Club Secretary
The post of Secretary is one of the vital links in any organisation and this is true of the GAA Club Secretary also. His/her duties are many and varied and call for a high degree of dedication.
Working closely with the Cathaoirleach, the Secretary has more to do with the practical running of the Club than any other member and should be carefully chosen for this position.
The post of Secretary is one of the vital links in any organisation and this is true of the GAA Secretary also. His/Her duties are many and varied and call for a high degree of dedication. These duties dovetail with those of the Cathaoirleach and it is essential that they work as a team of which the Secretary will very often be the more active one.
The Secretary has more to do with the practical running of the Club than any other member; he/she must therefore be carefully chosen.
He/she should be a good organiser, tidy and methodical, tactful and friendly and
above all reliable.
A good Club Secretary means there is good management of administration of the Club. Club management is not an end in itself. Our job is to enable people to enjoy and play our games, to develop the games and to further the social and community aims of the Association. The level of administration should therefore be the minimum to achieve
these aims.
The great difference in size and range of activities of Clubs, and between rural and urban areas make it impossible to impose standard methods; that would not be desirable in any event. Flexibility in the local situation is important.
These notes may not always be relevant to your situation but the general principles will apply no matter what the size
of your Club.
Even in amateur organisations, the members and the general public now demand professional standards of administration by voluntary officials.
– Meetings: Work before, during and arising out of meetings, including the Annual General Meeting.
– Records: Keeping records and files of Club activities, including membership
– Correspondence: Match notices, letters, filling in forms etc
Meetings
A Club should hold regular committee meetings even if at times there appears to be little to be done. Coming together may spark off some needed activity ! It is helpful to specify a night say, last Thursday of the month or Thursday of each week.
At the first Club meeting of the season, all should agree on a time and meetings should begin at that time. Punctuality is merely a habit. Meetings should also close formally so that everyone, including the Secretary, is quite clear when the business is concluded. Essential business should be transacted first. A good deal can usually be left over for the "chat" after the meeting. This enables those who want to leave to do so.
The secretary usually calls a meeting. If held weekly, no notices are necessary unless there is something special on
the agenda. In that case, members should be told about it in advance so they can think it over. For monthly meetings,
written notices with an agenda should be issued.
There should always be an agenda for a meeting, though not necessarily distributed to all members. Unless the members are very familiar with it, the Cathaoirleach should read the agenda; this prevents members raising matters at the wrong time.The Cathaoirleach and Secretary should meet before the meeting and go through the agenda. An agenda could be on the following lines:
– Minutes
– Matters Arising
– Correspondence (for letters, etc. not relevant elsewhere on the agenda)
– Report from County Committee or Divisional Committee
– Fixtures and Transport ( to decide on …regarding fixtures , to discuss ….regarding transport)
– Finance
– Fund-Raising
– Other activities
– Other Business (only matters of minor importance to be dealt with here)
It is always helpful to members to give an indication of the exact business to be dealt with under common headings such as Fixtures, Finance and Transport etc. – this way members come to a meeting better prepared to participate. The Secretary must prepare the business for the meeting, i.e. get together any information that may be needed. He/She should also check back on the minutes of the last meeting to see that action has been taken as required. The Secretary should make all the physical arrangements for the meeting.
During the meeting, the Secretary must record the attendance of each member and apologies for absence. The Secretary takes a note of decisions reached. He/She should not try to write everything down, but should follow the sense of the discussion, listening for key points. If in doubt about decisions, the Secretary should ask for clarification.
The Secretary may have to assist the Cathaoirleach in the conduct of the meeting and ideally both officers should work together to get the meeting over quickly.
One of the problem areas at GAA Club committee meetings is that of match reports as the games tend to be played all over again! This trend must be resisted but meetings should end inÓgood time to enable "informal" discussion to take place afterwards.
After the meeting, the Secretary must write the minutes. This should be done as soon as possible. Usually minutes should only record what was dealt with and what decisions were taken. But sometimes the main points raised in a discussion may need to be recorded. Do not give a verbatim account. Minutes should be written in a proper Minute
book.
The special requirements of the Club Annual General Meeting are dealt with in the Club Manual.
