Community key in Éire Óg's development

By Cian O’Connell

Éire Óg Ennis to the core, Paul Madden appreciates these are special days for football in the club.

Three Clare SFC titles have been accumulated in four years, illustrating the progress that has been made. An AIB Munster Club encounter against Adare at Cusack Park on Sunday is the next match on the agenda.

Undoubtedly, it is a commitment to manage a consistent club team, but Madden knows the value of sport. “My first time playing for Éire Óg, I was nine years of age, playing an U10 game,” he recalls. “That is many decades ago. Really, the club, even though it is in a big town, it is very much a community.

“We've gradually grown our membership. We're one of a number of clubs in the Ennis town and Ennis area. So, it is always good to be involved in your local community club. It is where you meet your friends, it is where you make friends for life. It is probably where you'll end up being as you go into the latter stages of your life.

“Really and truly, no different to the rural villages, you see on the TV, winning championships with a smaller number of families, and small communities, we've the exact same feel in our club in Éire Óg, even though we're in a big town.”

Is there an extra challenge, though, for town teams? “You've probably more distractions, nowadays,” Madden replies. “Boys and girls from rural villages are well travelled now. So, they are exposed to the same level of distraction as kids in towns and cities.

“It can be a challenge, but I think it is important that the club creates a culture and an ethos that involves the local community, that encourages kids to develop. Not just in terms of sporting success, but in terms of being able to make friends, to be made part of a community, and part of something special.

“I think that Éire Óg as a club has done that very, very well over the number of decades it has been in existence. The GAA has always been strong in the town of Ennis and continues to be so.

“We're proud of our club, and I think the lads, even if they've spent periods overseas or are working in Dublin, and played for clubs in Dublin, they've always come back and are always happy to represent Éire Óg.”

A bond has been formed. Éire Óg are relevant in hurling and football, with Madden acknowledging the time and energy invested in the underage ranks. “We've been a strong senior club for a number of years in both codes,” Madden says.

“We're a very proud dual club, we're battling on both fronts, competing in the latter stages of championships for years. I suppose, really hard work never guarantees success, however, if you don't work hard you definitely will fail.

“So, I think our mantra is that we've to work really hard, despite all of the talent we've in the club in both codes, and a lot of dual players still have to work really hard.

“There has been a huge body of work done from the Academy, from six years of age up, boys and girls, all the way up along. We're starting to see the fruits of that now at senior level.”

Planning and co-operation has enabled dual players to flourish for Éire Óg. “I think, historically, when Éire Óg became a senior dual club there wasn't a huge crossover,” Madden remarks.

“As time has gone on, and as the Academy has encouraged kids to play both codes at all ages, we've gradually started to see boys and girls coming through to adult level, that have played hurling or camogie and football all the way up along. It has become a bit more natural.

“So, there is a lot more dual players now than there ever was before. It is always a challenge, for sure, it is.

“It takes a concerted effort from the executive of the club in terms of direction the club wants to go, and the management teams to make sure that we're minding dual players, and their load is managed to the point if somebody wants to play hurling and football, that they can play both, which is what we're doing.”

Madden has taken charge of the senior footballers in Éire Óg for nearly a decade. During that spell he has always been eager to surround himself with innovative coaches and shrewd selectors. “I think if you're in an environment where you've to manage people, the key thing is to try to surround yourself with good people,” Madden replies.

“Then, manage with the people you've around you, that is certainly how I've tried to do it over the years. Maybe, I didn't always get it right, but certainly we've got good people around. If you create a good culture, you've a good vision, and first and foremost you're willing to work hard, and you set the trend in that way, I think people will follow you.

“If they follow you, and you hone in on your people management skills, which is what it is all about, whether that is managing the lads looking after the kit or managing the club executive, or managing the parents, whose kids have come to watch the game, if you can create that atmosphere, people will be part of it.

“We've fantastic people involved in Éire Óg football and hurling for years and years. You're not always guaranteed success, but when you get success, you can look back and think that was worth it.”

Encouraging signs have been available for Clare recently. With an increasing number of players from the county featuring at Sigerson Cup level supplying a source of optimism. “I think in recent times, particularly when UL and NUIG were meeting in finals, there could have been six or seven Clare players represented in those games, which is a huge number,” Madden says, while also highlighting the development work being carried out by clubs in the Banner.

“I know traditionally other counties would get the limelight for being very strong in football, but I think in club football, the champions from Clare in the Munster club have always acquitted themselves very, very well.

“They've been very competitive. Just because you might be born in Clare, it doesn't give you a disadvantage being able to compete with fellas from Dublin and Derry or in our case in the Munster club, Kerry and Cork, the traditional counties for football.

“There is fantastic talent in Clare. The standards that are being set by clubs, first and foremost, and by the inter-county teams now are so high that quality players are getting exposed to quality training, and quality development. That means we'll be competing, please God, at the latter stages of Munster championships, whether it is club or county.”

Éire Óg are hoping to deliver on the provincial stage in 2024.