The five year rule is one of the proposals that came out of the Strategic Review Report that was published in 2000 and while it may appear a very sound as a theory John Scully is like many others in that he does not believe it will achieve what it was intended to. As far as John is concerned in most cases it is causing something of a merry-go-round as officers are simply swapping the chair they are occupying. He does not intend to get involved in that type of scenario and has openly expressed that he is taking a break from involvement at county level. "I have decided not to let my name go forward for any position on the County Committee. The five year rule dictated that I step down, unfortunately it took with it the other fifteen years that I have been involved at county level. I do not think that this rule is doing what was intended and I have no desire to join the merry-go-round and rotation system it has created," said the then secretary before going on to say though that "there were a few other reasons why I have reached this decision" but that was for another day, another forum. When the five-year rule brought John's career at county level to a close it also took down with it in his own words "my whole involvement of the last 15 years" and in his report to county convention he reflected on his eight years in the position. "I have to say that I take some great memories of special occasions and events along with other outstanding achievements that occurred during my period in office. Of course there was disappointment along the way and none more than this year when we lost to the All Ireland champions in August. "I have seen many changes within the Association especially in recent years; these changes are well documented and have created their own piece of history. I was lucky to be present on the occasion when Sean McCague was elected President of Cumann Luthchleas Gael, he brought great honour to our county and guided the Association with great ability and authority through a fairly difficult time." As he leaves office another Monaghan man, Paraic Duffy, who has made a huge contribution to policy making and strategic planning within the corridors of Croke Park over many years has now been chosen for the position of Ard Stuirthóir. "It is a great honour for him, his family and the county and I wish him good fortune during his occupancy in this prestigious position," added John. As secretary of the county board he was directly involved with the county teams and derived great satisfaction from that. "On the playing front it was great to be involved when we won a national senior title by taking the NFL Division 2 title in 2005 and I still remember the great buzz within the county when the team arrived back the following day from Croke Park. There were some other outstanding performances by Monaghan players over the years that stick in my memory and that I can recall with pride. "On the administration front I have worked with four County Chairmen and found each one of them to be honourable as they guided the County Committee during their spell in the highest office in the county." A native of Meath John Scully was a member of the Slane club before he first came to Monaghan in the early 80s as an employee in the Supervalu empire with O'Gorman Supermarkets and threw in his lot with the Corduff club whom he served in both the capacity of chairman for some five years but also as a player and an aspect of gaelic games that is very dear to his heart as a referee. It was during his time with the Corduff club that John became involved at county committee level having caught the eye of club delegates with his dedication to duty in his club and also his popularity as a referee. One of John's initial positions on the county committee was that of secretary to what was then a new operation in the county, the Games Administration committee and that was something that took him into contact with every club on an ongoing basis as the new system of administering fixtures was worked out. As well as his work at that level John was also very active as a referee in both football and hurling and has the distinction of refereeing county finals in both codes and on more than one occasion. Some 10 years after his arrival in County Monaghan he was elected as assistant secretary of the County Board in 1994, a position he held until 1999 when he succeeded the then secretary John Heaphey. He took up the very important and demanding role of secretary and has administered the post with distinction in the intervening eight years until the legislation dictated that his term was complete. John has very strong views as to the viability of voluntary people being able to administer the increasingly complex affairs of the association going into the future and stated so in his recent report to county convention. "I think it is widely accepted that the position (of county secretary) is now a full-time necessity. There is no doubt in my mind that we will have full-time employment to deal with the day to day business as it is no longer practical for any volunteer to do all that is required." He goes on to say though "that is not the only reason why we should modify our set up. GAA business has got so immense that it now requires a style of management that you would find in any enterprise. It requires somebody with the skills to supervise, organize and control the interests of the Association, somebody who can work with and motivate other staff and plan for the future both financially and strategically. We now have a number of staff on our books who are being paid to do their responsibilities but unfortunately they are more or less on their own and have no person at hand to oversee the everyday jobs that they do. This is not acceptable and we need to remedy it." Another aspect of GAA activity that is close to John Scully's heart is that of refereeing and for him it is not merely lip service as he has given an inordinate amount of time both as a referee himself and more recently as a member of the referees committee where he devoted a great deal of time to not only improving the lot of the referee but trying to improve standards through proper training and recruitment. For the last number of years John has been chairman of the referees committee and in that time has seen major changes that he hopes will be for the betterment of that very vital aspect of the games. He told convention that "every Convention and County Committee meeting in my time has seen the subject of refereeing brought up and it has always been the same story, we do not have enough whistlers. The Referees Committee of which I am the Chairperson decided to take some action this year to encourage clubs to really put an effort into the recruitment of more referees." The committee had tried cajoling them in the past and there was talk of imposing some penalty but that was all it was until this year when the idea of a penalty of forfeiting All Ireland tickets was mentioned and not for the first time. "That was meant to stimulate clubs into making it a priority for 2007. It was never intended to punish clubs even though some had a very bad history at recruitment. The target set was a moderate twenty-five games per club so it remains a mystery how so many clubs did not reach the set number. We put a lot of effort put into improving the situation but unfortunately it was not met with the same effort from some of the clubs and I know it will be an ongoing problem." For the last few years as well as his duties as secretary of Monaghan county board, an ever-increasing brief, and his involvement with the referees committee John also found time to act as the county committee's representative on the Monaghan GAA Supporters Club whom he has described as "the small committee with the big heart." This year saw the club expand its activities into selling merchandise which proved to be "really worthwhile as it boosted the income to record levels" and the half time draw at all home National Football League games and club championship matches in the county again proved a great source of revenue. "The club can be very proud of its record and I would have to acknowledge the fantastic efforts of the small but very hard-working group that make it a success and to raise some very necessary finance to help defray the ever-increasing costs of fielding inter county teams." That was just another string to John Scully's bow and further proof, if proof were needed, of his great passion and underlying commitment to the Gaelic Athletic Association. The post of secretary of Monaghan County Board may become a full-time one in the not too distant future but no money would pay and no money would generate or produce the level of selfless service that was part and parcel of John Scully daily and family life. As a County Board official he was open and upfront about everything. There was no hidden agenda with John Scully and he often proclaimed that even if it meant a degree of unpopularity in certain circles he still had to take the hard decision and abide by the rules and regulations of Cumann Luthchleas Gael. John Scully's record of service to Monaghan will stand the test of time and is there as a monument not just to him but to the standards that his successors, whether full time or voluntary will have to aspire to and achieve. Tweet

Most Read Stories