Siobhan Monaghan, Caoimhe Ni Neill, Donal Monahan, Michael Darragh Macauley and Therese Keville and the three boys - Dermot O’Brien, Ethan O’Driscoll AND Daniel Sheridan
GAA Club raises €205k to fund new all-weather pitch
BALLYBODEN St Enda’s have raised €205,000 and counting towards a brand new all-weather pitch thanks to The Big Boden Hike on Saturday, which saw hundreds take part.
Funds are still being welcomed after more than 200 walkers took part in the 15km guided hike in the Dublin Mountains to raise funds for a new facility for the club in Sancta Maria, Rathfarnham, with a better surface and improved drainage.
Boden greats such as Michael Darragh McAuley stepped out into the wild with the rest of the walkers as part of the big day.
A statement from Ballyboden St Enda’s: “The All-Weather Pitch is a vital investment in the future of the club and local community, providing a safe, reliable and high-quality facility for hundreds of players, local schools and future generations to train, play and thrive all year round.”
The club’s current all-weather pitch has been at their grounds in Sancta Maria for over two decades and is of great importance, especially in the winter months.
The club is not the only group to benefit from the pitch, with schools also making use of it in the daytime.
The all-weather pitch allows the club’s teams to make use of an outdoor facility in the cold weather and not compromise on the level of training, and plans for the new one will ensure a facility like this is at its very best for the next generation.
Hundreds of members, from young ages all the way up to senior make use of the all-weather pitch, and the new surface and drainage would ensure the experience can be maintained for future generations.
The ambition of the local club is to develop the new pitch between May and September 2027, during the closed season, with the facility primed and ready for next winter.
The fundraising effort from the club was spread across all teams under the crest, including underage boys and girls and senior men’s and women’s sides.
The online fundraiser on idonate has a leaderboard that showcases the efforts of all the teams.
The 2014 U12 Girls at Boden lead the way for now in a single fundraising effort, according to the online page, with more than €4.5k raised towards the new pitch, while several fundraisers for the 2018 Juvenile Boys have combined to raise around €10k.
To donate, visit the page titled ‘thebigbodenhike’ on idonate.ie.
