Letter from Chairperson to All Members

A number of weeks have passed since I took over the role of handball chairperson and I am not exaggerating when I say that this period has passed at an accelerated pace. The club juvenile competition, the GO (Girls Only) trip to Castlebar, our exceptional level of participation in the Leinster Adult Championships, the very successful trip to Wexford and most recently our great start to the Leinster Juvenile Championships, were some of the highlights of a very active period. For me it has also been a time for some reflection on my plans and objectives for the year and I would like at this point give you an idea of my thinking on what I consider some of the important areas of activity for 2011

 My first task has been the collection of membership and it has been a challenge. My thanks to all who have paid to date and, as outlined in my recent mail, I would like to have this wrapped up promptly. You will note also from these recent communications that there is now a much greater emphasis on having full compliance on membership, registration and insurance issues. This, together with the heavy demand on court time, underlines the need to have a clear membership policy in place and it is something I intend to tackle as a priority. Already we are at an advanced stage in the development of an online court booking system which we plan to introduce next month  and a separate communication will issue on this shortly.  

 The build up to the World Championships 2012 is already kicking off and I envisage that 2011 will see a real focus on preparation for the event. I intend that every opportunity will be taken during the course of the year to ensure that we have as many of our players as possible competing in the event and that we have a professional support structure to enable them to give of their  best. One of my goals for 2012 is that Leixlip will be right up there as one of the most successful clubs on the world stage and I believe that this is well within our capabilities.

 One of the many significant achievements of our 25th Anniversary Year in 2009 was the development of the club’s Operating Principles. The more I become acquainted at first hand with the full range of club activity, the more I see the real relevance of each and every one of these principles to the professional functioning of the club. One of my ongoing objectives will be to consolidate these principles as the basis for all club activity into the future. As a start, could I recommend to you all to have another look at them on the club website!

 I think that it is worth observing that Leixlip Handball club enjoys an excellent reputation within the handball community nationally. Its Club of the Year award in 2009 and its prominence in the recent GAA Handball series on TG4 is clear evidence of this. Yet, while I believe that we are continuing to build momentum, the handball profile within the main club and in particular within the Leixlip community remains relatively low. Handball members have always been actively supportive of general club activities and indeed have been to the fore in many initiatives, especially in the area of fundraising. All sections within the club have much to contribute to the wellbeing of the overall body and I intend that handball will continue to pull its full weight. On the wider community front, I will continue to build on the links, which have been established with local schools. There is now a one wall court in Coláiste Chiaráin and with plans at primary level, it is my aim that one wall handball will become a prominent sport in the local schools. On the PR side, we will continue to develop our website as well as our media profile generally.

I have finalised a team to manage the various aspects of the day-to-day running of the club for 2011 and in this regard I want to thank all my colleagues for their willingness to come on board and for their commitment to the promotion of handball in the community of Leixlip. I believe also that one of our great strengths as a club in recent years has been the involvement of the parents. I can say with confidence that we are the envy of clubs around the country because of the level of involvement of parents. It adds a real buzz to club activities and I will be actively encouraging the continuance of this wonderful trend.  It is great also to see so many involved with coaching, many of whom have themselves played as youngsters with the club. It is very gratifying to know that there is such a great emphasis on “giving something back” and you are all to be congratulated for your time and effort.

 My good wishes to all for a successful and fulfilling 2011,

 Paula Dagg
Chairperson

21st February,2011