Tipperary GAA Scene
By Jonathan Cullen PRO
Allianz Football & Hurling Leagues
Last Sunday saw our Senior Footballers play Waterford in round 3 of the Allianz League Division 4. The game was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday evening in Dungarvan, however due to the pitch in Fraher Field being deemed unplayable, the game was rescheduled and took place on Sunday at 1.00pm in Walsh Park, Waterford.
Going in to the game, Tipperary were hoping to continue their good form that had seen them secure three out of four points from the first two rounds. However, they also knew that Waterford had always proven to be very difficult opponents, and nothing less than a 100% performance would be good enough. To their credit the players performed excellently and emerged victorious, 1-14 to 0-9, with Clonmel Commercials Sean O’Connor leading the charge with a tally of 1-10. See match report and reaction on pages 76 & 77.
Next up is a home clash with London next Saturday evening at 5.00pm in FBD Semple Stadium. While Philly Ryan’s men will be favourites for this game, the players and management won’t need to be reminded that only twelve months ago, Tipperary were very lucky to secure a draw against the same opposition in Ruislip.
Also, on Saturday evening in FBD Semple Stadium, our Senior Hurlers will welcome Cork to town for their round 4 Allianz League clash at 7.30pm. This is a game that will see our team wanting to get back to winning ways and keep their hopes of reaching this year’s Allianz Hurling League Final, but as we all know the rebels love coming to Thurles and it will take a very good performance by Tipperary to overcome the challenge.
Tickets for Allianz League Games
Supporters are once again reminded that tickets for ALL Allianz League games must be purchased either online or in selected Centra and Supervalu stores as tickets will not be on sale at any venue. Supporters are also reminded that there will be no Tap & Go in operation at match venues and as is the GAA’s policy for all competitions, no cash will be taken at the turnstiles. Supporters are asked to plan their trip well in advance of each game and this should include making sure that you have your tickets purchased before departing for the game.
2025 Tipperary Club Season Pass
The 2025 Tipperary GAA club season pass is now on sale and can be purchased via the events section of the Tipperary GAA App or by contacting the Tipperary GAA office on 050422702. The pass which will entitle the holder entry into all adult divisional and county games at adult level will cost €170.
Tipperary Supporters Club Membership
You can join the Tipperary Supporters Club and help support the development of our players while also enjoying the many great benefits of being a supporters club member. For €40, a fully paid up member of Tipperary Supporters Club, will be eligible to participate in the upcoming benefit draws. We will be randomly selecting winners for Tipperary jerseys (signed by a player of your choice), cash prizes of €500, pairs of tickets to all of Tipperary's upcoming Munster Championship round-robin games. But remember you must be fully paid up to participate.
The supporters club also offer members the opportunity to nominate a mascot for one of Tipperary’s home games in the Allianz Hurling League. If you would like to nominate a boy or girl for the upcoming home league game v Clare, remember that you must be a fully paid up member of the Supporters club to make a submission. If you have already submitted a nomination for the Wexford and Cork games, this submission remains valid to be included in the draw. To submit a nomination, send an email to info@tippsupportersclub.com with the following details: Name, Phone number, Mascot name and age, and Club TSC Membership number.
Tipperary Supporters Club Night at the Dogs
The Supporters Club are also in the final stages of preparation for their annual Night at the Dogs which will be held in Thurles Greyhound Stadium on Saturday, March 1st, commencing at 6.00pm.
On the night, there will be lots of activities for all the family, with all senior players in attendance to sign autographs and pose for photographs. Tickets, €20, with children going free. If you would like to purchase a ticket, contact Billy Coman 0862535083.
Health & Wellbeing
February is Oesophageal Cancer awareness month. Ireland has approximately 450-500 new cases of Oesophageal Cancer annually which is one of the highest in Europe. The Oesophageal Cancer Fund (OCF) have designed a Podcast to help give encouragement and hope to people and their families to better understand and fight this disease. Access podcast episodes online through OCF The Podcast. The annual awareness and fund raising campaign Lollipop Day for the Oesophageal Cancer Fund takes place on Friday 28th February & Saturday 1st March.
