Ratoath may have suffered disappointment at the final hurdle in the Junior Football Championship, but they can certainly look back on 2003 as a highly progressive year, both on and off the field. As well as their impressive march to the junior decider, where they lost to a Wolfe Tones side that was claiming an overdue title, and the memorable run of their Junior C team, Ratoath took a major step in securing a very bright future when they unveiled their ambitious development plans in early March. It was undoubtedly one of the biggest occasions in the club's history as then GAA President-elect Sean Kelly and local TD Mary Wallace unveiled the plan to an estimated 500 members, supporters and well-wishers. One of the highlights of that memorable day was a foundation stone-laying ceremony for their new state-of-the-art clubhouse and 28-acre pitch development as part of their centenary year. The E2.5 million development at Brownstown is one of the largest GAA capital projects outside of Croke Park. The President-elect said the community of Ratoath was very well served by the local GAA club and encouraged all residents of the area to avail of the excellent facilities that will be on offer. Deputy Wallace expressed her personal pleasure that the club had decided to embark on the ambitious project and, having been involved in securing vital funding in her previous ministerial capacity, she pledged to continue to support the club in whatever way she could. Ratoath has experienced rapid development over more recent years and the club is clearly determined to respond to the challenge that such growth brings to a GAA club. With so many new residents moving into the area the new facilities will be vitally important to the club and to the community as a whole and will surely help Ratoath rise through the adult ranks from a competitive point of view and also enable them to nurture the young talent in the area that will make up the adult teams of the future. Ratoath is certainly a highly progressive club with an eye on the future and, this being their centenary year, the plan has been to have the clubhouse opened before Christmas. Last year they secured a grant of E180,000 towards the clubhouse development and this year they received a further E100,000 towards their ambitious parkland development which they hope to start in the spring. There has also been a campaign whereby people who sold land in the area were approached to give donations and this scheme is still in operation. As well as that there has been a membership drive with attractive offers and the aim there has been to attract 500 to join and the money raised will form the lifeblood of the income to feed the loan for the construction of the clubhouse. According to club chairman Hugh Daly, the clubhouse will be over 20,000 square feet in area and will include four Croke Park-sized dressing rooms, a physio room and a referees room on one side. On the other side there will be a good-sized bar that can be opened into a function room. Upstairs is a huge area which they plan to fit out as a gymnasium and fitness room, with provision for a sauna and a games room and an alcohol-free area for youngsters. Also included in the development is a conference room and offices. Outside, one pitch will be of maximum dimensions and there will be two more full-length pitches, as well as a juvenile pitch. There are also plans to provide an all-weather pitch in five years time. Some 15 acres will be developed as parkland, incorporating tennis courts, a bowling green and a children's play ground and that area should prove to be of enormous benefit to the community as a whole. With the area growing so rapidly and so many new families taking up residence in Ratoath it's easy to see why the local GAA club appreciates the great importance of thinking ahead and providing the sort of facilities that their ambitious plans will ensure for future generations. "We have fielded 34 teams so far this year, from under-8 up, including three adult football teams," said chairman Daly. "We are fielding in all sections of the games, hurling, football and ladies' football. "The development should be of huge benefit to the club and the community. It is very central to the housing estates and is accessible by footpath." Of course, the provision of such top class facilities should help Ratoath achieve success on the field of play and their very progressive run in the Junior Football Championship in 2003 suggested they are likely to move up the ladder in the very near future. Though they didn't manage to win the title, Ratoath were undoubtedly one of the real success stories of the Meath adult championships, the only pity being that they didn't maintain their impressive form through to the final. But Pat McManus' side certainly stamped their mark on the competition and stormed through a qualifying group that also included Ballinabrackey, Gaeil Colmcille, Kilbride, Kilmainham and Moylagh. With former Dublin goalkeeper Davy Byrne on board and proving a great influence they won their five matches in the section, starting with a narrow 1-9 to 1-8 victory over Moylagh at Kilberry as a goal from Leonard Browne and a Ger McCullagh point late in the game