At the recent AGM a new committee was elected, with strong continuity from the committee members that have steered the club over recent years and some new blood stepping up to bring energy for the challenges ahead

 

 | Name | Role and Areas of Focus
| Ray Hickey | Chairman & PRO
| Donagh O’Shaughnessy | Deputy Chairman and Coaching Coordinator
| Liam Crowe | Treasurer
| Fiona McCole | Secretary
| Mike Beddows | Membership & Registrar
| Stuart Barber | Fixture Secretary
| Claire Ryan | Child Welfare Officer
| Gemma O’Callaghan | Deputy Child Welfare Officer and Lotto
| Becky Barber | Female Football Rep
| Alan Morgan | Academy and Coaching Coordinator
| Tommy Sheehan | Committee Member and Junior Representative
| Frank Tucker | Committee Member and Equipment
| Donal Hammond | Committee Member and Coaching
| Eamonn Sionoid | Committee Member and Fundraising
| Adrian Ring | Committee Member and Coaching

 

With all 13 from last year’s committee committing to another term, we are delighted the strengthen the committee squad with Eamonn and Adrian coming on board.  We have a strong committee with diverse skills, experiences, backgrounds, gender and nationality mix committed to making a Lough Derg FC a safe and inclusive community club and a great  place to play football for all the community. 

At the AGM we reviewed the previous season and identified the focus areas for the coming season.  Below is the Chairman's Report:
 
Lough Derg FC - Chairpersons Report for Season 23/24

The 2023/24 season was another successful season at Lough Derg FC marked with continued growth in participation levels, success on the field and stability and good governance off the field. We did face some challenges, notably in terms of facilities but our hard working committee rallied to overcome the challenges we encountered.

FACILITIES

A year ago, at the last AGM we were at a juncture and gained approval from our membership to proceed with a phased merger with our neighbours in Birdhill.  While a lot of groundwork was invested in this endeavour, ultimately the grassroots membership at Birdhill vetoed, as is their right and the proposal and the opportunity was shelved.   This presented us with a facilities challenge and this situation was exacerbated in January 2024 when the Old Pitch we sublet from Birdhill was withdrawn as a sports amenity due to agricultural and commercial requirements.  This triggered a search for alternatives and thankfully the St Annes Community College granted us permission to use the St Annes sports field for games.  With this partnership being effective in the short and medium term, expanding our facilities in the face of a changing landscape remains a priority for the club as we see continued growth in participation levels across all age profiles and genders. 

 

MEMBERSHIP

Our membership has continued to grow to a record 614 members and over 36 squads competing across age groups from u6 to senior men and women.  We remain the biggest club in the North Tipperary and serve the footballing needs of our community from both Clare and Tipperary.   Player registration processes have gone through significant system and process change.  A big shout out to our club registrar Mike Beddows who has been extremely effective and meticulous in ensuring all our squads are appropriately registered.  Our income from membership revenue is up 10% year on year, alleviating rising costs.

 

ON THE PLAYING FRONT

JUNIORS & YOUTHS

Our adult male teams faced a significant change this year and we assessed how well our football needs were being met at Youth and Adult level in the North Tipperary District League.  With the lack of playing opportunity for Youths the primary motivator we made the move at Under 17, Under 18 and Junior Adult level to join the Limerick District League.  The move has been very successful with more playing opportunities, a higher standard, better facilities and an overall better footballing experience ensuring high levels of interest, participation and player retention at the adult levels.   Kudos to Donagh O’Shaughnessy and Donal Hammond for bravely advocating for this move.  Change can be uncomfortable but when managed well, brings rewards.  Off the pitch the move has worked out well.  On the pitch there has been early successes.  A season's highlight is the Junior Men's team winning the Lar Hayes Cup in Jackman Park in May. An adult team drawing heavily on players who have been developed through the Lough Derg schoolboy academy is testimony to the great work that has been done over the last decade plus.   The team fell narrowly short of winning the double, losing out on the league on the final day.  There was consultation with Dergs Dan Fogarty being named league player of the year and being joined by 2 team mates Dave Cassidy and Jay Collins on the Team of the Year. Following such a bright start we expect the team to be promoted to a higher division for next season, paving the way for an Adult Junior B team, providing further player retention opportunities from youth to adult football.  The under 18 Youths Team held their own in the top division of the Youths league with a very young squad owing to previous years player attrition due to lack of a player pathway in NTDL.  The under 17 team had a season to be proud of in the top tier, finishing 3rd in the league behind 2 of the strongest teams in the country and ahead of many big names in local football.  The lads football education was seriously enhanced and will have benefited significantly from playing at a higher standard.

