It comes as no surprise that football in Meath is one of the main topics of conversation throughout the county. From the fortunes of Colm Coyle's charges in the summer right down to the outcome of the junior 'D' championship or Reserve League finals, the interest in the game is intense to say the least. Many a debate has centred on who will win each championship or who should be brought up to the county panel. These are arguments that have been going on for as long as there has been a ball kicked in competitive action. Of course, the senior football championship is the pinnacle of Meath club football and for the last fifteen years, patrons have been allowed to put their money where their mouths are as Tully Bookmakers have provided odds on the SFC during that period. Indeed, the nationwide firm is the only bookmaker in the county to offer such a service and this year saw them give odds on the intermediate football championship also, thus making Tully's the number one GAA bookmaker in Meath. The Royal County Yearbook spoke to David Tully about the origin of the business and how they have become one of the top bookmakers in Ireland with 32 outlets. Giving odds on the Meath SFC has proven to be a popular item with customers and David revealed that it has been a success down through the years. "We have been giving odds on the senior championship for many years now and there has been a keen interest in what team will win the title. The Meath championship is wide open and a number of teams have a realistic chance of lifting the Keegan Cup." Of the last six championship campaigns, there have been six different winners, such is the competitiveness in the campaign so how do David and his team set out the odds on each campaign. "We do a lot of research and talk to people that are in the know about Meath football. Over the years you tend to learn more about the championship and that helps a great deal. "Last year we did the odds for the intermediate football championship from the quarterfinal stage onwards and we found that there was such an interest that we did it from the start this year. "Meath people love their football and they are passionate about the county teams as well as their own clubs. That is why Meath has been so successful over the years." With seven All-Ireland senior titles to their credit, the last of which came in 1999, Meath are one of the top football counties in the country and David believes it will not be too long before the Royal County are lifting the Sam Maguire once again. "Meath made great strides last year even though they were rank outsiders at the start of the championship, but they certainly have the players to at least win a Leinster title in the near future." The strength of club football in the county reflects on the county team and indeed all grades are very competitive as the last few intermediate winners have done very well in the senior grade, while the onus will be on Donaghmore/Ashbourne to continue that trend in 2008. Like the majority of businesses, Tully bookmakers had humble beginnings to start with as David's father John opened his first betting shop in Duleek back in 1977. That premise is still running today, while further shops in Drogheda and Navan soon followed and their portfolio of shops stretches from Donegal to Cork. "My father, who is still involved in the day-to-day running of the business opened the first shop in Duleek almost 30 years ago and we have expanded on a regular basis ever since and we intend to keep expanding as we have a new shop under construction in Carrick-on-Shannon, which we hope to have opened by Christmas." David, along with his father and brother Paul oversee the running of all 33 shops, although he admits that John spends the most time travelling around to each outlet. "Myself or Paul would visit each shop from time to time, but the internet has been a huge help in the running of the business. However, my father would travel around the country to each bookie shop." With so many shops to cater for, the business has to be ran accordingly and David revealed that they have over one hundred permanent staff that are each highly trained and efficient at their job. "Our main aim is customer satisfaction and to ensure that we need a reliable and trustworthy staff, which fortunately we have. As a team, Tully Bookmakers has grown to become one of the top bookmakers in the country." Meath is not the only county that Tullys' give odds on county championships as they also afford the same service to their customers in Cork. "For the last few years, we have offered odds on the Cork senior football championship. There are people working down there for us that have a very good knowledge of football in the county." However, David admitted that this is a service that takes a lot of time and effort to get in place, meaning that there are no plans to offer the same in other counties just yet. "There are no plans at present to give odds on county championships in other counties, but you can never say never. It is something that we would be willing to look at." The gambling industry is a very competitive business and David admits that you must move with the times or be left behind by their rivals. That is why internet betting will soon available from Tully Bookmakers. "Internet gambling has really taken off in the last few years and that is something that will be available to our customers in the very near future." Tully Bookmakers have been providing a top quality service to their loyal customers for the past 30 years and in this their Pearl Anniversary, the Meath based firm continue to expand and build its empire. Tweet

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