secured the winning start. Gaeil Colmcille's second string were overcome in the second round on a 2-8 to 1-8 score line and the winning run was continued when Ratoath defeated Kilbride by 1-10 to 0-11 at Donaghmore as McManus' team held on against the wind in the second-half after a David Kirwan goal had boosted them to a 1-9 to 0-3 lead at the interval. Another tight struggle followed in the fourth round against Kilmainham at Bective, with a late Barry Crowley point securing victory on a 0-7 to 0-6 score line. Ratoath's performance in the concluding group match against Ballinabrackey at Kilmessan really made people sit up and realise that they were very genuine championship contenders as they turned in a highly impressive display to earn a 1-11 to 0-10 win and secure their place in the quarter-finals. They held a slender 0-6 to 0-5 interval lead, before Robert Madden netted early in the second-half to put them on the road to victory. Moynalvey, a side that had been relegated from the intermediate ranks the previous autumn, provided the quarter-final opposition at Dunshaughlin in what was expected to be a stern test of Ratoath's championship credentials, but another fine performance earned a comprehensive 2-10 to 0-9 victory as they took a firm grip on the match from the outset, led by 1-5 to 0-4 at the break and went on to win by seven points. Navan O'Mahonys' second string proved no match for Ratoath at the penultimate hurdle, also in Dunshaughlin, as they won by 2-12 to 1-5 to book their ticket to the final. After winning all seven matches en route, Ratoath had reason to be optimistic approaching the decider against Wolfe Tones, but they left their form behind them on that Sunday in Pairc Tailteann and were essentially out of contention at half-time when trailing by 10 points (0-2 to 2-6). There was still 10 points between the sides at the finish as Tones won by 2-9 to 0-5. The Ratoath players, management and supporters could never have envisaged such an outcome after enjoying such a fine run all the way to the final. "Losing the final was more a disappointment because we didn't do ourselves justice than anything else," Daly said. "We never raised a gallop. Everybody accepts that Wolfe Tones deserved to win, but we just never got into it. "They had put such a huge effort into the championship. They had 71 training sessions and played 23 challenge games, apart from all the competitive games. "I'm very hopeful for next year's Junior Championship. There will be a ferocious determination to do better." Having a player of Davy Byrne's quality and experience worked wonders for Ratoath and the chairman fully appreciates the impact he has made. "I got Davy in last year," he added. "I taught him in Ballymun and he won an All-Ireland Community Games' medal with me in 1984. He's been great for us. Bringing him in lifted everybody. He has cranked the whole thing up a lot." Without doubt, 2003 was a year of enormous progress for Ratoath, both on and off the field, including an Under-17 FL Div. 2 success early in the year, the great championship runs of their Junior and Junior C teams and, of course, their ambitious development plans. The future looks very bright indeed. A toast to Ratoath Two-thousand-and-three has been an extraordinary year for the Ratoath club in Meath, who embarked on an ambitious new clubhouse development and also made serious headway on the field of play, contesting a staggering total of TEN finals in all grades! Ratoath GAA launched their new 2.5m-euro clubhouse development on Friday February 28th 2003 ... one of the largest GAA capital investment projects outside of Croke Park itself. This represents a magnificent undertaking for the south Meath club and one could have forgiven them had the distraction affected their performances during the season. To the contrary, however, Ratoath made light of the commotion and enjoyed an excellent year on the playing front, contesting ten finals altogether, including the county JFC decider. Clearly, this progressive Royal County unit has every reason to look to the future with abundant optimism. The dream of attaining senior status is becoming more realistic by the day! The imminent new clubhouse personifies the ambition of all associated with this burgeoning club. Club members have worked tirelessly over the years to lay the groundwork for this development and it is testament to their resolve that the project is now up and running. The new facilities - due to be unveiled this side of Christmas - are a godsend to the Ratoath community as well as a monument to the enterprise, ambition and resourcefulness of the club. The new state-of-the-art clubhouse will incorporate gymnasium, changing rooms, sauna, bar/function room (with a capacity of 300). An area has even been set aside for kids. The 28-acre site (located just 100 metres outside the town of Ratoath) will also include a tennis court and even a picnic area. Upon completion, the club will boast three full-size pitches and a juvenile pitch with surrounding walkway. A running track will surround the main pitch and will be used for winter and stamina training. Club vice-chairman Dave Gorman - who doubles up as chairman of the 'adult games' committee - is full of enthusiasm at the end of an historical year for Ratoath GAA: "This is only the start of the beginning for the club. We aim to become a force. We are moving forward rigorously and we're not stopping here. In a season when we had so much on our plate, we are delighted to have made such an impact. While we were disappointed to lose so many finals and to miss out on intermediate football, we are greatly encouraged by the way the year went in general." Under the direction of visionary chairman Hugh Daly, Ratoath adopt a thoroughly professional approach to organisation and management. The chairman is responsible for the overall development of the club but has very efficiently delegated power under three main subsections - adult games; the ladies section; and the juvenile section - all of which facilitates the effective management of the club. To say that the results in 2003 were impressive would be an exercise in understatement. As Dave Gorman points out: "Even though a lot of resources are being channelled into the development side of things, we still managed to compete in ten finals this year, between juvenile, adult, ladies football and camogie. "If someone had told us at the start of the year that we were going to reach the junior A, junior C and reserve league finals, we wouldn't have believed them. We were very conscious of the possibility of taking an eye off the ball but Hugh has structured the club in a very business-like manner, with focus on each individual area of responsibility. We reaped the rewards of that in 2003 and will hopefully continue to do so." Ratoath's approach is clearly pro-active: "This year we couldn't afford to simply react ... there was too much going on. We sat down with a clear plan and structured our organisation accordingly. It has been a great success. We're now very optimistic because if we can achieve all this during such a busy year, then what will we achieve when we move into a state-of-the-art facility and focus our minds completely? "We're hoping to be pulling pints in the new facility by Christmas and so far we haven't heard any bad news from either the builder or the fitter..." At the time of writing, Ratoath still had an U13 ladies final to look forward to, as well as U17 and U21 ladies deciders. "The ladies aspect of the club was re-activated two years ago and we managed to field five teams this year, at U10, U12 'A', U12 'B', U14 'B' and junior levels. The U12 'A' and U14 'B' teams both won their county championships, while the junior team is still hopeful of forcing a play-off place. Indeed, that U12 success was highly significant - it was the first 'A' championship Ratoath have ever won! Meanwhile, in men's football, the club's first team reached the all-county JFC final only to be beaten therein by Wolfe Tones, while the junior Cs lost to Moynalvey in the championship final and Wolfe Tones in their league decider. The U12 'A' team finished runners-up to Simonstown and the U12 reserve side was pipped by Kells. The U14 boys also contested their final but were beaten by a point, while Ratoath also qualified for the U14 camogie final. It was an exceptional year, all things considered, though the fact that only two finals were actually won was slightly disappointing, as Dave concedes: "We were disappointed to lose so many finals but when we sit back and analyse the year as a whole, we never expected to contest so many finals, so we've definitely made major progress in 2003. "We're already looking to next year and Ratoath are certainly not finished in terms of growth and development. The population will increase further and we will bring in more new people and new blood. We are prepared for that." To what extent can Ratoath become a major player? "We have very clear and defined plans to that end. We want to be senior within five years and we know we can obtain that objective. In some ways, failing to win the junior championship this year could ultimately prove a blessing in disguise. It could give us the breather we need. "We have some exceptional talent coming through, like Meath minor Robbie Madden and Ger McCullough for example. A huge emphasis has been put into developing the juvenile section, where guys like Dermot Rooney and Dermot O'Reilly have invested a lifetime of work. "We have a bountiful supply of talent coming through now and we are also well served by a core of fit, dedicated and experienced lads, so we're in good hands. We have what it takes to achieve our goals." Looks as though Ratoath are set to emerge as a genuine force in Royal County GAA circles. The work has been put in and the seeds painstakingly sown - now, Ratoath GAA deserves the rewards to match its ambition, application and vision. Brilliant Under 12s The Ratoath junior teams certainly caught the eye during the season gone, but pride of place has to go to the club's brilliant under 12 team. The Ratoath under 12 combination may have finished 2003 empty handed but in many ways they were the real winners, following three mighty final clashes with Simonstown. The Gaels were going for their seventh title at Under 12 'A' level while Ratoath had no previous pedigree in the competition, and for a junior club to win out in the