WOMENS

Adult female football is well established and on a stable footing at Lough Derg FC after some years of instability.  Again, we are reaping the benefit of schoolgirl player development through the Lough Derg Academy.  A very young team, the vast majority of whom have been with Derg since childhood is acquitting itself well in the Limerick Women’s and Schoolgirls Soccer League.  With sound foundations and a solid structure in place on field success is sure to follow.  There is now a clear pathway for girls to enjoy football from first steps Disney Playmakers to completion ladies senior football.  Some of the highlights of this year’s ladies football include memorable Mother and Daughter combos and real family affairs with entire families involved.  While the squad on the whole is very young, you are never too old to start and a special shout out to some of the supermoms who took to the fields this year to support the girls.  Age is just a number.  If you are good enough you are old enough or young enough.  Credit to Donal Hammond for playing a leading role in the transition from underage to adult football for girls.

 

SCHOOLBOY / SCHOOLGIRL
While the adults teams have been finding their way through new leagues, the bulk of our membership and participation is with the schoolboy and schoolgirls from academy ages through the competition age groups within the NTSFL.  

The academy continues to run every Saturday through the season and it’s in this environment that our players and our coaches are educated in the fundamentals of our club DNA - Develop a Lifelong Love of the Game.   In this noncompetitive, non-streamed environment players learn the game is a safe and fun away.  While there may be a temptation to go too competitive too early, we applaud coaches for following the process and keeping it player and development focussed.  Thanks to Alan Morgan, Frank Tucker and Tommy Sheehan for leading by example in the academy space.   Success can be seen through exceptional performances at end of season blitzes and high numbers of players retained and participation levels.   Making it so much fun they keep on coming back for more…

Our competitive squads have enjoyed a wonderful season.  Our commitment remains to provide appropriate levels of football for all in our community who wish to play and this means A, B and even C teams across the levels and genders. We are unique in the league in having girls B teams and this showcases the depth we are developing.  While this presents facilities challenges we believe our role is to provide football for all, regardless of ability.  

Our competitive squads achieved some wonderful results.  U14A boys won the premier division title on the last night of the season, having shown remarkable resilience after some difficult mid-season results. U15A boys and u14B boys won their Shield Finals, while u14, 16 and 19 girls all were runners up in the finals they competed in.  A number of other squads were in title deciders in league and knock-out actions and silverware was also brought home from various invitational tournaments. 

A number of squads enjoyed great runs in the National Cup and National Trophy.  A highlight was the u12A boys hosting Shelbourne AFC of Dublin in Clarisford in the last 16.  The Derg boys put up a super performance against a top League of Ireland side before losing on penalties.  They lost the match but learned that they have a bright future in the game. 

REPRESENTATIVE

As a club, our focus is on inclusion and player development.  We play a key role on the player development pathway.  This year, 27 Lough Derg FC players were selected for representative football with North Tipp league side.  20% of the squads at the prestigious Kennedy Cup for boys and Gaynor Cup for girls were drawn from Lough Derg FC confirming our player development effectiveness.  A number of former Lough Derg FC players are settling well into League of Ireland squads.  The entire u17 girls squad travelled to the Markets Field to see our former team mate Ava Neary win the National Championship with Treaty United. 

