This article is from page 34 of the 2010-02-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 34 JPG
TO the unobservant eye, the jerseys being presented to a group of under- age west Clare footballers are exact- ly that – a new kit with the name of a new sponsor on the front.
On closer inspection, however, these new jerseys are a symbol of the changing face of rural GAA clubs fighting to keep the game alive.
Shannon Gaels and Killimer GAA
clubs have ensured a new generation of west Clare footballers by joining forces to field underage teams as ru- ral parishes face population decline.
While the I1- to 20-year-olds of these clubs may now be taking on other teams as one, it is also impor- tant that they keep the identity of their own clubs.
For the past two years, the underage teams from Under 14 to Under 21 have been training and playing to-
gether, and now for the first time ever they have new jerseys that incorpo- rate both of their colours.
Thanks to a local contractor, a new jersey showing off the green and gold of Killimer and the red and white of Shannon Gaels has been designed.
Pat Kennedy of Pat Kennedy Con- structions sponsored the jerseys in the new colours for the underage teams.
Now the people of Killimer, Knock-
erra, Labasheeda and Kilmurry Mc- Mahon can see their own colours in these young footballers when they come to support them.