Football

Ulster GAA President McAviney enjoyed "every second"

Martin McAviney reflects on his three years as Ulster GAA President
Martin McAviney reflects on his three years as Ulster GAA President Martin McAviney reflects on his three years as Ulster GAA President

MEET the man who was responsible for almost bringing down Off The Fence in January.

For as long as time can remember, the popular readers' column was filled with university-versus-county McKenna Cup rows at the beginning of every year.

January was a time for claims and counter-claims over who was eligible for whom.

It was a seemingly intractable issue. Nobody does quiet diplomacy better than Martin McAviney. Rather than waving rule-books in the air, the Ulster Council President set about talking to managers.

He massaged the problem away.

"We had rules in place that we couldn’t enforce so there was no point in doing that any more," he says.

"So we needed to get people talking. There were a couple of phone calls made to a few managers because it affected some counties more than others.

"It was a case of asking people to try and sort it out and everyone was decent and fair. The first message I got was everybody would agree to do it if everybody else did it."

The fuss over McKenna Cup eligibility was quelled. January, as a result, was an austere month for Off The Fence.

McAviney, a Ballybay native, completes his three-year term as Ulster Council President in Owenbeg this afternoon.

He will pass on the Presidential reins to another safe pair of hands in Rasharkin native Michael Hasson.

McAviney has always been steeped in the GAA. He first attended Congress in 1984. His association with the Ulster Council dates back to 1987 as Monaghan's delegate.

Since then, he’s climbed the Council’s various rungs with enviable affability and grace.

“The plan is to go back home and spend a bit more time around there… I do have to take a breather,” he says.

“I suppose being away and missing things at home [was difficult], and having to choose when there was a clash of events.

“Obviously there were big time commitments with the job. Some of the events Grainne, my wife, could attend and my daughter Hannah attended too…

“It’s a nice system in Ulster where you stay on for a year after the presidency and work closely with the incoming president… and then I would like to get involved a national management committee if there’s an opportunity there.”

Asked about running for GAA President in the future, McAviney replies: “I’d like to spend a few more years at national level and to take guidance there, whether I was fit for it or not.

“You couldn’t say that you wouldn’t like to be [GAA President], but that doesn’t mean I’m going to run in the next election.”

Sitting in the tranquil surroundings of Belfast’s Malone House on a rainy Wednesday afternoon, he says his three years as leader of Ulster GAA has “gone in too quickly” and that he enjoyed “every second of it.”

“There were a lot of dinner dances, presentations and ceremonies to attend – but it was great to get out to clubs and to be invited.

“I wanted to meet people in clubs who weren’t necessarily at the top of the tree. I would go just to meet a juvenile or development team and that was good, and that was one of the aims.”

“I’m proud of what I’ve seen throughout the province, getting out to places I’d never get the opportunity to see.”

Ulster hurling and the on-going Casement Park saga are two areas where McAviney would like to major progress.

In his annual report, released earlier this week, Director-General Paraic Duffy confirmed a new planning application for Casement Park would be lodged this year.

McAviney, a former Fianna Fail town councillor, believes that consensus must be found in order for the GAA to proceed with their Casement plans.

“Our commitment is for Casement Park to be built,” he says.

“I’m not saying that in an arrogant way. I want to see it happening, I want to see everybody celebrating it when it starts.

“It’s going to be a benefit to the area and the city and the GAA. There are so many positive things it can bring to an area, and we could see that when we were brought around other stadiums.

“Like any city, there are community needs. But it has to be done by everybody. We really need it but you need to bring people together on this. It can’t be a divisive thing… Everybody has to be heard.”

One of the criticisms of McAviney’s reign was the playing of the 2013 Ulster Senior Hurling Championship decider in February the following year.

And while grassroots hurling in the province could be better, McAviney argues that throwing money at the small-ball game is not a panacea and has great faith in the Tain League mapping a better path.

“I honestly believe if people come up with structures and plans - good plans - there’s always funding that can be made available.

“The people who lead this are the man or woman on the ground. Money on its own won’t solve anything.

“You see it in every walk of life and I see it happening in the GAA: One person can make a difference in any community.

“One person can start a revolution, one person can start a club and get people involved. All it takes is one person, and I really, really mean that. You see the things that some people have done in the GAA.

“For example, a club that doesn’t traditionally have hurling, one person starts that. It’s the same with handball. Why is it strong in Loughmacrory? Because somebody decided to do something.

“I’ve great faith in people and what they can do.”

He adds: “I put a lot faith in the Tain League and the ideas around the Tain League which were designed to break down county and provincial barriers… And it’s nice to see some of the counties running leagues across county boundaries.

“The sooner Monaghan, Cavan and Fermanagh get together, that’s better than Monaghan playing their own games and Fermanagh playing their own games.

“So if we can get more structures like that, it’s a new way of doing things. You’d still have your county championships.

“And we know we have to really tackle the city [Belfast] in relation to hurling as well.”

McAviney can see two sides of the B Championship debate – a motion that will be tabled at next month’s Congress - and is strongly in favour of a GAA calendar year and creating more space for club fixtures.

Contrary to popular belief that provincial councils are one of the main hurdles in achieving a GAA calendar year, McAviney insists that Ulster is prepared to play its part.

“If it’s part of the bigger picture, doing away with Ulster Championship replays is part of it. We don’t know what a do-or-die Championship match means if it has to finish that day.

"That might increase attendances. That’s the unknown."

It's hard to measure diplomacy when it's carried out with such quiet efficiency and some old-fashioned manners.

As Ulster Council Presidents go, Martin McAviney has few peers.