KCGAC at a Crossroads

[Bill Griffin]

Greetings Wolfhound:

(Apologies in advance if you received multiple copies of this email!) 

Our club is at a very real crossroads and desperately needs candid input from past/current/future club members if we are going to continue as a club.  Issues at hand include:

1. Thu-Sun attendance is way down from years past.

2. Recruiting efforts/campaigns are simply not working. OMG thinks he is not the right face/demographic to be pushing the sport. Bottom line... Club members are ALWAYS the best strategy for recruiting new players!

3. We are always looking for funds from sponsors and club members to address club shortages.

4. There are only 5-9 members who are active in coordinating club/field/financial/social activities…And those 5-9 members, are frankly tired of bearing the burden of what is considered to be selective participation and/or apathy by the club.

5. Solicitation efforts for potential 2015 board members has been...disappointing to say the least.

All of this in happening in KC, while other clubs in STL, Indianapolis, Denver, Milwaukee, Tennessee, Atlanta, etc., are growing and very much thriving: pub leagues, men’s and women’s teams, travel funds, and… trophies.  Every week, their members look forward to the club camaraderie, competition and cultural elements of their club.

We recognize that 2014 has had its unique challenges…Along with heavy spring rain, the Sporting KC field time at Swope was very limited and the cost to remain at Swope increased several times over – to five figures…This resulted in the board having to scramble on field location…and time of practice…several times…NET: massive confusion on the part of club members.

Field availability could certainly explain a lot of the poor turnout in 2014. That said, it does not explain the downward trends of 2012 and 2013.

In the collective opinion of the board, we are guessing some of the following factors have impacted the downward trend:

1. Members have grown tired of club factions and/or politics.

2. Too much emphasis on post-practice activities and not enough on the sport.

3. Conversely...some may think there is not enough social events/focus.

4. Too much emphasis on travel squad…not enough on local numbers.

5. Club Communications/record keeping/administration has been poor resulting in member contact/ jersey order/general administration mistakes.

6. Confusion around the implementation of separate seasons.

7. Getting out on the pitch or for club activities, is just not as fun as it used to be…

  The 2014 good news:

1. We have a long term home at St. Margaret’s Park, located at I-70 and 7^th St Trafficway in Kansas City, Kansas. We have marked a FULL SIZE GAA pitch and have the following time slots:

• Thursday Night 630PM  – 830PM

• Saturday 11 AM-1 PM

• Sunday 3 PM-6 PM

We were able to get the field by donating 2 full size soccer goals as well as a commitment to community outreach by providing clinics to local schools and churches.

NOTE: We have identified Saturday September 20^th, from 11AM to 130PM as the date for our community clinics for both Gaelic Football and Hurling…

1. George did a great job at reconnecting the club with much of the Irish community.

2. We were able to solicit funds from new sponsors: Kelly’s, Sully’s, RoadKill BBQ, Browns Irish Market, and Johnnies on 7^th.

3. Addition of several new Irish members including an all-county referee and all county Gaelic player.

4. We are putting on an old-timer/alumni/original member game!

   SAT: Sept 20^th at St. Margaret’s Park.

As we have said for years, better club numbers address many challenges for a club…So, on a related note, we are going to put on a full out recruiting blitz for Irishfest this year!

By now you should have seen the note on our plans that Sulley e-mailed to the club and posted on Facebook. Please respond and volunteer to come out and help recruit. The more club members we have out there, the easier the job is for everyone and the more fun it is for everyone. Plan to join us any time you’re available between 2 and 7pm on both Saturday and Sunday this coming weekend.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR:

SAT-SUN AUG 30-31^st: IRISHFEST

SUNDAY SEPT 7: New Recruit Practice/Scrimmage (i.e.: from Irishfest and other member pushes)

SAT-SUN SEPT 13-14: HURLING TRIP TO MADISON, WI TOURNEY

SAT SEPT 20: 11AM to 130PM KCGAC COMMUNITY CLINIC @ ST Margaret’s Park

• Followed by 2 PM to 3330 PM KCGAC OLDTIMER/FOUNDERS MATCH

SAT OCT 18: KCGAC vs STL Hurling/Gaelic Matches in JEFFERSON CITY, MO followed by social at a fine local, Paddy Malone’s.

So…We need EVERYONE to provide honest feedback and input on where you want this club to be next year and beyond. If you think everything is cool, and you just haven’t been able to make it out, then reply with that sentiment!

If you want to respond to someone on the board, here are their email addresses:

georgevial@hotmail.com

bsulley@gmail.com

paulwcope@gmail.com

griffcooper@gmail.com

bforster@kansys.com

ross_13...@yahoo.com

conor_cfc_92@hotmail.co.uk

billyshaynejohnson@gmail.com

Or, you can provide feedback via survey...We took a survey in 2012 about many topics. The effort involved in getting 30 members to fill in responses, for a 5 min survey, was exhausting to be candid, but we are going to try it again...

To provide anonymous feedback, then do so at the new survey we have created here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M6XYQK5

The short survey has about 6-7 questions with the ability to create anonymous comments.

Whatever you do, just do it J

Thanks lads…The club is very much worth the effort/input on your part!

KCGAC Board