By Ronan Scott
THE NEW Down Chairperson, Maureen O’Higgins, hopes that advice from the former Dublin manager Pat Gilroy will serve her well during her five-year term in the top job in the county.
The Liatroim woman recently made history by becoming the first female chairperson of the county, and she told the Mourne Observer some of her goals for the next five years.
They include starting work on the Ballykinlar Centre of Excellence, progressing the integration of the codes, and increasing the pool of referees in the county. She was also keen to defend the work that the fixtures committees have carried out in the past few years.
In order to take the county where she wants to go, she will utilise a lesson learnt a few years ago.
“I remember going to a training course in Dublin, taken by Pat Gilroy who was the Dublin manager at the time.
“He emphasised the importance of listening.
“He said that he listened to his players because sometimes they came up with something that he hadn’t thought about.
“He said that sometimes it is a good way to resolve conflict, to sit and listen.”
On Saturday past she was due to do a good deal of listening as she and the county officers met to discuss how they can implement the strategic plan.
One of the big parts of the plan is further delivery of integration of the codes, which is ongoing.
“Integration is a big part of the strategic plan,” Maureen said.
“As someone who played camogie I have been a big advocate of the one club, one county drive.
“I see the advantages of it as shared expertise and the codes coming together to help each other out.”
One of the most exciting issues that is on the horizon for Down, and for Maureen, is the delivery of the Ballykinlar training centre.
In the full article, read what Maureen had to say about the progress of Ballykinlar, the referee issue in Down and integration of the codes.