Records
The Club Secretary is responsible for keeping records of matches, venues, dates and winners. He/She should also arrange for membership records, unless there is a separate Membership Secretary. Simple files about various Club activities should be kept as all such items will be sought for the compilation of a Club History or a Centenary Year
Book etc. A petty cash book is also necessary for recording payments of small cash amounts, i.e. postage, telephone calls, etc.
Correspondence
The Club Secretary will be the main link with the Divisional Board or County Committee. He/She should deal expeditiously with all correspondence, if necessary after consulting with the Cathaoirleach. He should use a well designed Club letter heading and keep copies of all important letters.
The Club Secretary, if he/she has a good knowledge of Irish, can do a great deal to promote it in simple ways, both oral and written. The booklet "An Sloinnteoir Gaeilge agus an t-Ainmneoir" is an essential booklet for the Club Secretary. A good source book for GAA terminology is the Report of the Commission on the GAA which was printed bilingually.
‘An Treoraí Oifigiúil
The Club Secretary must always have a current copy of the Official Guide. He/She should be familiar with the provisions dealing with Club activities.
30-Dec-07 by PJ Meehan – Development Officer
Quid Games – Meet the Sponsors 🤝13th March 2025 - 7:00 pm
Leitrim GAA Supporters Launch
GeneralJanuary 2008
Leitrim GAA Supporters Launch Thursday night 24th January 2008
22nd year of the Club
Dear Supporter,
The Leitrim GAA Supporters (Dublin Branch) invites you to attend the Supporters Club Annual Launch on Thursday 24th January 2008 at 8.00 for 8.30pm in the Herbert Park Hotel, Ballsbridge, and Dublin. (Entrance of Anglesea Rd, Complimentary parking).
This annual event is very popular with Leitrim people in Dublin and I hope you and your friends can attend. The Supporters club will be launched by Leitrim Native Sean McGoldrick.
Sean McGoldrick has been GAA correspondent of the Sunday World for the last ten years. He also covers athletics and motor racing. He is co-author of Shooting from the Hip, the autobiography of Kerry footballer, Pat Spillane and I Remember it Well, the autobiography of Jimmy Magee.
A member of the Leitrim Team management will address the meeting on plans for 08.
A presentation will be made on the night to Sinead Brennan, Captain, representing the Leitrim Ladies footballers in recognition of the team winning the All Ireland Intermediate title last year.
Tea/ Coffee will be served from 8.00 p.m. with the compliments of the Herbert Park Hotel.
I very much look forward to seeing you on the night.
____________________
Eamonn Duignan
Chairman, Dublin Branch
09-Jan-08 by Eamonn Duignan
County watch
County FootballThe month of February will be very interesting as we embark on the new structure of the National League.
Leitrim will compete in Division 3 and our competitors are: Limerick, Fermanagh, Louth, Down, Wexford, Sligo & Longford.
Its early days yet but we are listing the teams performances in the order that Leitrim will meet them in the League. We map their progress in their respective provincial competitions as they shape themselves for the new national league.
Fermanagh: – McKenna Cup
January 6th: Fermanagh beat St. Marys 1-18 to 1-11 in Lisnakea
January 9th: Fermanagh beat Armagh 1-11 to 0-10 at Kingspan Breffni Park
January 13th: Fermanagh lost to Derry 0-08 to 0-13 at Celtic Park
January 24th: Fermanagh lost to Derry 1-10 to 2-12 in Dr McKenna Cup semi-final
Longford: – OByrne Cup
January 6th: Longford beat Kildare 0-9 to 0-7 in Newbridge.
January 13th: Longford beat Meath 0-14 to 1-06
February 9th: Longford progress to OByrne Cup final to play Dublin in Parnell Park at 5pm
Louth: – OByrne Cup
January 10th: Louth lost to D.C.U. 0-11 to 1-14 in Darver
January 13th: Louth beat Athlone IT in the OByrne Cup Shield 1-12 to 1-10
January 20th: Louth lost to Kildare in the OByrne Cup Shield Semi final 0-7 to 1-09
Sligo: – FBD League
January 6th: Sligo lost to Galway 0-09 to 1-13 in Tuam
January 13: Sligo beat GMIT 2-13 to 1-12 (2pm).
January 20: Sligo lost to Leitrim 0-12 to 0-7.
