BIG PLANS: Spa GAA Club have plans to carry out Û100,000 worth of works at their clubhouse. Pictured were: Conor Gleeson (Vice Chair), Michael Cronin (Chairman), Patrick O'Regan (Secretary) and Deirdre O'Sullivan Darcy (PRO). Photo: Michelle Crean

By Sean Moriarty

EXCLUSIVE

A local GAA club plans to invest €100,000 in new facilities – adding two new dressing rooms and an upgrade to its car park.

Spa GAA Club in Tullig just outside Killarney, has applied to Kerry County Council for planning permission for the works.
Growing demand, especially with the ladies and juvenile teams has encouraged the club to expand it facilities, and once the Council approves the plans they hope to start a fundraising drive to pay for the new facilities.

The current clubhouse was officially opened in 2006 and a third pitch was added two years ago.

“We have to keep looking ahead,” Michael Cronin, Club Chairman, told the Killarney Advertiser. “When the clubhouse was built in 2006 there was only four dressing rooms, which was fine at the time. We added a new pitch two years ago. The problem is these pitches share two toilet and shower blocks and if there are three games going on at the same time we can’t have adults, juveniles and ladies teams sharing the showers. There is a growing demand for the use of our sports hall too and the new dressing rooms will serve that too.”

Mr Cronin confirmed that the club would need to raise around €60,000 to cover the cost of the new dressing rooms with extra needed to cover the cost of the car park upgrade.

“We will have to do both jobs together,” he added. “There is no point in doing the car park and tearing it up again to put in services for the dressing rooms so you are looking at in excess of €100,000 to get it all done.”