Major upgrades for Annaghdown facility

Needed to cater for over 70 teams

A MAJOR upgrade of the facilities in Cregg over the coming years will allow Annaghdown GAA, LGFA and Camogie clubs to cater for the 74 teams they currently have participating across the codes.

The development plan for the GAA grounds in Cregg in Annaghdown has been launched by the three clubs alongside a sizeable fundraising campaign. Upgrades to the facilities are expected to take between three to five years to complete over seven phases, with fundraising and grant aids helping to cover costs.

A ball wall and astro turf pitch, solar panels and other features have been added to the facilities in Cregg in recent years. Almost 14acres of land adjacent to the GAA grounds – costing €250,000 – has been purchased for the sizeable development plan.

Growing population

The growing population in the Annaghdown catchment area has led to more teams and players across the clubs, with a drain on available pitches and facilities in Cregg.

There will be a total of five pitches in Cregg when the development is finished, which will increase the summer pitch capacity from 100 hours to 260 hours per week, and from 40 to 120 hours per week in winter.

“We’ve three pitches already in Cregg. There are four adult football teams and two adult hurling teams, and some age groups have two teams at underage level,” said Bryan Buckley the treasurer of Annaghdown GAA club.

“There’s training in Cregg and Corrandulla on a pitch at the back of Corrandulla National School. A lot of the underage teams train in Corrandulla. I’m from Offaly and my wife is from Milltown. There are a lot of people like ourselves who have moved into the local area.

“We have a fundraising committee and a development committee set up between the three clubs.

“The land is bought and paid for. We started that process nearly two years ago and we have it now.”

Purchasing the land was phase one of the project. Phase two will involve putting in 100 car parking spaces and making the back pitch into a full-size grass pitch. Two full-size grass pitches (pitches four and five) will come in phase three on the new land.

Number of phases

The phase two development is expected to cost €200,000, which means the three clubs have a target of €450,000 to repay the loans associated with the land purchase and fund the phase two works.

Phases four, five, six and seven of the development will include a full-size floodlit astro turf, clubhouse extension and renovation, an all-weather indoor training arena, a playground and sensory play area, as well as completing and surfacing the car parking facilities.

The clubs in Annaghdown have set up the Cairde Anach Cuain sponsorship scheme that allows corporate supporters to donate if they wish. This scheme includes naming rights opportunities for pitches and premium signage amongst other features.

There is also a Clann Anach Cuain donor scheme for individual supporters. All donors will be recognised on the Clann Anach Cuain Wall.

“Local businesses have been very good to us with corporate donations and local people have been donating. We’ve two loans and the target is to have them paid off by the end of 2026,” offered Bryan Buckley.

Fundraising drives in the near future will involve a community walkathon and a ‘win a home’ initiative in 2028. The clubs intend to apply for a Sports Capital Grant and avail of other potential grant aid options for the major development.