Cusack Park upgrade plans welcomed by club delegates

Westmeath GAA’s headquarters, TEG Cusack Park, is set to undergo a significant upgrade with refurbishment work to begin this year.

Westmeath GAA chairman Frank Mescall outlined the work that is planned at the county board meeting held remotely last week.

Mr Mescall recalled that Cusack Park was redeveloped in the early 1990s and that no major work was done on the Mullingar venue since.

A new roof on the stand, new seating (including improvements to the seating for disabled patrons), perimeter fencing at both ends and higher ball stoppers are among the improvements planned.

Refurbishment work is also planned on the dressing rooms, showers and the public toilets (with particular attention to be given to the ladies’ toilets). In addition, cosmetic work such as painting and power washing will be carried out.

Funding of €127,000 has been secured under the LEADER programme and Mr Mescall said Westmeath has to match that figure.

Westmeath County Board will also be applying for funding under the Sports Capital Programme. However, even if successful with obtaining the maximum amount (€300,000) in sports capital funding, Mr Mescall said there will still be a “significant shortfall”. And in this regard, Mr Mescall urged everybody in the county to support the fundraiser involving Westmeath GAA, Westmeath LFGA and Westmeath Camogie County Board, which he described as a “unique venture”.

Half of the money raised will be used to carry out essential refurbishment work of TEG Cusack Park, with the remainder to be allocated on an equal basis to support Westmeath teams in Gaelic football (male and female), hurling and camogie.

Entitled the ‘Westmeath Movathon Lake County Challenge’, the idea of the fundraiser is for people to cover a distance of their choice from one part of the county to another.

The walks, runs, cycles or even swims can be done any day from Monday, March 1 to Easter Monday, April 5. However, those taking part are expected to carry out their activities within the 5km limit under the Level 5 Covid-19 guidelines. Those who participate are asked to make a donation on the special GoFundMe page associated with the project.

Mr Mescall said that everybody in the county, both young and old, and even those living abroad can get involved with this venture.

He urged all of Westmeath’s 47 clubs to promote the fundraiser in their communities.

The chairman noted that Leitrim raised in the region of €100,000 from a similar venture and said Westmeath should be targeting an amount along those lines.

“It has the potential to be a great money spinner for us,” said Mr Mescall, stressing that three Westmeath sporting associations would benefit.

Although there was broad support for upgrading Cusack Park, a dissenting view came from Athlone’s John Connellan. Considering that the project would be a “substantial capital investment”, he asked if Croke Park has been approached about providing some funding.

The chairman replied that there is “no funding available at the moment” from Croke Park.

“We’ll have to go it alone at the moment,” said Mr Mescall, hinting at the significant financial challenges Croke Park is facing due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Connellan, a former Westmeath footballer, pointed to the number of coaching appointments being made by other counties, with Offaly being an nearby example. The Athlone man contended that other counties are leaving Westmeath behind.

He questioned if the money would be better spent on coaching and development in order to improve the standard of coaching in Westmeath, rather than on upgrading Cusack Park.

The chairman said consideration is being given to the matters raised by the Athlone delegate. “It’s not a question of one or the other; we have to do both,” he said.

Martin Lynn (Milltown) said his own club was at an advanced stage of planning a ‘March for Milltown’ event, but he was fully behind the Westmeath fundraiser.

“We love to go to Cusack Park but we’re often disappointed with the facilities when we get there. It’s in all our interests to improve them,” said Mr Lynn.

Johnny Penrose (Ballynacargy) said work on Cusack Park is long “overdue” and expressed support for the project, but he asked for an estimated cost of the planned works.

In reply, the chairman said he was reluctant to put a cost on the entire project, but they know the cost of the work planned for 2021.

“We’ll take it step by step. We’re definitely not going to do it all in one year,” he said, adding that the project could take four or five years to complete.

Aidan Keogh (Ballycomoyle) described the fundraiser as “a very good idea” and said if it’s promoted well, it could attract support from a lot of people not involved in the GAA.

Former Westmeath chairman Sean Sheridan (Tyrrellspass) said he was delighted to hear of the plans to upgrade Cusack Park, and he pledged his full support to the project.

In conclusion, Mr Mescall reiterated the importance the of the fundraiser. “I’m literally begging for your support on this,” he added.

*Click HERE for more information about the Westmeath Gaelic games fundraiser including a link to the GoFundMe page.