The All-Ireland club hurling semi-final between Ballygunner of Waterford and Kilkenny’s Ballyhale Shamrocks is going ahead at Croke Park on Sunday next at 3.30 p.m. causing a clash with the World Cup final in Qatar between France and Argentina, which kicks off at 3 p.m. Irish time. The first in the Croke Park hurling semi-final double bill see St Thomas’ of Galway play Antrim’s Dunloy. Those teams will throw in at 1.30 p.m.
It’s understood that the four clubs involved were offered the opportunity to play their semi-finals after Christmas. However, all four wanted the games played before Christmas to have a clear path towards the final at Croke Park on Jan. 22. The All-Ireland senior club football final will also be played at Croke Park on Jan. 22.
IOC’S HICKEY RESIGNS
Pat Hickey last week resigned as a member of the International Olympic Committee. During an IOC press conference in Lausanne last week it was announced that the 77-year-old Dubliner, a former president of the Olympic Council of Ireland, had tendered his resignation for health reasons on the advice of his doctors.
Hickey self-suspended himself from all Olympic duties following his Aug. 17, 2016, arrest in his hotel suite in during the Rio Games as part of an investigation into alleged illegal resale of Olympic tickets. He faced charges of facilitating ticket touting, formation of a cartel and ambush or illicit marketing. He was released after 13 days on the orders of a Brazilian appeal court judge. That November he was allowed his passport back following a bond payment of €410,000 and he returned to Ireland in early December 2016 when he vowed to clear his name. He has never faced trial on any of the charges.
The IOC’s Executive Board accepted his resignation. Hickey was one of Ireland’s best known and most powerful sports administrators at the time of his arrest, which was captured by a Brazilian TV crew.
LANDSLIDE FOR
OWNER USHER
Dublin-based businessman Dermot Usher, who previously sponsored Bray Wanderers when he owned Sonas Bathrooms, admits that he was pleasantly surprised at the landslide 86 percent backing he received recently from Cork City Supporters group FORAS to take full ownership of Cork the soccer club. Members of the Friends of the Rebel Army Society were allowed to quiz Usher before the ballot was taken at a meeting in Cork on Dec. 4. Chairman of FORAS Declan Carey says it was the right time for a change in ownership of the club. City are about to embark on their first Premier Division campaign in three years, and Carey sees Usher’s takeover as the only feasible way for City to compete with the best in the country. “For me, was I excited to be a chairman of a club competing in the premier division against the top clubs in the country? One hundred percent,” Carey said, but added. “Look at the clubs we are competing with, the likes of Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk, St Patrick’s Athletic, Derry. They all have financial backing significantly more than FORAS can ever offer.’’
Bohemians, Finn Harps, Sligo Rovers and Cobh Ramblers are all fan-owned clubs, but now Cobh have said that they also need to consider a move away from their fan-owned model and look for outside investment to sustain the club’s future. The Cork club, who are celebrating their centenary this year, joined the League of Ireland first division in 1985 and while they have won promotion to the Premier Division four times they have always dropped back down to the first division the following season. Club chairman Bill O’Leary said: “If the right investment proposal comes in we can look at it, but we still need the backing of the members and the members will only vote for it if they are happy.”
TIPP’S FLOYD PRAISES
‘MASSIVE STEP FORWARD’
Retiring Tipperary GAA secretary Tim Floyd criticized television pundits and sports journalists who have been critical of the split season and the July conclusion to the All-Ireland series. In his final secretary’s report to county convention, Floyd said: “It’s impossible to please everybody but the response from our club and inter-county players says it all. To have a schedule that clearly defines when your matches are, from start to finish, is a massive step forward as I was always envious of other sports who could present that to their players before the commencement of the season. It galls me to hear TV pundits and sports journalists criticize the current system as giving away our best promotion months of August and September. Yes, we are giving it over, but to our clubs who are now enjoying playing our games on the best surfaces in the best weather conditions. Our club games from July to December are as good a promotional tool when you consider the number of games being played every weekend.’’
CLUB PUSHES FOR
‘WOMEN’S’ IN TITLE
Dublin GAA club Templeogue Synge Street has taken the first step to try to change the name of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA). The south Dublin club got the go-ahead at the recent Dublin Ladies GAA convention to submit a motion to the (LGFA) Congress next April to change the name of the association to the Women’s Gaelic Football Association. The body has been known as the ladies Gaelic Football Association since their formation in Hayes Hotel, Thurles in 1974, 90 years after the GAA was founded at the same venue in 1884
MAYO SURPLUS
Mayo GAA retained a surplus of €1.1m with strong gate receipts this year and commercial revenue again driving the latest healthy return for the county. When expenditure of €2,852,211 was stripped out of income of €3,953,560, there was €1,102,349, left over, illustrating once again that GAA county boards have been well insulated from impact of Covid, despite the fears around it at the outset. Commercial revenue in Mayo was significantly up, from €886,875 in 2021 to €1,388,312 in the latest financial year which ran for 12 months to Sept. 30. Mayo didn’t have an All-Ireland senior football final to deal with in 2022 but €1,083,506 was spent on teams in 2022, including €644,078 on the senior football team.
