UPDATED: Belgium GAA (Still) Needs You

UPDATED: 

The AGM takes place on Wednesday 30 January 2013, from 19h00. 

Everyone attending the AGM is requested to fill in their details here (url: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Au2NuPg-Cx1JdG1FT1h0eUtTcXpJMTE5ZlljS1BuOGc). 

This information is requested for all attendees (not just those who need Parliament passes) so as to keep track of numbers.

Please note: the deadline for nominations and motions is today, 18 January 2013

It's January 2013. Don't worry - it isn't time to go back to training yet (that time will come in February) but it is time to get back to the business of running this club. 

With that in mind, the 2013 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place in the European Parliament on Wednesday 30 January. You will be contacted by your relevant code officer in the coming weeks to submit your details for access to the Parliament, as well as more information on the time and exact location of the meeting. If you are not on one of the lists, please send an email to pro.belgium.europa@gaa.ie.

Ah, the AGM. It's an exciting time, so much hangs in the balance. 2013 is no exception. For once, the majority of the current committee is leaving office. Familiar faces such as Colin Byrne, Jane Brennan and Phil Cushen are moving on from committee life. Don't be afraid. The club will continue. Fresh blood and new ideas are always welcome.

Any club member is entitled to put their name forward for any of the positions on the committee. Are you one such eager beaver? Do you yearn for power and responsibility? Do you believe that there is more to a club than what takes place on the pitch during training or a match? Or do you just want to pay forward the work of current and previous committee members. If so, Belgium GAA needs you.

Below you will see a list of the roles and the current occupants (those in red have indicated that they will not stand for re-election).

Chair - Aonghus O Muirtheartaigh - Maria Brosnan nominated

Secretary - Jane Brennan - Jelena Radakovic nominated

Assistant Secretary Irish Club Liaison Officer - Caoimhe Ní Shuilleabháin

Treasurer - Oliver Swan

Men's Football - Colin Byrne - Gavin Flynn nominated

Ladies Football - Anna Bates - no nominations to replace

Camogie - Christine O' Gorman  - no nominations to replace

Hurling - Shane Ryan

Equipment Officer - Phil Cushen - David Kitching nominated

Social Secretary - Maria Brosnan  - no nominations to replace

PRO - Sylvia McCarthy - Paul Quinn nominated

Here is the important part: to date, only two nominations have been received. These are Jelena Radakovic to replace Jane Brennan, and David Kitching to replace Phil Cushen. 

Please note: your nomination is only valid if you communicate it directly to Jane Brennan (secretary.belgium.europe@gaa.ie). That drunken conversation you had with the lads in the pub does not count as a nomination. 

Jane has kindly extended the deadline for nominations to 18 January, so get cracking!! If you have any questions about what any of these roles entail, please don't hesitate to get in contact with any of the existing officers for more information.

A lot depends on this meeting, not least because it is the one time during the year when everyone gets together in a formal setting to discuss the future of the club. Anything that happens during the year, from committee meetings to tournament management to  training locations, will stem from this meeting. If you do not attend and do not have any input (unless for a very good reason), then you really don't have the right to complain about any decisions made during the year.

Quiz-nuts Roasting on an Open Fire

In case you missed it, tonight will be the very last Belgium GAA event of 2012, the Christmas quiz in De Valeras. Contact the lovely Christine O' Gorman (belgiumgaa.camogie@gmail.com) if you want a last-minute registration for your team. 

That's it - no more end-of-season dinners, no more Race Nights, no more Fr. Ted Céilis and no more St. Patrick's Day Festivals. 

Until 2013, that is, when it starts all over again with the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in the European Parliament on 30 January (tbc). Watch out here, on the Belgium GAA+Friends FB page, on Twitter and in any emails you receive from the code officers in the coming weeks for more information, as you will need to submit your details to get a pass for the Parliament.

During the meeting the 2013 committee will be elected. Any club member is entitled to put their name forward for any of the positions on the committee.

I have listed them below for your information.  Those in red are committee members who have indicated that they will not stand for re-election in 2013.  As you can see there are alot of positions which need to be filled!  

Chair - Aonghus O Muirtheartaigh

Secretary - Jane Brennan

Assistant Secretary - Irish Club Liaison Officer - Caoimhe Ní Shuilleabháin 

Treasurer - Oliver Swann

Men's Football - Colin Byrne

Ladies Football - Anna Bates

Camogie - Christine O'Gorman

Hurling - Shane Ryan

Equipment Officer - Phil Cushen

Social Secretary - Maria Brosnan

Public Relations Officer - Sylvia McCarthy

If you are interested in any of these roles, and why wouldn't you be, please contact Jane Brennan (secretary.belgium.europe@gaa.ie) no later than 10th January 2013 to declare your interest.

Being a committee member is a rewarding role, and this year's committee deserves its just rewards. It is always good to have fresh faces and fresh ideas, but the beauty of a revolving committee is that the old committee members are still around to give support and help where needed. Between them and the rest of the reliable club members who are willing to provide their time and expertise, there is no excuse for 2013 not to be as productive and prosperous for the club.

Please click here to see some descriptions of the various roles - these descriptions were made by the officers themselves and the roles are constantly evolving.

Finally, if you have made it this far, you deserve a little flashback on Belgium GAA in 2012. Yes - it's the little slideshow that could (or could not, depending on where you were on the night of the end-of-season dinner). Enjoy, good luck tonight, happy Christmas and see you all in the New Year!!

2012: A Belgium GAA Odyssey from Sylvia McCarthy