Updated: Monday, 1st December, 2008 12:00am

Print | Email |

Kiltale look to the future with land purchase

AFTER a memorable 2007 on the playing front Kiltale hurling club are hoping to start 2008 by signing an agreement that would give them ownership of 6.5 acres adjacent to their home ground.

The Grange club agreed to take control of the land on a 150-year lease with the proviso that they use it exclusively for sporting activities. A down payment has been made by the club and paperwork is expected to be completed this month.

The land was acquired from the Department of Agriculture and Teagasc for E150,000 and the club aims to construct two hurling pitches, one for adults and another for juveniles. The deal is the culmination of considerable effort by Kiltale to acquire the extra land.

"We have been working on getting the land for the last two years or so," explained Kiltale clubman and former player Paddy Kelly. "Through Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture we have been making soundings about the land but it was only at the start of this year that we got the green light that it was going to be sold to us."

The area acquired by Kiltale was the club`s original ground for almost 30 years before they moved to a neighbouring plot where they now have their home pitch, clubhouse, car parking area and a recently installed hurling wall.

Kiltale won their third SHC title in October when they surprisingly defeated Kilmessan in the decider adding the victory to previous triumphs in 1982 and `83. The new agreement ends a truly memorable year for the club with a number of underage titles also garnered. 

Largely made up of young players the Kiltale senior team is regarded as one of the most promising outfits on the Meath hurling scene. While they enjoyed a very successful 2007 Kiltale have also displayed broader ambitions by adding considerably to the facilities they can offer the local community.

In May 2004 Kiltale officially opened their new clubhouse which cost in the region of half a million euro to build. Improvements included four new dressing rooms and a meeting room. Pitch improvements and dugouts were also provided. A new set of floodlights and a hurling wall were also installed last year at the cost of E95,000.

"The completion of our clubhouse was probably in excess of E500,000 and there was a huge local voluntary involvement as well so that the cost doesn`t properly reflect the work done. What we spent on the project was in the region of that figure and on top of that we got an awful lot of work completed voluntarily."

While the club have been vigorous in getting the cash required through their own fundraising enterprises they have also used lottery grants and any funding available from the GAA.

To raise further funds the club has started a family membership scheme which they hope will help towards the cost of purchasing the extra land. The club wants to get the message out there that it is offering facilities for the wider community to come in and use and also help with the development plans. 

While delighted with the club`s latest purchase Kelly is mindful that it is also vitally important for the future of the club that there is success in terms of winning trophies.

"You can complete all the projects you like but if you are not winning on the field, I won`t say it would make it easier, but it makes it more comfortable going to people looking for support," added Kelly who coached the seniors to their Jubilee Cup success last year.

"We couldn`t pass on this opportunity to buy the land. We`ve worked on a few angles to get the project to this stage, it`s going to be there for a lifetime so it`s money well spent," he added.