Wexford: – OByrne Cup
January 6th: Wexford beat Laois by 1-14 to 0-14 in EnniScórthy.
January 15: Wexford lost to Carlow 1-13 Wexford 0-11
Down: – McKenna Cup
January 9th: Down lost to Tyrone in Omagh under lights.
January 13: Down beat UUJ – Down 1-15 UUJ 0-14
January 16: Down beat Donegal at Pairc Esler, Newry, on Wednesday
January 22: Down beat Cavan in McKenna Cup Semi Final 1-16 to 2-12
January 26: Down beat Derry in McKenna Cup Final 1-12 to 1-06
Limerick – McGrath Cup
January 13th: Limerick beat Tralee IT 2-11 to 1-07
January 19th: Limerick beat Limerick IT 0-14 to 0-6 in the McGrath Cup Semifinal
January 27th: Limerick lost to Clare in McGrath Cup Final in Cooraclare – 0-08 to 1-06
09-Jan-08 by Brendan Doyle – PRO
Ladies Awards
LadiesThe Ladies County Board have announced following winners of the Ladies Awards for 2007:
Ladies County Player of Year
Michelle Reynolds, Gortletteragh
Ladies Senior Club Player of Year
Claire Kelly, Kiltubrid
Ladies Intermediate Club Player of Year
Sarah McManus, Annaduff
Ladies Junior Club Player of Year
Michelle Reynolds, Gortletteragh
Congratulations to all of the above winners. The awards will be presented at the Awards ceremony on Saturday night in the Bush Hotel.
08-Jan-08 by Brendan Doyle – PRO
Leitrim Scór na nÓg
ScórLeitrim Scór na nÓg
The Leitrim Scór na nÓg finals were held in Manorhamilton this evening. It was a wonderful occasion with 160 participants taking part in the eight different events.
This year, for the first time, all competitors were presented with a certificate to acknowledge their participation in a County Scór na nÓg Final. The winners were presented with their medals by two of the girls from the Leitrim All Ireland winning Ladies team, Amanda Sweeney and Anna Conlon. Interestingly both Anna and Amanda have not only taken part in Scór but both of them have reached All Ireland Scór Finals. Amanda Sweeney won an All Ireland in Figure Dance with Glencar/Manorhamilton in 1999 and Anna was part of the Dromahair Music Group which reached the All Ireland Final in 2007.
The winners in the different events this evening were as follows:
Rince Foirne: Glencar/Manorhamilton
Amhranaíocht Aonair: Rachel McLoughlin, Mohill
Ceol Uirlise: Aughnasheelin
Aithriseoireacht: Fintan Fitzpatrick, Aughnasheelin
Bailéad Ghrúpa: Seán OHeslins
Trath na gCeist: Bornacoola
Nuachleas: Bornacoola
Rince Seit: Fenagh St Caillins
Club of the Year: Bornacoola
The Connacht Finals are in Claremorris on Saturday 19 January starting at 2.00pm
06-Jan-08 by Sean O Suilleabhain
FBD- Leitrim v GMIT
County FootballConnacht FBD League
Leitrim 2-07 GMIT 0-08
Leitrim Senior football team opened the 2008 season with a deserved victory over GMIT in the first of three FBD League games in Páirc Seán today. While it was cold for the spectators on this overcast day the conditions were favourable for football for the time of year despite recent weather.
A minutes silence was observed in recognition of recent berevements of members of the Leitrim GAA community.
