Donnelly remains as Ladies Chairperson after AGM

LAST week’s annual convention wrapped up another year for the Tyrone Ladies Association with Chairperson Grainne Donnelly, from the Fintona club, remaining in the top post. Denise McGillion and Emma McAleer also retained their officer positions unchallenged.

Potential challenges to the Chair and vice-chair never materialised in what was overall a low key meeting at Canavans.

Paddy Hunter stepped away as PRO after two decades of service while Paddy O’Brien also relinquished the fixtures role, replaced by Moortown’s Seamus McQuillan.

Clubs have been asked to try and secure a new PRO after Hunter’s departure which was greeted with surprise. The returning Chair thanked him for his promotion of the sport in Tyrone and beyond.

Garry Currie returned to the vice chairperson’s role after initially indicating he was set to step down. Elsewhere Deborah Daly is the new assistant secretary, and Catriona McCaffrey takes up the assistant treasurer position. Mary McAleer stepped away from the Culture role to be replaced by Pomeroy’s Aoibhhean Conlan.

The discussions on the night focused mainly on fixtures restructuring with mention too of lending support to the difficulties of dual players. A Dungannon recommendation to take dual players into consideration when fixing games was passed, something to be welcomed given their condensed schedule faced at times.

A new reserve league was supported but it will depend on a desire from clubs to be involved while there was also support for a change to the Junior league structure again to support weaker teams.

The recommendation from Urney pointed out that the LGFA could lose struggling clubs if there was no change. 2024 saw two groups in the junior league that produced some heavy defeats and conceded games. There will be league semi-finals again next year too after a proposal to scrap them was defeated.