highest grade would have been a huge achievement. Annoyingly for Ratoath, they should have clinched the title on a balmy Sunday at the end of June in Skryne on day one. They played with the breeze in the opening half, dominated possession and after kicking a hatful of wides still trailed by 2-0 to 0-3 at the break. Simonstown increased this advantage to 3-1 over 0-4 ten minutes into the second period but thereafter the young Ratoath boys, a good number of whom are still underage in 2004, got stuck in. Playing some delightful possession football, they chipped away at the lead and should have brought back the spoils on that short journey home. Final score Ratoath 1-7 Simonstown 3-1. The replay was again fixed for the Skryne venue on the following Saturday. Once more Ratoath had much of the play and still trailed 1-4 to 1-1 come half time. One score, a Ratoath goal was registered during the second period. Simonstown protested that the ball had not crossed the line. Moments later another heated debate about a possible Ratoath point developed between the two umpires and referee Michael Ryan decided to abandon the match. At the following Juvenile Board meeting, Ratoath were awarded the title but Simonstown protested and won their case but for a couple of short days Ratoath were under 12 champions of Meath. Round three of the epic took place after the school holidays in Rathkenny, a very unusual venue for Ratoath. Still the wee junior club were the better team in the opening half, despite hitting up the steep Rathkenny hill. A Simonstown goal on the stroke of half time undone a lot of good work and left Ratoath only a point up 1-6 against 2-2 at the break. The second half was a different matter as the Navan side's power play and inter positional changes saw them run out comfortable 4-6 to 1-8 winners. Heads were held high as Ratoath trooped off the field but the biggest possible complement came from the Simonstown contingent gathered on the field for the cup presentation. A loud standing ovation showed the respect these young lads had amassed. Losers perhaps on the night but big winners over the course of the year. And it had been a long year at under 12 level. Earlier on it was generally viewed that the winners of the competition would arrive from the Simonstown, St. Martins, O'Mahony trio. But Ratoath certainly shocked Martins by the style of their play in a pre season friendly. Word went out that there was a fourth pretender. Huge championship wins were recorded over Colmcilles, Trim, Kells and a particularly sweet one over neighbours and old rivals Dunboyne. Martins were beaten 2-6 to 1-6 and although O'Mahonys on Brews Hill soil inflicted a seven point defeat, the impressive 2-11 to 1-6 scalp of future rivals Simonstown saw Ratoath emerge on top of the group. Simonstown in second place beat third placed St. Martins in their semi while Ratoath encountered O'Mahonys at their penultimate stage. That earlier setback was avenged and in some style. Matters stood at 1-9 to 1-6 at the final whistle but with some five minutes remaining, the future finalists enjoyed a 1-9 to 0-3 advantage. O'Mahonys' late scores were really from the consolation sector. And this Ratoath selection possessed a number of star players, young men about whom you will hear much more in the future. Keeper Patrick Haslam also played out the field. Full back or centre half back Gavin Quigley was probably the best defender playing in this under 12 grade during 2003, the flame haired left footer is a county star of the future. He was well backed up in this defensive sector by the tigerish Gareth Rooney, while Paddy Kennedy alternated between the full back and any one of the half back positions. Ratoath's two big men were in the centre of the field and Frank Coyne and Fergus McGorman generally got the better of opposing pairings. Bit it was the dashing forwards who gained most of the attention. Small in stature, but all comfortable when in possession and capable of putting together some spectacular moves. Most impressive was the usual centre half forward Emmet Boyle who led his troops with authority. Young Brian McMahon is as they say as 'slippery as an eel', capable of rounding the tightest of markers. Others such as Ben Kinsella, Andrew Gillespie, utility player Richard Crehan and Stephen Clarke also stood out in this sector. It was a great year all round for Ratoath underage. The under 14s went to the Division 2 decider before falling foul of Ballinabrackey. The large influx of people in and around the village in recent years is certainly helping and word abounds that they will give the under 12 another good shot in the coming season. And such is no rash prediction. The conveyor belt of young talent is ready to explode and as a guideline to the future go no further than the very successful annual St. Colmcilles under 10 tournament. The 2003 winners were - yes you have guessed correctly, Ratoath. Much of the credit for the huge effort put into the year celebrated centres around team manager Dermot Rooney, his assistant Dermot Reilly and juvenile secretary, the patient and honourable man with the clipboard, John McMahon. Their big day may only be around the corner. Tweet

Most Read Stories