Leitrim were first on the scoreboard with a long range point from Shane Foley and this was followed by a point from Michael Foley. GMITs corner forward Michael Martin brought his shooting boots with him as he slotted over 2 left footed frees on the 6th and 8th minute. He followed this with another point from play in the 10th minute and Leitrims defence were under pressure as the GMIT squad hit a purple patch. This was short lived however as Emly Mulligan shone in the centre half forward area and he scored 2 points from frees. Some 2 minutes later in the 17th minute a fast moving attack saw the GMIT keeper make a feet first challenge on a loose ball which resulted in a penalty. Emlyn Mulligan slotted the ball low and hard to the left hand side of the net. It was some 5 minutes later before GMIT got a fisted point from number 7 Tom Cuniffe. Emlyn Mulligan finished off the half with another point from play to bring the half time scoreline to Leitrim 1-05 GMIT 0-04
The second half with Leitrim playing into the scoreboard end got off to the perfect start from the throw-in with a Michael Duignan long range ball into James Glancy (Glencar/Manor) who in turn shook the back of the GMIT net. This left Leitrim with 7 point advantage and they looked very much in control. GMIT didnt lie down as their forwards worked hard to reduce the deficit. Number 11 Aidan Campbell and 15 StephenÓgriffin scored 2 points between them while number 13 Michael Martin registered another point. Shortly after GMITs substitute Stephen KavanÓgh who walked onto the field and proceeded to score a point from a 45. Wides were traded throughout the half as Leitrims tally reached 5 while GMIT were only marginally better with 4 wides. Leitrim relied on Mulligan to add another point and this was followed by the final score which came off the boot of Declan Maxwell who scored a point for Leitrim in the 29th minute.
Final score: Leitrim 2-07 GMIT 0-08
While neither team will feel that they are ready to set the world alight Leitrim at least can be happy with their strong defence and good spread of the ball through the forward area.
Leitrim:
nÓgill, D Reynolds, J McKeon, J Glancy (St. M), P Gilmartin, B McWeeney, S Foley (0-1), G McCloskey (Capt.), M Duignan, M Foley (0-1), E Mulligan (1-4), B Prior, D OConnor, J Glancy (1-0), D Maxwell(0-1).
Subs used:
Subs: C Kennedy for J Glancy, C Regan for B Prior, P McGuinness for D OConnor, A OFlynn for P Gilmartin and S Feeney for J Glancy.
GMIT:
D Dowd, R McTiernan, S Walsh, N Darby, D Vaughan, J Hayes, T Cuniffe (0-1), C Glynn, K Conroy, S Ryder, A Campbell (0-1), P McGinley (0-1), M Martin (0-3), E Concannon, S Griffin (0-1).
Subs: T Hughes for J Hayes, M Conroly for E Concannon, B Lee for P McGinlay, S KavanÓgh (0-1) for S Griffin.
Ref: M Duffy (Sligo).
06-Jan-08 by Brendan Doyle – PRO
Leitrim Supporters Club Launch
GeneralLeitrim Supporters Club Launch
Location: Herbert Park Hotel, Dublin
Date: Thursday, 24th January
Its that time of the year again for the launch of the Leitrim Supporters Club. The Supporters Club was originally launched in 1986 and this year celebrates its 22nd Anniversary.
The Dublin launch is the annual get together of Leitrim Supporters in the Herbert Park Hotel in Dublin. All Leitrim supporters are very welcome to attend.
More details closer to the event.
04-Jan-08 by Brendan Doyle – PRO
Annual Awards night
GeneralThe Annual Awards night is tomorrow night – January 12th. On the night the Leitrim Ladies will receive their TG4 All Ireland Intermediate medals. Tickets are €40 and are available from Ladies Secretary Kieran Moran and County Board Rúnaí – Declan Bohan.
In addition the following Leitrim awards will be presented:
County Board Award Winners 2007
Jim Lynch Hall of Fame Award
Pat Conefry, Drumreilly.
Club Grounds of the Year
Kiltubrid
Referee of the year
Michael Leyden, Dromahaire.
Club Player of the year
Gene Bohan, St. Marys
County Player of the year
Gary McCloskey, Bornacoola
Coiste na nÓg Award Winners 2007
Young Player of the year
Shane Flanagan, Drumreilly
Minor Player of the year
Conor Mc Auley, Bornacoola
Referee of the year
Pat Flanagan, Aughawillan.
Hurling & Handball Award Winners 2007
(The names of the clubs referred to are as the Committees wish them to be published.)
