Tipp GAA are striking while the iron is hot

IN ALL FAIRNESS

When a golden era comes to an end for any sports club, the usual excuse is they took the eye off the ball during the good times and neglected to ensure the conveyor belt of talent kept coming through.

Well, you can’t accuse Tipperary GAA of this with the announcement of plans for an expanded Centre of Excellence at Coolmore Morris Park in Thurles. This is the third iteration of plans to improve facilities at the county’s training ground, starting around a decade ago with plans to create a new complex building with modern dressing rooms and team preparations facilities, but as much as was managed was a refurbishment of the existing dressing rooms which were much needed. Then there were plans to redevelop the Old Stand (Ardan Ui Coinneain) at nearby Semple Stadium which would include gym, meeting rooms, etc…. and while planning permission was granted, it never progressed beyond that.

However, this latest project appears much more likely to happen, barring a massive economic shock outside of Tipperary’s control, which would put funding in jeopardy. Firstly, the whole project wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of horse racing magnate John Magnier and his family for gifting fourteen acres of land adjacent to Dr Morris Park to the county board.

When Limerick were dominating the hurling scene, there was a lot of envy from this side of the border of the Shannonsiders having such a benefactor in JP McManus, whose funding of a new academy was the acorn that grew into five All-Ireland title in six years, and a six in a row of Munster titles.

However, what the Magnier family and Coolmore have provided to Tipperary should have longer term benefits. Already, Gaelic Games, Rugby, Soccer and the wider non-sporting community are benefitting with the development of Fethard Town Park where top-class sporting facilities have been developed, including an all-weather pitch which is invaluable to ensure fixture plans stay on schedule, particularly in the winter months. A new primary care health centre is also due to open on the campus in the near future.

In terms of the planned extension for the Centre of Excellence at Coolmore Morris Park, the three new playing pitches are much-needed to allow Tipperary to be self-sufficient in how they prepare their teams, rather than going cap in hand to clubs, schools and colleges for use of their pitches. One of the pitches will be an all-weather surface which is a must in the climate we live in, and while there are no plans for viewing stands on any of the pitches, they can be added in time.

The new complex will also be a game-changer to provide Tipperary with the best on-site training and medical facilities to match-up with the best the GAA has in the country, particularly Kerry and Tyrone which are the gold standard at the moment. The community aspect is particularly important to make local residents feel part of the process with a walk-way to be created around the complex, while the complex building will also have a coffee-dock/restaurant, also a bonus for those committed parents who drive their kids to academy training to have somewhere to sit and converse in comfort, rather than wait in their cars.

It is another incredible sea-change of momentum within Tipperary GAA. This time last year when they were in the early stages of promoting a Win a House draw, morale in the county was so low, even after winning a minor All-Ireland, one wondered how successful would it be to sell tickets at €100 each. Well, they made a profit in excess of half a million euro, all of which was ringfenced for facilities development, which has now been revealed and provides the platform to kick-start the project.

Another key aspect is private funding and one of another strings to Liam Cahill’s list of achievements in 2025 was linking in with the business community and reconstituting the commercial board into the financial advisory committee, headed up by PJ Flanagan, CEO of H&MV Engineering. That there have been financial commitments by, as yet, unnamed individuals and businesses to part-fund the project is a huge boon, and the four-year plan is short enough to focus the minds without it being dragged out, which will only lead to increased costs with inflation, and if they manage to get it all done for €12 million, this group should be put in charge of the country.

It's also credit to the officers of Tipperary County Board, many of whom came into their roles at difficult times, both on and off the field, when success and money were in short supply. They have managed to turn things around spectacularly, with a professional face now put on Tipperary GAA.

Crucially, this project was being worked on well before Tipperary went on their incredible run to the All-Ireland senior title. There was a sense at the launch that it was sped up to take advantage of the feelgood factor behind Gaelic Games in the county at the moment and striking while the iron is hot.