GOVERNANCE

With Lough Derg FC teams playing in the North Tipperary Schoolchildren's Football League (NTSFL), The Limerick District League (LDL) and Limerick Women’s and Schoolgirls Soccer League (LWSSL) there is a significant level of organisation and governance required.  A special shoutout to club secretary Fiona McCole and fixture secretary Stuart Barber of juggling a huge amount of correspondence and requirements from within our club and the three leagues we play across.   

Providing a safe and compliant environment for our membership is paramount.  Claire Ryan and Gemma O’Callaghan have done a wonderful job off the pitch, as well as on it to ensure effective controls and record keeping in this critical area. 

FINANCE
Our treasurer Liam Crowe will provide and update on our financial position.  We are in a strong position as our growing membership with ensuing fees meets our operational running costs. Our weekly lotto fundraiser continues to generate a source of revenue for investment and with facilities being a major concern, this capital will be required for support expansion.

 

FACILITIES

With burgeoning numbers, facilities remain a major challenge.  The loss of Birdhill put a lot on pressure on Clarisford Park.  A huge amount of maintenance work and preparation went in behind the scenes with Donagh O’Shaughnessy and Dave Wise putting in countless hours lining, clearing and repairing pitches.  Testimony to their hard work, the pitch reached end of season in better condition than any previous season.  Equipment purchases are being considered to reduce the burden on volunteers.  St Annes pitch is a vital addition to facilities.  Additional pitch access remains a top priority for incoming committees. 

CAMPS
Last summer and again this summer we have run 3 fully subscribed summer camps across July and August.  This year 300 children will participate in fun, safe and inclusive camps, coached by players from our Junior and Youth squads.  As well as fun and friendship and learning football fundamentals we chose to run these camps ourselves as a club rather than through the FAI summer camp program as it’s an opportunity to give every participant in the camp a full Lough Derg FC kit and create that bond between the club and individuals and their families.  Been there, done that, wore the t-shirt.  One club, for life.  A special thanks to Stuart Barber as camp organiser and Sarah Conroy as head coach and the team of young coaches drawn from Lough Derg FC competitive team.   
We also facilitated easter camps on the wonderful new astro facility in Boher with our partners in Dynamic Coaching giving players every additional opportunity to play the games they love.
We also ran our 2nd Disney Playmakers program, led by Becky Barber, paving a way for girls and coaches to take first steps in female football 

OVERSEAS
Every year we see squads venturing overseas.  This year the u16 boys headed to Manchester on tour.  The u15B boys deepened our relationship with our twin town in Basse Goulaine in Nantes, France, enjoying a wonderful sporting and cultural experience and even bringing home silverware.  These overseas trips are wonderful footballing experiences and create lifelong memories while strengthening team bonds. 

 

SUMMARY

Our 22nd season sees the club go from strength to strength, on the pitch and off it.  The magic can be seen week in, week out in Clarisford Park, on the 3G, St Annes Pitch, Smith O’Brien’s, Boher Astro, on pitches up and down Tipperary, in Limerick and in National Cups across the country.  You see it every day on the t-shirts,  hoodies, the half zips, the gear bags, a flash of blue and a dash of yellow.  What’s divided by county lines between Clare and Tipp is united by Lough Derg FC.  A community club, serving the community needs and playing a part in making this part of the country a great place to live and to play.  

A massive thanks to all those who play a part.  Too many sponsors to name check, the community that supports us, our lotto subscribers, the leagues, officials and clubs that make up our football family.  Our 60 passionate volunteer coaches, Our hard working committee, Our players young and old and their families that make Lough Derg FC a part of their lives. 

Teamwork makes the dreamwork and at Lough Derg FC we have some team.  Here's to continued success. 

Yours in sport,

Ray Hickey
Chairman, Lough Derg FC