County Hurler of the Year
Niall Glancy, St. Marys
Club Hurler of the Year
Micheal Dolan, Manorhamilton
Youth Hurler of Year
Morgan Quinn, Ballinamore
Senior Handballer of Year
Tony Cullen, Drumshanbo
Junior Handballer Of Year
Dara Flynn, Drumkeerin
Juvenile Handballer of Year
AidenÓgilmartin, Drumshanbo
Ladies Handballer of Year
Shauna Clancy, Drumkeerin
Ladies Award Winners 2007
The Ladies County Board have announced following winners of the Ladies Awards for 2007:
Ladies County Player of Year
Michelle Reynolds, Gortletteragh
Ladies Senior Club Player of Year
Claire Kelly, Kiltubrid
Ladies Intermediate Club Player of Year
Sarah McManus, Annaduff
Ladies Junior Club Player of Year
Michelle Reynolds, Gortletteragh
Congratulations to all of the above winners.
03-Jan-08 by Brendan Doyle – PRO
Scór na nÓg Finals
ScórThe County Finals of Scór na nÓg are in Manorhamilton on Sunday next starting at 3.00pm. This is the great annual gathering of the best young talent in the County displaying their ability at Irish music, song dance, acting and at question time. Scór is truly the great show piece of Irish Culture for the youth of Leitrim and great credit is due to all of the clubs that take part every year. This year 17 of the 24 clubs took part and most of them will be appearing in some of the events at the finals.
Scór Sinsear
As soon as the County Scór na nÓg finals are complete, clubs will be directing their attention to Scór Sinsear. The semi finals this year will take place on the 29 February in Dromod and the 1 March in Drumreilly.
02-Jan-08 by Brendan Doyle – PRO
Club Officer Profile – Chairperson
Club DevelopmentChairperson / Cathaoirleach
The Qualities of an Cathaoirleach
An Cathaoirleach is a leader and a Manager. He/She must have:
– Dedication – the G.A.A. and the Club must come high in his/her priorities
– Knowledge – He/She must prepare by knowing what the G.A.A. is all about. He/she must become familiar with ‘An Treoraí Oifigiúil
– Power of Persuasion – He/she is not a dictator. He/she must be able to motivate and handle people.
– Integrity – He/she is the symbol of the Club and has a good standing in the community.
We will not always get the ideal Cathaoirleach. We may even find it difficult sometimes to get one at all!
But we should do our best to get someone.
– who has time to do the job
– who is a genuine interest in the Association and the necessary background knowledge
– who has a good standing in the community
– who has leadership qualities.
General Duties
The duties of an Cathaoirleach may be summed up as follows:
– To uphold the constitution of the Association. This of course means that he/she must know it thoroughly. He/she
– To act as Cathaoirleach at certain committee and other meetings.
– To strive continuously to improve the club; this involves full co-operation with the other office holders.
– To represent the club at various functions
– To act on behalf of the club in the interval between meetings.
Meetings
We will now move on to the role of the Cathaoirleach at meetings. This begins in advance of the meeting when an Cathaoirleach should prepare or obtain an agenda; certainly he/she should know what will be on the agenda for the meeting (very often he/she will draft the agenda with the Club Secretary). He/she will decide what the priorities of the meeting are with the intention of getting those matters finalised, leaving unimportant matters to be decided at a later date if necessary. He/she ensures to be at the venue of the meeting before the appointed time so that he/she and the Secretary can discuss the agenda.
The Cathaoirleach role at the meeting is by far the most important of his/her functions. Most of the essentials are referred to in the Club Manual.
The efficient transaction of committee business calls for set procedures. The extent to which these are put into force varies a good deal. Generally, the contributions of individual members are limited by rules which are interpreted and applied by the Cathaoirleach. These rules of procedure are designed to help keep order and to enable sound and acceptable decisions to be reached quickly and with least effort.
Broadly speaking. the rules of procedure will ensure:
– That, for practical purposes, the majority decision is the right one
– That at a committee meeting the majority vote will represent the committees opinion
– That the minority will agree with the majority ruling
A Few Important Points:
– The Cathaoirleach has more authority than any other member of the committee; An Cathaoirleach should ensure that the meeting is effective. He/she must guide but not lead.
– The responsibility for seeing that the meeting achieves its purpose rests with the Cathaoirleach. He/she must decide priorities to see that the important things are dealt with.
– He/she must keep to the point and see that others do likewise. He/she must not allow talkative members to dominate the meeting.
– He/she must close discussion on a subject when it has gone on long enough: summarise the points made and make sure that members understand the decision/s they are taking.
– He/she should see that all speakers address the Chair and do not engage in cross-talk with each other. This formality should be followed even at small committee meetings.
