Aside from being successful on the pitch, it is the aim of all clubs to progress off the field also and in this respect the Ballymore GAA club can take great pride in the work that they have achieved in recent years.

Newly appointed secretary Dale Greenwood speaks to the Maroon & White about the club's activities over the course of 2009, while he also reveals their plans for the coming year.
Ballymore intermediates failed to deliver in a campaign that promised so much, but looking back on their results, it could all have been so different had lady luck been on their side.
It was left to the club's junior 'B' team to pick up all the plaudits as they went through the entire year undefeated, picking up silverware along the way.
The fact that this side included many young players on the verge of a breakthrough to the intermediate side bodes well for the club, while the appointment of a new manager has also added to the expectations.
"This year the intermediate team will be managed by John McNeil, who has been involved with the club for the past 12 years. John was manager of the Millmore Gaels minor team that won three county titles in recent years and he was the ideal candidate to take over," said Dale.
"Having worked with so many of those young players, it is hoped that John can bring the best out of them, while he has the respect of the more experienced players also.
"He will be joined on the management team by his selectors, Seamus McDermott, Brendan Molloy and Michael Ryan and I'd like to wish them all the best for the coming year."
Last year saw Ballymore placed in a group alongside Shandonagh, Ballinagore, Rosemount, Castletown Finea/Coole/Whitehall and Tubberclair. The campaign got off to the worst possible start when the light blues of Shandonagh inflicted a heavy defeat on the Ballymore men.
However, they got their first point of the championship when playing out an entertaining draw against Ballinagore in the next match. A further defeat against Tubberclair meant that the South Westmeath were already in danger of missing out on reaching the knockout stages.
A slender one-point defeat to Castletown Finea effectively ended their season, although they did finish the group with their first win when recording a three-point win over Rosemount.
"There were high hopes at the start of the year that we could do well. The talent is certainly there and we felt that the knockout stages were certainly not beyond us. Aside from the first game against Shandonagh, all the other matches were close and we could have beaten both Ballinagore and Castletown Finea, while the same could have been said about the Tubberclair match.
"We have a relatively young side and hopefully they will have learned from that experience. There is a belief within the club that we can get back up senior in the near future."
Despite being a rural club, Ballymore have a decent catchment area to choose from even though they are joined with Milltown at underage level.
"There is a lot of work being done with the underage teams and the likes of Denis O'Rourke, Willie Finnerty and Martin Ryan deserve great credit for the work that they have done. Everyone knows that it is not an easy task looking after underage teams, but these three have given great time and dedication to do just that.
"We need everyone on board to give a hand out at all levels. John Cunningham has been a very good chairman, while there is a hard working committee here also, but you can never have enough help that's for sure."
Ballymore juniors won the 'B' championship in style as they remained undefeated following group wins over Moate, Ballinagore, Ballycomoyle (walkover), while Ballynacargy were accounted for an in exciting final.
The men from Ballymore held out in a close affair and were rewarded when the whistle of Pat Fox sounded and it was a victory in a game with a very intense final ten minutes.
"The junior side had an exceptional year culminating in winning the 'B' championship. This was a great boost for the whole club as it is always great to have success on the field. They also cruised to the division five title in the league winning all their matches bar one, which ended in a draw."
Off the field, the club has been busy developing their grounds and clubhouse as they look to the future and hope to attract more championship games.
"There were new nets and goals installed as well as an electronic scoreboard. Floodlights were also installed for training, while we added new dressingrooms to the existing building.
"A second pitch is also being developed, while there is further work to be done this year. We would like to see more high profile games fixed for here as one it would help regain some of the revenue spent and more of the county could see the work that we have done."
This year the club will host a commemorative dinner dance to mark the 25th anniversary of the victorious 1984 intermediate team. Also on the night, the 2003 intermediate side will be honoured, while last year's junior B squad will received the championship and league medals.
"We are hosting the dinner dance in Abbeyshrule and it looks set to be a great night. This club has a deep history and it is good to honour past heroes of the club."
The club received a huge boost at the start of the year when Mick Wallace of Wallace Recycling agreed to become the club's shirt sponsor and Dale was delighted that the Mullingar based waste management company came on board.
"As everyone knows, sponsorship is vitally important in the running of any club and we're very grateful to Mick for sponsoring the jerseys. In the current climate, it can be very hard to raise funds."
The 2010 campaign promises plenty for the Ballymore intermediate side and once again expectations are high for a club that knows what it takes to play at the top level in the county.
"The aim would certainly be to move on from where we are. We're almost there and with a bit of luck this year, who knows what could happen. Everyone is very optimistic about our chances this year, especially with the new management team involved." Tweet

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