Over the course of their illustrious history, Naomh Moninne Hurling Club have set the standards which many other teams have followed in Co Louth. The famous Dundalk club were always at the forefront of the game in the Wee County, consistently challenging for Senior Championship honours and providing the backbone for some of the best sides to represent Louth. Such was their rate of success that for Naomh Moninne, setting targets meant they had to look no further than the next Senior Championship campaign. However, the club has a different set of priorities at the moment and with the focus now very much on the youth set-up, Naomh Moninne are setting themselves targets as far ahead as 15 years as they attempt to regain their status as the number one hurling club in the county. The senior team is going through its least successful spell for quite some time, but while other clubs may not have survived such trying times, Naomh Moninne is not sitting back but putting in the structures that will see the glory days return. According to Chairman, Seamus Cahill, the club is putting a major emphasis on juvenile hurling which will not only benefit the club but also help to develop the game in the county. "Over the last few years the club has gone through a transition stage. We were always strong at adult level but that has changed recently but now the focus of the club is on the youth section and that is the way it is going to be for a few years. "This was brought about by the fact that some of the adult team were getting on a bit and although we were depending on them, these players just can't go on for ever, so we are looking to start again from the juvenile level. "The emphasis had always been on the adult hurling and we were always able to pick up players who came to live or work in town, so I suppose in a way the underage set up was overlooked to some degree as it is hard to concentrate on all levels of the club." For Seamus and his club members the challenge now is to recruit players at a younger age, teach them the basic skills of the game and help develop them into the senior players of the future. Although it takes a lot of effort and dedication, the signs are already very encouraging. A visit to The Marist grounds for juvenile training on a Saturday afternoon speaks volumes for the efforts being made with up to 100 children from the age of four up to 12 getting a chance to learn the game of hurling. It is something that Seamus is naturally very proud of. "We are trying to bring young hurling back to the club and we take players in as young as four because if kids can learn the basics at that age, they will always have a natural skill for the game. If you leave it until they are nine or ten, it is much more difficult. Naomh Moninne have a number of current and former players who are involved in this side of the club and Seamus is delighted to see the effort paying dividends already. "Four years ago we set ourselves a target of winning the U-12 competition and that is what we have done this season. It is brilliant for us to set such a target and to achieve it because it shows that we are going in the right direction." Overall it has been a relatively good year on the field of play for the juvenile teams as Seamus points out that for the second year in succession the club has made it to the Minor Championship Final, although they were disappointed to finish runners-up once more. Although the U-16 team didn't get close to silverware, they continue to make progress, while the U-14 team reached the B Final. There were also encouraging signs at U-11 level as the side made it through to the Shield Final but unfortunately missed out on the trophy. Over the winter months the club will continue their efforts with competitions for U-8 and U-10 players at JJB in Dundalk. Just to prove that Naomh Moninne are leaving no stone unturned in an effort to develop the skills of the young players, Seamus explains they regularly take them trips to play teams in other counties. "This year we have been to places like Kilkenny, Meath, Tipperary and Dublin with the U-10 and U-12 teams in an effort to give them experience. Sometimes it is hard to get games on a regular basis and our aim is to give the young players as many matches as possible and it is also good to come up against some of the top players at this level." Although Seamus admits this puts huge demands on time and finances, the club is happy to make this effort as they look to the long term. "There is no doubt that it puts a burden on time and finances with trips away, accommodation, meals and hurls, etc but that is part of our overall plan and we know we have to do it. "That's the direction we are going in and we know it will take time but we are looking forward 10 or 15 years, when hopefully this effort will be transferred into success at adult level. In order to achieve the goals set out, Seamus acknowledges that a lot of work is being done by a dedicated group of people, but he will always welcome more help from people who want to get involved. "To achieve what we have set out takes a good core of workers and we are lucky to have that in Naomh Moninne, but we are always looking for parents, past or present players to come in and help out with teams, and of course financial help is also appreciated." At adult level, Naomh Moninne continue to field teams in the Senior and Junior competitions, as well as the Armagh League, although Seamus concedes that this year proved to be another disappointment. "We did have some wins during the season but it really comes down to the problem of numbers and that is why we have to develop the younger talent to make sure we have a good supply of players. There will always be players who come to town and are looking for games, and we will accommodate them, but the focus is certainly on bringing through the youth." Another challenge Seamus identifies is the ongoing need to secure a permanent base for the club. "One of the drawbacks is that we don't have our own pitch and we are working hard on that front. Unfortunately there is nothing concrete at the moment, but again it goes back to the young players as we need to have a focal point for them." Tweet

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