– He/she should be tolerant to reasonable interjections but prevent excess heckling.
– He/she should adopt a neutral attitude and remain impartial especially where a matter is contentious.
30-Dec-07 by PJ Meehan – Development Officer
Club Officer Profile – PRO
Club DevelopmentPRO ( Club Public Relations Officer )
Person holding this position is responsible for the quality of publicity given to the Club and the GAA as an organisation. He/She is the link with the general public on behalf of the Club.
Duties include
1. Make sure to have a weekly club column published
2. Submit an article and a fixtures list on a weekly basis by the local paper deadline
3. Submit results weekly
4. Submit articles on GAA activities re social events, presentations, features on ongoing club activities, features on individual players both club and inter-county, colleges and interfirms etc..
5. Submit quality photographs for publication
6. Report on Club AGM
7. Publicise material on matters such as fund-raising activities, special development projects, co-operation with other organisations in community projects
8. Prepare an Annual Report and present it to the Club AGM
Publications covering the general club/community area
Arrange with editors of local publications ( local paper notes, chuch bulletins,local radio etc ) to include articles of interest. Arrange with local radio to have club events included in sports programmes on a regular basis.
General work methods:
Operate a system whereby the club PRO or Runai supplies the County PRO with information on a regular basis.
Provide the National PRO with information on a regular basis.
Work as a team with other Club Officers
All information for publication should come through the PRO.
Presentation:
Encourage the Club to have a high standard in its presentation of games, functions and other events.
Present Cumann Luthlhleas Gael in the best possible light.
Use AnÓgaeilge when possible.
Those are a few of the general ongoings for a Club PRO and a more detailed job spec will be made available at the upcoming training for club officers.
30-Dec-07 by PJ Meehan – Development Officer
Club Officer Profile – Treasurer
Club DevelopmentAn Cisteoir – ( Club Treasurer )
Looking after the Club funds is his/her main responsibility. Managing the day to day accounts, dealing with financial institutions on behalf of the club. The post carries with it the portrayal of a good image of the GAA at community level.
Duties of the Club Treasurer.
– Receive money on behalf of the club
– Lodge all monies to the club accounts
– Pay money out on behalf of the club
– Keep a record of all transactions
– Enter transactions in Income and Expenditure Books
– Give receipts for money received and get receipts for money paid out
– Keep receipts on file, make all payments by cheque
– Keep all bank statements, cheque stubs, and lodgement records
– Collect all fees due to club and forward all relevant fees through An Runai to appropriate bodies
– Present an up-to-date financial statement to each club meeting
– Prepare Annual Financial Statement and Balance Sheet for Club AGM.
Ideally the Treasurer should chair the club finance committee and be aware of club?s financial situation especially if funds are getting low. Reporting to club executive committee the treasurer is seen as the Club Planner, Organiser, Controller, Recorder and Reporter.
This is above all a position of trust and the careful selection of people for the job goes without saying.
This is a guide to some of the main roles of the treasurer.
30-Dec-07 by PJ Meehan – Development Officer
Club Officer Profile – Secretary
Club DevelopmentClub Secretary
The post of Secretary is one of the vital links in any organisation and this is true of the GAA Club Secretary also. His/her duties are many and varied and call for a high degree of dedication.
Working closely with the Cathaoirleach, the Secretary has more to do with the practical running of the Club than any other member and should be carefully chosen for this position.
The post of Secretary is one of the vital links in any organisation and this is true of the GAA Secretary also. His/Her duties are many and varied and call for a high degree of dedication. These duties dovetail with those of the Cathaoirleach and it is essential that they work as a team of which the Secretary will very often be the more active one.
The Secretary has more to do with the practical running of the Club than any other member; he/she must therefore be carefully chosen.
He/she should be a good organiser, tidy and methodical, tactful and friendly and
above all reliable.
A good Club Secretary means there is good management of administration of the Club. Club management is not an end in itself. Our job is to enable people to enjoy and play our games, to develop the games and to further the social and community aims of the Association. The level of administration should therefore be the minimum to achieve
these aims.
The great difference in size and range of activities of Clubs, and between rural and urban areas make it impossible to impose standard methods; that would not be desirable in any event. Flexibility in the local situation is important.
