The AGM of the Charlestown Sarsfields G.A.A. Club took place in the Town Hall , Arts Centre on Friday night December 1st and there was a nice crowd in attendance as the club reflected on another busy and productive on and off the fields of play.

All three officers Chairman Liam Breheny, Secretary Kevin Deignan and Treasurer presented very detailed and comprehensive reports which were widely acclaimed by all present as they covered every strand and facet of the club in minute detail.
The club are lucky to have such a quality executive and top table at the helm as they continue to provide the best kind of leadership and set high standards in terms of governance and authority.

Updates were provided on the progress of the Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch and Walkway which is on target to open in June 2024 with substantial work having taken place in the last twelve months under the astute guidance of Liam and the sub-committee put in place to oversee the project.

Both Liam and Kevin thanked the many people involved in the coaching and training of all teams playing under the Sarsfields banner with their dedication, commitment being lauded as all teams competed with distinction and made their presence at all levels of competition.
Tributes were paid to the outstanding work of Bord na n-Og who continue to drive the standards and put structures in place that will hopefully see the club competing at the cutting edge in league and championship at underage level in the coming years as they continue to equip their teams with the best in terms of coaching and training with no stone left unturned in terms of exposing their players to all the latest modern training techniques with further improvements and upgrades planned for 2024.

The club senior team`s qualification for the county quarter final for the first time in 9 years received much favourable commentary from the executive who expressed their deep gratitude to the management team who got the best out of the talent available to them.
The club lotto remains the club`s main source of finance and provides the club with a crucial revenue stream thanks to the work of many in the club who do the hard sell week in week out which helps keep the club on a sound financial footing. All lotto sellers were thanked most sincerely with Emmet Gavaghan receiving a special mention for his work in distributing the tickets and results sheets following the weekly Sunday night draw with the balance sheet showing a welcome increase in sales and revenue thanks work of a dedicated core group of people.

Fr O`Hara Park remains the prize asset in our infrastructure with its upkeep and maintenance and continued development a key priority for the executive with special mention made to the likes of Ciaran McBrien, Ryan O`Connor, Joe Lenehan and all who work tirelessly to keep our grounds in tip top shape and ensure the playing surface is at its best for each and every match the stages no matter what the grade or level of competition. These men are true gaels and their efforts are very much appreciated by all at the top table and club in general.

The Club`s main sponsor Alan Crean of Crean`s Mosaics was thanked for his continued support of the club which stretches back the best part of 22 years. Liam stated how lucky the club were to have such a man in their ranks and look forward to his continued association for many more years to come.

Treasurer Tom McLoughlin also presented a very concise, professional and terrific balance sheet which outlines the outstanding work he continues to do in keeping the finances in check. Tom operates a very steady hand on the till and is scrupulously honest and transparent in all his dealings with each and every penny accounted for thoroughly. This provides the members with great assurance with the role of Treasurer in good hands as Tom brings professionalism, integrity and decorum and is very much on top of his brief. He was happy to report a surplus on the bottom line which underlines the wonderful position the club are in as they get ready to embrace what promises to be another busy and hectic 2024 with lots of developments in the pipeline.

Chairman Liam paid tribute to outgoing County Board Delegate Declan Casey and East Mayo Board Delegate Joe Lenehan who were stepping away from their positions after a number of years of dedicated service. Both men served the club well and kept members informed at all times of developments at county and East board level and were vocal and fought our corner well and will be hard acts to follow as they were excellent representatives at all times. The club were in the fortunate position to be able to replace them with two men of a similar like with Noel Gallagher stepping up as County Board Delegate while Patrick Breheny will step into Joe`s shoes and take on the brief of East Mayo Delegate.

All other positions and officers were returned unopposed with the executive comprising of the following :
Chairman : Liam Breheny
Asst. Chairman : Mike Doherty
Secretary : Kevin Deignan
Asst. Secretary : Philip Craig
Treasurer : Tom McLoughlin
Asst. Treasurer : Emmet Gavaghan
Joint P.R.O`s : Stephen Healy/Ronan Kenny
County Board Delegate : Noel Gallagher
East Mayo Board Delegate : Paddy Breheny

That concluded a very informative and good meeting with the club in terrific shape as it brings the curtain down on another good and productive year. The club have a wonderful executive in place with lots of industry, energy and creative thinking very much in evidence as they continue to provide the best type of stewardship and direction. They wished all members a very happy and peaceful Christmas and a prosperous and healthy 2024.