Clubs who have recently appointed new Health & Wellbeing Officers are asked to forward their name and contact details for inclusion on our club register to chair.hwc.tipperary@gaa.ie
Applications Open for Female Referee Academy
The three Gaelic Games Associations have launched a major new initiative aimed at supporting the development and pathway for female referees across football, Ladies football, hurling and camogie.
The Camogie Association, LGFA and GAA have collaborated to secure the support of the Sport Ireland Women in Sport Fund and will run the programme throughout 2025.
The Female Referee Academy has been devised to develop aspiring female referees aged 18+ years within the Gaelic Games Family with the aim to increase the number of women officiating within the sports by providing a programme that supports their development as officials and encourages them to achieve their officiating ambitions.
The programme consists of 7 contact days, first day and final day will take place in a Dublin venue, two dates at regional venues and the remaining dates will take place online. There will be a focus on Technical, Physical, Mental and Tactical development whilst also providing practical referee experience on top of ongoing support and advice.
This is a robust referee development programme aimed at ambitious female officials and participants cannot be on a Provincial or National Referee Panel but must be currently refereeing in their county and have a minimum of 3 years’ experience refereeing competitive games from U13+.
The benefits for involvement include:
· Engaging with like-minded officials in Ladies Gaelic Football
· Enhanced communication skills as an official
· Techniques to motivate and inspire you and your team of officials
· Training and advice from experienced trainers and officials
· Practical opportunities at local, provincial, and national level
· Feedback and support from assigned mentor
· Confidence in your own abilities through practical learning and application
Applications are now open with a maximum of 20 places available. For further information contact: Lizzie Flynn, LGFA Head of Match Official Development Lizzie.flynn@lgfa.ie or Jenny Byrne, Camogie Referee Education & Development Co-Ordinator, jenny.byrne@camogie.ie
Motion to Annual Congress seeks to extend safeguarding to adults
A motion to the respective GAA, LGFA, and Camogie Association’s annual Congresses seeks to break new ground in Irish sport by extending to adults certain safeguarding measures previously only available to children involved in Gaelic Games.
The three identical motions, which seek to replicate for adults the long-standing protective culture, policies, procedures, and safeguards afforded to children, have been brought forward by the Associations on foot of what is emerging in the context of adult safeguarding in sport globally and more recently, a recommendation by the Dispute Resolution Authority that highlighted a gap in this area.
Gaelic Games led the way in Ireland in terms of child safeguarding in sport when we became the first national governing body in the country to introduce vetting back in 2008. In the subsequent years, child safeguarding has been guided by legislation and driven by culture change, all underpinned by a shared approach to policies and procedures across Gaelic Games.
Now thanks to the work of the GAA’s Adult Safeguarding and Culture Review Task Force, which is charged with guiding the GAA on the implementation of the recommendations arising from the McGibbon Safeguarding Review (2023), the attention is turning to adults. The Task Force includes representatives from LGFA and Camogie to ensure a consistent approach is also taken across Gaelic Games to this emerging body of work.
Uachtarán CLG, Jarlath Burns, appointed Donegal native Julie Galbraith to chair the group. Galbraith, a partner at the law firm Eversheds Sutherland, specialises in employment law, including administrative law, natural justice and fair procedures and is an experienced GAA volunteer, most recently appointed to the Central Hearings Committee, having previously served on the Central Appeals Committee.
Work linked to the adult safeguarding motion include a review and updating of the Code of Conduct (Adult), the introduction of Adult Safeguarding Policies and Procedures, revamping the GAA Respect Initiative, and the establishment of an Ethics in Sport Commission, noted by Jarlath Burns in his recent Late Late Show appearance on RTE.
The launch of the Game Changer programme last November also seeks to support some of the culture change needed in Irish society, which is inevitably reflected in a family as large and diverse as Gaelic Games.