These notes may not always be relevant to your situation but the general principles will apply no matter what the size
of your Club.
Even in amateur organisations, the members and the general public now demand professional standards of administration by voluntary officials.
– Meetings: Work before, during and arising out of meetings, including the Annual General Meeting.
– Records: Keeping records and files of Club activities, including membership
– Correspondence: Match notices, letters, filling in forms etc
Meetings
A Club should hold regular committee meetings even if at times there appears to be little to be done. Coming together may spark off some needed activity ! It is helpful to specify a night say, last Thursday of the month or Thursday of each week.
At the first Club meeting of the season, all should agree on a time and meetings should begin at that time. Punctuality is merely a habit. Meetings should also close formally so that everyone, including the Secretary, is quite clear when the business is concluded. Essential business should be transacted first. A good deal can usually be left over for the "chat" after the meeting. This enables those who want to leave to do so.
The secretary usually calls a meeting. If held weekly, no notices are necessary unless there is something special on
the agenda. In that case, members should be told about it in advance so they can think it over. For monthly meetings,
written notices with an agenda should be issued.
There should always be an agenda for a meeting, though not necessarily distributed to all members. Unless the members are very familiar with it, the Cathaoirleach should read the agenda; this prevents members raising matters at the wrong time.The Cathaoirleach and Secretary should meet before the meeting and go through the agenda. An agenda could be on the following lines:
– Minutes
– Matters Arising
– Correspondence (for letters, etc. not relevant elsewhere on the agenda)
– Report from County Committee or Divisional Committee
– Fixtures and Transport ( to decide on …regarding fixtures , to discuss ….regarding transport)
– Finance
– Fund-Raising
– Other activities
– Other Business (only matters of minor importance to be dealt with here)
It is always helpful to members to give an indication of the exact business to be dealt with under common headings such as Fixtures, Finance and Transport etc. – this way members come to a meeting better prepared to participate. The Secretary must prepare the business for the meeting, i.e. get together any information that may be needed. He/She should also check back on the minutes of the last meeting to see that action has been taken as required. The Secretary should make all the physical arrangements for the meeting.
During the meeting, the Secretary must record the attendance of each member and apologies for absence. The Secretary takes a note of decisions reached. He/She should not try to write everything down, but should follow the sense of the discussion, listening for key points. If in doubt about decisions, the Secretary should ask for clarification.
The Secretary may have to assist the Cathaoirleach in the conduct of the meeting and ideally both officers should work together to get the meeting over quickly.
One of the problem areas at GAA Club committee meetings is that of match reports as the games tend to be played all over again! This trend must be resisted but meetings should end inÓgood time to enable "informal" discussion to take place afterwards.
After the meeting, the Secretary must write the minutes. This should be done as soon as possible. Usually minutes should only record what was dealt with and what decisions were taken. But sometimes the main points raised in a discussion may need to be recorded. Do not give a verbatim account. Minutes should be written in a proper Minute
book.
The special requirements of the Club Annual General Meeting are dealt with in the Club Manual.
Records
The Club Secretary is responsible for keeping records of matches, venues, dates and winners. He/She should also arrange for membership records, unless there is a separate Membership Secretary. Simple files about various Club activities should be kept as all such items will be sought for the compilation of a Club History or a Centenary Year
Book etc. A petty cash book is also necessary for recording payments of small cash amounts, i.e. postage, telephone calls, etc.
Correspondence
The Club Secretary will be the main link with the Divisional Board or County Committee. He/She should deal expeditiously with all correspondence, if necessary after consulting with the Cathaoirleach. He should use a well designed Club letter heading and keep copies of all important letters.
The Club Secretary, if he/she has a good knowledge of Irish, can do a great deal to promote it in simple ways, both oral and written. The booklet "An Sloinnteoir Gaeilge agus an t-Ainmneoir" is an essential booklet for the Club Secretary. A good source book for GAA terminology is the Report of the Commission on the GAA which was printed bilingually.
‘An Treoraí Oifigiúil
The Club Secretary must always have a current copy of the Official Guide. He/She should be familiar with the provisions dealing with Club activities.
30-Dec-07 by PJ Meehan – Development Officer