Strategic Plan 2027–2031  ·  Summary for Club Members  ·  115 responses

In May and June 2026, 115 members shared their views on our club’s future as part of the five-year strategic plan. Here is a summary of what you told us.

One result deserves a mention straight away: more than 80 of you offered to help the club in some way — across areas like fundraising, juvenile coaching, Strength & Conditioning, team support and juvenile social activities. We were delighted with this response. It speaks volumes about the goodwill in our community, and it builds on the enormous voluntary effort that already keeps this club running week in, week out. Thank you.

Our ethos — “a vibrant, inclusive community built on respect, fun and the joy of participation” — clearly resonates: 60% of members feel it captures the club perfectly, and a further 33% feel it is mostly right. Where members felt something was missing, the most common themes were a stronger nod to competing and striving to win, player development, and high standards on and off the pitch — useful guidance as we refine our mission for the years ahead.

Asked to choose the five values Eadestown should stand for, members put Respect first, followed by Inclusion & Belonging, Fun & Enjoyment and Pride in the Parish, with Excellence & High Standards, Honesty & Integrity, Juvenile Development and Hard Work & Dedication in the next group. Other suggestions included Friendship, Togetherness, Welcoming, and Health & Wellbeing.  A clear picture emerges of a club that wants to be welcoming and grounded in its parish, while still expecting the best of itself.  

Members rated seven possible vision statements, and all scored strongly showing the great ambition our members have for the club across all facets of club life and competitiveness.  

Members are deeply woven into parish life — your responses featured involvement in:

•    The Field Day and charity events, Rathmore NS activities, Community Games

•    The parish, Tidy Towns and local arts groups

Your ideas for strengthening that connection included:

•    More family and social events — fun days, quizzes, BBQs, walks and Irish language events for all 

•    Biodiversity, sustainability and the planting of native species around our grounds

•    Involvement in the Healthy Clubs Initiative

•    Two-way partnerships with other community groups

•    A clubhouse social space people can gather in

81% of members rate our connection with Rathmore NS as strong or good — a real credit to everyone involved. The Craddockstown NS link is less established, so there is a clear opportunity to grow it. Your number one suggestion was a more visible club presence in the schools: coaching visits, mini leagues, senior players calling in, and information going home to parents. We are also grateful for the great support we receive from the GAA through the active involvement of the County Development Officer and Games Promotion Officer in both our schools and our club.

86% of members rate club communications as good or very good, with WhatsApp groups, ClubZap, word of mouth and Instagram the main channels. Looking ahead, members would like to see more match updates and reports, more on the player development pathway. Members also singled out the club’s funeral support as something we do especially well — a quiet but deeply valued part of what this club means to the parish.

A quarter of members feel we honour our history proudly and consistently, while around half said “we do some of it, but there’s more we could do” — a gentle push to do more to celebrate the people, teams and moments that made this club what it is. Expect to see this reflected in the plan.

The strongest message in the whole survey came through here: members feel strongly about participation, enjoyment and inclusion for all abilities, and want the club to have greater clarity on how we deliver it — more game time for every player, while keeping a sensible balance with competitiveness. Skills development, the transition to adult football and coach education also came out, with coach education seen as key to developing skills and good habits early on.

Members also highlighted the importance of Little Blue Stars, our nursery programme, in bringing future players into the club, and the new Social Committee in keeping young players engaged beyond training and matches. Investment in future managers featured too — and the idea of senior players supporting juvenile coaching, on a regular or even ad-hoc basis, came through loud and clear.

Strength & Conditioning (“S&C”) is the structured, age-appropriate physical development of players — building movement, strength, speed and resilience so they can play well and stay injury-free.

Just over half of members understand the player pathway well, but many asked for it to be written down, clearly owned and shared regularly. What’s needed is a clear plan setting out what is expected at each age group:

•    Entry level — fun and participation

•    Juvenile — skills, tactics and the start of S&C

•    Minor and adult football — position play and physicality

This would create greater connectivity between age groups and a consistency of approach as players progress — and coach and mentor education and development will be central to putting all of this in place.

65% of members believe structured S&C is essential or very important from U14 upwards, with injury prevention, long-term player development and confidence & resilience rated the top focus areas.

79% of members agree the Men’s Senior section contributes positively to the culture and identity of the club, and 84% want senior and former players more involved with younger age groups — above all through mentoring, coaching and role modelling. Members also want to see more structure around Minor players transitioning into adult football, by playing at Reserves and Reserves 2 level — creating a stronger link between Minor and adult teams and making it less of a “jump”, while still exposing young players to the higher standards and physical side of the adult game.

On involvement more broadly, most members are happy to maintain their current contribution, and around one in seven would like to become more active — mostly on the pitch with teams and coaching. Being part of a coaching team rather than going it alone, clear role descriptions, and coach education would encourage more people to step forward.

Player retention and a clear pathway from juvenile to adult football came out as the top priorities for the Ladies section, ahead of participation and inclusion, skills development and coach education. Members feel the club could improve how it supports the transition from juvenile into adult ladies football — and here too, getting senior players involved in juvenile coaching was seen as a powerful way of developing players from U16 through to Minor and into adult football.

There were real concerns in this group about the attrition of teenage players — to competing sports, or due to confidence and other social pressures — which is exactly where a well-defined Player Pathway, Coaching Development and the new Social Committee can make a difference.

If additional funding were available, members would prioritise pitch development first, followed by the clubhouse and facilities, juvenile and coaching investment, and gym / S&C facilities. People feel the Grounds Committee do a great job, and there is real excitement about the prospect of Pitch 2, the Ballwall and lighting upgrades coming as part of Phase 2 of the development plan.

Members also felt some improvements could be made to the clubhouse and dressing rooms — the showers in particular — and suggested additions like coffee and an ice cream van on busy days. The gym has been a great addition, though continued investment is needed. 90% of members say it’s important that facilities serve the wider parish and not just players, with a walking track the most-wanted community amenity, followed by social space and Health & Wellbeing initiatives.

82% of members would get behind more ambitious fundraising targets if they are clearly tied to a long-term development plan for the club.  A number of people have volunteered to help with fundraising which gives us great heart.  The Joker, club social events and sponsored sporting events remain the favourite ways to support, and what builds confidence above all is clear communication on how money is used and visible progress updates. Members also recognise the increasing importance of success in grant applications to fund the continued development of the club.

On sustainability, reducing energy costs, long-term financial sustainability and environmentally sustainable development were the leading priorities — themes that tie in neatly with the biodiversity and native planting ideas raised earlier.

Your responses — together with the work being undertaken by our Strategic 5 Year Plan pillar teams (Community Culture & Communications, Juvenile, Ladies, Mens, Development and Finance) — are now feeding directly into the Strategic Plan 2027–2031. The pillar teams will use this feedback to shape the club’s culture and priorities both on and off the field.  We’ll keep you updated on progress through the usual club channels. Thank you for having your say.  Ní neart go cur le Chéile!  

Eadestown GAA  ·  www.eadestowngaa.ie