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The Development Finance Committee are very pleased to announce that we have just over 100 families & players now signed up for this scheme! A special thanks to all those who have signed up. For all those signed up we will run a draw at the end of the year.

This is a real landmark reached but more can be done. As you know the banking world has radically changed over the last few years. We need to be able to show to a bank that we have ongoing, consistent, financial support for the building project. Any bank will need to see regular and predictable income coming in to service the building loan. Ad-hoc fundraising events like golf classics and dog nights will also be needed to bridge any gap between our annual standing order income and the loan repayments but what’s key to this building project success is the STANDING ORDER scheme.

Consequently we would appeal for further support for this initiative if you have not already signed up. For less than €2 per week per family/adult player we can achieve all our goal or providing proper dressing rooms and toilets for the juvenile boys & girls and adult players of our parish.

Please contact any of the below Finance Committee members for copies of the Standing Order form. Remember, with a standing order you stay in complete control of this facility at all times and if circumstances change you can cancel the standing order at any time by just contacting your own bank directly. Many thanks for your support.

FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

· Patrick O’Mahony (086-3306510) ; John Hickey (086-3539383) ;

· Keith McSweeney (086-8244833); Norma Woods (087-9057236) ;

· Brendan Healy (087-9176891) ; Noel Hallahan (087-9744046) ;

· Trish Walsh (087-2377347) ; Donnacha Savage (086-8186569)

Lisgoold GAA Building project – notice of important meeting for all parents & adult players & launch of STANDING ORDER scheme: Lisgoold Hall, 9pm, 10th March 2011

Lisgoold Finance Committee, on behalf of Lisgoold GAA, would like to thank you all for your generous support to date in supporting the provision of improved and additional dressing room facilities for the children and adults of the parish.

Planning permission has been achieved and the project is estimated to cost €250,000. Unfortunately, given the general economic climate, the availability of grants to assist with the project is quite limited, if available at all. Accordingly, we have to rely exclusively on our own resources and hard work in order to achieve our goal.

A building loan deposit of 20-30% will be needed to be raised (€50-€75,000) with the remainder to be financed by a loan. We all acknowledge that the facilities at the pitch need to be improved – from improved toilet facilities to additional dressing rooms to cater for the sheer number of children and adults now playing our games. Given the large number of families and adult players now using our facilities a little contribution from all on a regular basis makes our goal of improved facilities very achievable indeed. While ad-hoc fundraising events will be run to raise the deposit money needed, given the dramatic changes in the general economic and banking environments, these types of fundraising will have to be supplemented by a regular income stream – to show to a bank that we have ongoing, consistent support to meet the loan repayments. Some of you may have noticed recent press reports of other GAA clubs in difficulty with debt repayments. It is because of this we are launching the STANDING ORDER SCHEME.

We estimate that between the three clubs (Adult, Juvenile & Ladies football) there are approximately 200 families and players from our parish actively involved in the 3 clubs. If each family and adult player gives the small amount of just under €2 per week we can provide enough income to substantially, if not fully, meet the likely annual loan repayment involved. So, if you have a few children involved across, say, the juvenile and ladies football clubs the cost would still only be €2 per week for you as a family. For practical purposes, and to show to a bank that we have ongoing consistent financial support (which will be a loan requirement) we propose that a monthly standing order of only €8 per family/adult player be entered into for a period of 5 years.

If we all pull together and make just a very small contribution of under €2 per week per family/adult player the project can proceed. Other clubs have similar schemes in operation, most recently Carrigtwohill, and they have got great support from their parish. If we cannot get extensive support for this quite modest proposal from the families and players using the GAA facilities it raises serious issues about the sustainability of entering into a loan agreement, and thereby proceeding with the project at all.

If you have a child using the GAA grounds or if you are an adult player in the Junior or Ladies Football club please fill in the attached standing order form and either bring it along to this upcoming meeting or return to John Hickey (Treasurer of the Lisgoold GAA Finance Committee).

The monthly standing order facility will be properly set up and the confidentiality of all information will be assured. Any queries on this can be submitted to any of the Finance Committee members below. A yearly prize draw with prizes to at least the value of €250 will be set up for persons signed up for the Standing Order scheme.

We look forward to seeing a positive response to this initiative and hopefully a large turnout on the 10th March. The improved facilities are needed for the children and players of Lisgoold Parish. This scheme is likely to be the critical element in putting together a business case to a bank to support the project. If you have ever queried any of the following:

· the general standard & number of toilet facilities at the pitch for men & women

· the absence of a wheelchair friendly toilet

· the problems with getting access to a dressing room due to the sheer numbers now playing our games from the ages of 5 or 6 years up to adult

· the absence of kitchen facilities to provide a level of hospitality such as you have experienced at other clubs when supporting your child

then this Standing Order scheme and upcoming meeting is your opportunity to take a strong step forward to provide the above basic requirements for your child or for yourself as an adult player.

Those of you with children will appreciate the cost of the other activities your child is probably involved in (Irish dancing, marital arts, swimming, speech & drama, etc). Indeed, those children that play soccer must generally bring €2 per week with them to their soccer training, as you know. For some of the non GAA activities above there is a weekly charge whether or not your child can make the event in question.

The annual cost of playing Gaelic Games is far, far less than any of the above activities. We guarantee that all monies raised as part of this initiative will be solely used for the building project.

Can you provide under €2 per week per family/adult player to provide facilities for your child and/or for yourself? Please come along with your bank account details to this critical meeting on Thursday 10th March next (9pm, Lisgoold Hall) or return the completed Standing Order form to John Hickey (postal address: Templenacarriga, Midleton, Cork).

FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

· Patrick O’Mahony (086-3306510) ; John Hickey (086-3539383) ;

· Keith McSweeney (086-8244833); Norma Woods (087-9057236) ;

· Brendan Healy (087-9176891) ; Noel Hallahan (087-9744046) ;

· Trish Walsh (087-2377347); Donnacha Savage (086-8186569).