Eager to develop Duggan Park into top modern-day GAA venue

OUTGOING Duggan Park Committee (Ballinasloe) Chairman Christy Browne believed the report commissioned following his resignation and that of his committee, which highlighted breaches of governance in Galway GAA, can bring about positive change if its recommendations are implemented.

Querying the “serious deficiencies” in cash handling procedures, the report also expressed concern at the lack of transparency, particularly as there was “no systematic reconciliation” between monies collected at the gates and the corresponding lodgement to the Galway GAA bank account.

This was just one area Duggan Park Committee had expressed their concern over, with the lack of support from Galway GAA in addressing health and safety issues at the ground among a plethora of other grievances they raised with the Board

“I could see the potential of Duggan Park and I could see what Willie Ward (groundsman) was trying to do with Duggan Park,” said Browne, who was appointed as Chairman of the Duggan Park Committee in 2014.

“So, basically, we put a plan together for Duggan Park. The first year we negotiated a budget of €20,000 in 2014 and the first job we did was get Willis down, which is the insurance office for the GAA, and they reviewed the whole ground.

“They produced a phenomenal document which is about eight or nine pages long and they identified a lot of things wrong with Duggan Park. What the review committee says in the report is right. It probably should have been closed. However, we worked out a plan to keep it open for the GAA public of Galway and the people of Ballinasloe.”

Consequently, the Duggan Park Committee started knocking off the “Priority 1’ jobs that needed to be done”, which included removing the old concrete dug-outs and an unsightly mound, along with uprooting all the concrete seats in the ground.

“Everything that has been done in Duggan Park has been done in relation to the Willis Report,” he stated. “Health and Safety was a major concern with us and there is probably no more aware of it in this county than Willie Ward.”

In addition, Browne also completed a college course in Carlow IT through the GAA in relation to being an event controller to oversee best practices. “Basically, we were the only ones who were implementing these health and safety regulations.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.