the development. Also in attendance were Wexford Ladies Footballers, Aoife Tormey and Julia Dempsey, who acknowledged the difficult journey it's been for the women's teams without having their own pitch to call home. "I think it's brilliant, to be honest, because up until this year, we didn't really have a home and despite the club growing so much, we've still been caught between fighting for time slots and fighting for pitches, so this is massive for the girls to be fully joining with the Volunteers. It's about being seen,' explained Aoife. In highlighting the significance of joining the clubs together from the perspective of the ladies teams, Julia said 'it will certainly make a difference not having to wonder about the logistics of where training is taking place and give us a sense of home.'