For the guts of a decade, Gerry Soden was a member of the cabinet of Cavan County Board. He's been a backbencher in recent years but that doesn't mean he has been idle. In the days before certain posts within the GAA became full-time, Gerry Soden worked almost full-time on behalf of the Association in Cavan. Aside from his familial and work duties, he devoted his time to the betterment of Gaelic games in his native county via a number of jobs at club and county board levels. His last really high-profile post was as Secretary of Cavan GAA County Board. For almost nine years, he carried on the baton with due diligence, enthusiasm and passion. These days he's on the county board's management committee and is PRO of Laragh Utd. In addition, he's the county board's Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Officer. Gerry-many-hats is obviously someone who's happiest when he's kept busy. He's keen to do well at all times and as the new ASAP Officer, he's determined to leave his mark. Gerry was on hand for the official launch of the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention programme in Cavan at the Kilmore Hotel on February 2nd. Gerry sees his role as promoting the programme among each of the 40 clubs in the county and his hope is that every unit will have its own ASAP Officer sooner rather than later. In the course of his work as the County Board's ASAP Officer, Gerry liases with Croke Park's Brendan Murphy, a professional on secondment from the Health Service Executive. "It is very important that every club has an ASAP Officer," Gerry says, "so that our programme can be co-ordinated. DVDs and advice books are available to help each officer. "The programme has been up and running nationally over the last couple of years but it's only in 2008 that I came on board so we'd like to push on with the programme in the county." Is there an impression abroad that perhaps the county of Cavan is in greater need of such a programme? "I don't think Cavan is any better or any worse of as regards alcohol or substance abuse but this is not about teetotalism. "We want people involved in the GAA and, across the board in general, to go down the road of moderate consumption with regard to alcohol and total abstenence as regards drugs. "Alcohol and substance abuse is no more a problem in Cavan in my estimation but the existence of this programme is a recognition that a problem of abuse does exist. "The programme is about taking a realistic approach to the business of the consumption of alcohol and other drugs. We are about getting the message of abuse over to people. "You can imagine someone who has had six or seven pints the night before a game. How can that player expect to be able to play to the maximum of their ability in the game?" Gerry maintains the involvement of the GAA across the country in a nationwide Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention programme is a natural and praiseworthy move. Considering that the Association has roots in every single parish in Ireland, Gerry says it's no wonder that it is the first national sporting organisation to instigate such a programme. "The GAA is the leading sporting organisation in the country and is the only organisation to put in place an Alcohol and Substance Abuse Programme. "Alcohol is a Class A drug and the GAA is anxious that clubs right across the country have people in place who can help people who may be abusing alcohol or drugs. "Ideally an ASAP officer will be in every club and a policy on alcohol and substance abuse will be written into their constitution and recognised by the county board as well." A long-time observer of club and county football, the ardent Gaelic games supporter is convinced that alcohol and drugs and sport do not make for good bedfellows: "I think most people who've gone to club matches on a regular basis will accept that they have noticed a player or players in action for their team who are the worse for wear. "Some players maybe enjoy themselves too much at the weekends and it shows on the day of a game and if we're all honest we have to acknowledge that has happened at our clubs. "It's a well-documented fact that over-indulgence before a match can render useless weeks of training and people like Professor Niall Moyna have spoken widely on this." Can we rule out any correlation then between Cavan GAA's travails and any misplaced talk of a wholesale problem of alcohol and drug abuse in the county? "There's no correlation between about our failure to win more Ulster titles and what our players are consuming at the weekend; that's not a conclusion anyone could really come to. "We can't presume the consumption of alcohol or other substances over the years by players in Cavan is more than players in any of the consistently successful counties." And his view as to why the Breffni County continues to struggle to make its mark in the various provincial and national competitions? "I definitely feel our minors suffer from some sort of mental block when it comes to the championship and making the breakthrough for the first time since 1974. "There's been a serious amount of coaching carried out at underage level in Cavan over the past nearly 20 years. I was Secretary for the first time in '95 and it started then. "We've been doing a lot of the work that the likes of Tyrone, Derry and Armagh have been doing but come the white heat of battle, we just haven't got over the finishing line. "We should really have gotten the better of Tyrone in both the minor and under 21 championships this year but we let them off the hook in both competitions. "I think our teams just don't seem to have the self-belief to turn things around in their favour when the likes of Tyrone provide the opposition in crucial matches. "In our minor and under 21 championship matches in 2008, we were in the driving seat against Tyrone but elementary mistakes and a lack of belief cost us the matches. "Tyrone are the benchmark and they along with Derry and Down are the teams we need to beat at underage level if things are to come right for us at senior level in the future too. "It would be a great lift for the county if we could win just one underage provincial championship title but the longer it goes on (without a title win) the more frustration sets in. "We need to win a championship at minor or under 21 over the next three years in order for us to see the fruits of our labours over the years. "It's vitally important too that we win something significant so that all the investment at underage level can be seen to be worthwhile and not viewed as a waste of money." Meanwhile Gerry is fulsome in his praise of the investment of time and energy put in by footsoldiers at Laragh at underage levels over the years. He speaks in glowing terms of the sleeves-rolled-up attitude of club stalwarts like Donal Donohoe, Gary Robbins and Brian Carolan in the nurturing of underage club talent. Over the last eight years or thereabouts, a major emphasis on the development of younsters at the club has put Laragh on a much more sound footing, he opines. "It was disappointing that we lost out in the U14 and minor finals this year but the lads played their hearts out in both matches and could consider themselves unlucky to lose out. "The minor final against Lavey was a particularly exciting one with some brillant football by two very good, well-matched teams. No team really deserved to lose out. "We were looking good coming up to half-time when we were four points in front but Lavey showed their credentials by getting the next three points and fair play to them. "The big thing for the club now is that we're able to compete with the top teams at underage in the top divisions and that's a very positive sign for the future." And yet the frustration of not having won a championship title (IFC) since 1994 continues. "Yeh, we didn't think at that time that there'd be such a famine heading our way afterwards but unfortunately the teams since '94 just haven't been good enough. "The priority in 2009 must be to win promotion from division three of the league. Everyone was disappointed and a bit surprised that we didn't go up this year. "We started off well but in the middle of the season, we lost out in three vital matches against Templeport, Butlersbridge and Crosserlough and they cost us in a big way. "The team at least avoided relegation in the intermediate championship. We narrowly lost out to Redhills and to a good Cootehill side but beat Swanlinbar in the relegation play-off. "The fact that we got to another two underage finals was the silver lining this year and hopefully we can build on those and get back up to division two as well." Tweet

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