Some people are inextricably identified with everything that's good and progressive
about their club. In that regard, Arva's Barney Cully fits the bill.

Some people are inextricably identified with everything that's good and progressive
about their club. In that regard, Arva's Barney Cully fits the bill.He was club Secretary for 18 years and was one of Arva's most influential club men in times past but Barney Cully simply refuses to shy away from the heat of the kitchen. Arva's ertswhile PRO has gone back to the future to become the club's chairperson for 2010. Sometimes though, you wonder just what fuels a person's passion for his chosen sport. Just what drives them on, year after year? Here the bould Barney shares some of his ideas and opinions on being a boy in blue (and white), on the club and county front.

Pleased to be the club's new chairperson?
"Honoured, even though I was reluctant to start with. A few people got onto me though in the run-up to the club's AGM and I knew John Hamilton, the vice-chairman, didn't want the chair so I let my name go forward. I took a break from being at the heart of club affairs for a few years after I'd been secretary for 18 years even though I looked after the match reports as PRO. But now I'm back in the driving seat and aiming to do as good a job as I can.

What will you hope to add to the club as chairperson?
"First of all, I have a hard act to follow in the former chairman Paraic Brady. At the same time, I'd be hoping to bring another bit of enthusiasm and organisation necessary to bring us some success in the coming years. We've had no silverware in the past 15 years at the top level so I'd like to think we can get the players sufficiently motivated and working hard so as to leave us in a good position to get amongst the medals."

You were secretary for 18 years in the past. Is it a good thing that that length of service is no longer possible 'cause of the five year ruling?
"The five year rule is the best rule the GAA brought in during my time involved in the organisation.
"It's great to be involved in any role and once you get your teeth into a job, you like to stick at it and do it right but a person can get stale too. This Rule is only for Couny Board Officials but our club has it's own Three Year rule - other clubs have similar time frames on their officers.
"The rule has helped to re-energise clubs though right across the country. The days of one person doing the same job for 20 years and more are over and having fresh officers in place is now vital for any club with ambition."

The outlook for 2010?
"To be blunt, we haven't the greatest of chances to make the breakthrough at junior level this year.
"We've a small catchment area and numbers are always a problem and 2010 is going to be no different.
"I've seen clubs list up to 60 players on their Team Sheet and that's something we've never been able to do.
"We have to work hard to scrape together around 35 players in any given year but the idea is that if we can keep working hard at underage level, then a certain amount of talent will always come through to help us compete at adult level.
"I'd like to see us finishing higher up the league table and a place in the semi-finals of the championship.

The club's record at underage level over the last ten years or thereabouts hasn't been bad though?
"No, that's right. We can't compete with the likes of the (Cavan) Gaels in winning ten minor titles in the last 12 years but we do our best.
"In the last eight years we've been fairly successful at juvenile level and have won a number of underage titles and I would like to acknowledge the people responsible for that. They know who they are themselves and the amount of work they do on an ongoing basis would put some of us to shame.
"We know how important it is to have fellas coming through from underage level each year and we had five minors on the 2009 junior team."

For all it's barren days, Arva remains a proud club though?
"Absolutely. We're a small club with a small base but I'm sure we were one of the first rural-based clubs to have a spectator stand in place back 25 or 30 years ago when Sean Conneely was club Treasurer and put together a programme in conjunction with FAS.
"Before Feile na nOg last year, we made some improvements to the park. We concreted the area around the entrance and Dressing Rooms and there's been draining work done on an ongoing basis."

What's your view of amalgamations?
"We have always had a good working relationship with our neighbours in Killeshandra and Cornafean but I think they would agree that everyone would prefer to go it alone if they had enough players at whatever grade.
"At the moment we are all able to field our own teams and compete with one another but I can see amalgamations becoming more common in the years ahead.
"There's no doubt amalgamations can give players the opportunity to play at a much higher level and I can see why a player at junior level would want to see his team amalgamating.
"I can't see us, in the forseeable future at least, playing senior football so an amalgamation is the only way possible at the present time for our fellas to play senior football alongside the best from Killeshandra and Cornafean.
"At the same time, whatever about groups of players coming together, I can't see clubs wanting to amalgamate, full-time. They'll want to keep their own identities."

So bring on the amalgamations, team-wise, then?
"Yeh. I'd love to see more amalgamation teams entering the 2010 senior championship.
"I can't see it working if player's have to play for both their club and the Amalgamation on the same weekend as has happened in the past.
"There'd have to be some serious planning done by the CCC to make sure too much pressure wasn't brought to bear on the players.
"If the county board is serious about improving the standard of competitions at adult level and the quality of football served up, then I'm convinced that they will have to encourage amalgamations and draw up the fixtures very carefully."

Anything you want to get off your chest about the way the GAA, nationally, goes about its business?
"The biggest thing that annoys me at the moment is the way it hands over large amounts of money to the President of the Association each year.
"The GAA argues that it cannot abide having team-managers or players getting paid and yet it gives the present incumbent over 150,000 Euro per year.
"I have been attending Annual Congress for many years since 1982 and I can't remember when it was passed or when it was even on the Cl√°r that the President would get a salary for his work.
"I can understand the President being entitled to his expenses but not to the large sum he gets."

On the county front, how will Tom Reilly do as Chairman of the senior board?
"He's from a junior club, the same as myself, and I've known him down the years to be a hard-working member of the Association.
"He has worked at various levels for his club and the county and has certainly served his time.
"I hope he brings the same enthusiasm and vision to his new office that he showed at the county convention when he was elected.
"He has promised change and I hope he delivers as well as bringing fresh ideas to county board affairs.
"It's been said that his election gave West Cavan a lift but I don't think it matters where he's from and as long as he does a good job."

You were elected as one of the county board reps to Congress and Ulster Convention but you withdrew from the race to become the PRO of the county board for 2010 and also from the race to be one of the county board's Ulster Council representatives. Why?
"I had been approached to take on the role of PRO once more but I felt that I had been there for 12 years and Declan (Woods) would be a fresh face, a new voice in that position.
"I think he'll do a good job. Once he's upfront with the media, they'll give him their respect and he'll have respect for their needs too.
"As far as the Ulster Council post was concerned, I wanted to pull out once my fellow clubman Niall Brady showed himself to be very keen to get the job."

What about matters on the field for the county? How will the seniors do this year?
"I'm not very optimistic about their chances. They'll have to change things around an awful lot from what I saw in Aughrim last year in the ALL Ireland Qualifiers when they showed absolutely no spirit whatsoever.
"I don't have a great expectation of what they can do this year but I hope they at least stay in division three." We barely avoided the drop last year -2009 - but I still think they could perform better.

And the county minors?
"It's a really strange one. I've been listening at county board meetings over the years talking about the great minor team we've got this year but nothing seems to come from the potential.
"I know several teams have been very unlucky to lose out in the last minute or so but maybe it's time our minor teams changed their own luck.
"I'm not so sure about the usefulness of the Ulster minor football league. There may be too much emphasis put on it by Cavan over the years. Then the Championship starts and nothing happens for us.
"I know various management teams have given it their best shot but we've been lacking some little thing and things need to change on that front quickly for confidence sake and everything else." Tweet

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