Timely Investment In Facilities Pays Off In Short and Long Term

For the first time in quite a while a competitive senior men’s match took place on Pairc Colm Chille Carrickmore when the teams from Urney and Killeeshil took to the field for the opening game of Sunday night’s double header Power NI Championship. By the time the referee threw the ball in for the start quite a large crowd had assembled and they must surely have been hugely impressed with the transformation that has taken place since the club set about redeveloping and upgrading the playing surface.
The pitch has been closed for almost two years while the club has sought to re-lay it and in so doing they were intent on producing one of the best playing fields in the county. Seeing it for the first time on Sunday evening it is clear they have succeeded in doing just that and it must have been a pleasure to play Gaelic football on a pitch with such a super finish.
Mind you it has not all been plain sailing as the club and the playing surface suffered during the 2010 winter and last year’s floods when large amounts of the preparatory work were undone by the force of nature’s down pours. Undaunted however the true “Spirit of Carmen” won through and the work was redone to such an extent that the pitch was readied in time for last night’s games.
The entire area around the ground looked in superb condition with the parking and playing surfaces both in immaculate shape and the introduction of a temporary “roundabout” to ease the flow of traffic. The relocated Nally Stand is now looking better than ever with the seating suitably coloured to reflect its new position within the ground. However it can still be rather difficult to watch an evening fixture from there when the sun is setting so on such occasions dark glasses might be the order of the day.
However nothing should be allowed to detract from what has been a fantastic achievement for the club as they embark once again on the quest to be not just the best club on the field of the play but to be playing on the best playing field in the county as well. In addition to the Power NI championship games held there have been one or two underage and ladies fixtures played but the club’s senior men’s team have still to participate in a competitive match. Their last home league game of the year is against Clonoe and that will probably coincide with its official opening.
To help the club achieve this goal they are presently embarking on a new and exciting fund raising venture “Red or Black” and club members will soon be setting out seeking contributors to the cause in an attempt to offset the costs of this most recent redevelopment. We wish them well in their endeavours and congratulate them once again on producing such a magnificent playing surface. This is a pitch and a venue worthy of playing any match on and the club can be rightly proud of what they have achieved. It is a venue that will surely stand the test of time and with proper maintenance, attention and care will be played upon for years to come.