'Let the games begin' - The Mayo Club Championships are back

I can still see the little plane bobbing through the Castlebar sky.

It fascinated me and I couldn't take my eyes off it. I was standing at the back wall of the MacHale Park terrace where the stand is now situated, and a twin-engined plane making an approach to the town's nearby airport had caught my attention.

My father was engrossed in the action taking place on the famous patch of grass in front of him, but the flying machine was much more interesting for the four-year-old boy at his side.

If someone had asked me that day whether I'd have a career in sport or aeronautics I would have definitely chosen the latter, but that's not the way life worked out.

Instead, a few minutes after that little plane had danced across my eyeline, I was engrossed in the joy of watching Paddy Corrigan lift the big silver cup into the sky.

Kiltane had defeated Ardnaree to win the Mayo Intermediate title and both Dad and I were happy for Paddy and his friends. Kiltane are our neighbouring club at home, and they had beaten Dad and Ballycroy his friends in the previous year's North Mayo Junior Final, but there was no animosity.

We were happy to see them winning and I can still remember the noise and the excitement of that famous day in Castlebar back in 1973.

EXCITEMENT

That sense of excitement bubbles to the surface every time club championship comes around. The annual race for the roses never fails to throw up wonderful stories and there are always dreams delivered and fairytales written.

Whatever trio of lucky men get their hands on the McDonnell, Sweeney and Moclair Cups at the end of the season will never forget the moment they raise the prize towards the heavens.

Years of effort, sacrifice and hard work will finally have come to fruition and it will be time to celebrate with family and friends in just the same way as Paddy Corrigan and his Kiltane teammates did back in the day.

Of course, championship football isn't just about winning. Otherwise, the amount of teams competing would be very small. Some clubs are hell-bent on silverware, but success comes in many forms with many teams having other priorities.

Avoiding relegation or getting out of the group may be a sign of huge success for some and we can never lose sight of that.
Sometimes, we in the media, focus on the three winners, but that's a very blinkered view.

Club championship is about the people, the stories, the sounds and the sights. I can still remember being transfixed by the big drum in the band leading teams around the field before a county final in the late seventies when Shamrocks in their white and red jerseys took on Garrymore.

I can't recall a single thing about the match, but I remember the drum.

HOSPITALITY

THESE days I'm blessed to see many games all across the county as The Mayo News tells the story of the championship season. I encounter wonderful people, experience great fun and get looked after like a king at half-time.

We journalists are odd people and we often spend a lot of time discussing with one another the quality of sandwiches consumed at the various venues.

The hospitality we receive never fails to surprise and whether we express it strongly enough or not, we truly appreciate the generosity of all the clubs.

This year, the three championships are so hard to predict, and I'm arguably the worst forecaster in the universe. Therefore, I won't even attempt to talk about which trio of clubs will go home with the cups.

However, I will be very interested to see whether one club I saw training twice in one day will make an impact. They've gone home with the Moclair Cup on a number of occasions and will be making a serious bid to regain the crown this year. Whether they're successful or not remains to be seen.

PAINTING PICTURES

HOWEVER, what I can guarantee is The Mayo News will do our very best to bring you the stories of the club championship. Sport reporting isn't just about the result of the match or the scores kicked and missed; it's more than that.

Sport reporting should be about story-telling.

It should bring readers into the moment, into the ground, into the fun and the chaos and the frantic nerves of a championship encounter. We should paint pictures of people and places and words and wonder.

We should talk about the atmosphere and the opportunities grasped and discarded. We will work tirelessly to do so and look forward to a club championship season like no other.

Who will write their name in history each weekend? That's a hugely exciting question for all of us. It reminds me of the night before Christmas when we all wonder what Santa will bring.

Of course, he never disappoints and that's the way the club championships turn out here in Mayo. This year, will be even more intriguing than usual, given the new rules and the manner in which they have transformed our game.

Therefore, we will have our eyes peeled for two-pointers, breaches, kick-outs and marks. It promises to be the best championship season in living memory and if that comes to fruition it will make the dreary days of autumn bearable.

Good luck to all. Let the games begin.