Athea GAA Club Notes:

Mens Results:
West Junior A Football Championship Semi-final.
Fr Caseys 2-9 Athea 2-6
Fr Casey’s claimed victory over Athea in a hard-fought contest last Tuesday in
Abbeyfeale in the West Junior A Semi-final. The opening half was a closely fought affair, with neither side able to establish clear control and both sides remained scoreless until the 14th minute. Athea suffered an early setback when James Hunt was forced off through injury in the first half, prompting an early reshuffle with Darren Murphy introduced from the
bench. Despite this disruption, Athea remained competitive thanks to strong
performances around the middle third. Denis Greaney was particularly influential for us, making a number of powerful runs from midfield that carried Athea deep into Fr Casey’s territory and provided a platform for attack. Athea’s first-half scores came through TJ Hunt from a placed ball and Evan Curry from play, while Tomás Ahern produced an excellent save to deny Fr Casey’s
in the 18th minute. Nevertheless, Fr Casey’s edged ahead before the interval and
carried a narrow advantage into the break on a low score of 0-3 to 0-2. The game exploded into life after the restart. Fr Casey’s had a man black carded for a pull down. However they struck for an early goal through Ronan Quirke, but Athea responded well. Brian O’Connor hit two crucial goals and a two-pointer free from TJ Hunt brought us right back into the contest. However, Fr Casey’s responded strongly. Quirke continued to influence proceedings while scores from Callum Boyle and other Fr Caseys forwards helped restore their advantage. As the game entered its closing stages, Athea pushed hard for the scores that might have completed the comeback, but Fr Caseys showed greater scoring depth and composure when it mattered most. A late two-point free from Curry narrowed the gap once more, but Fr Casey’s held firm to secure a 2-9 to 2-6 victory. Athea Tomás Ahern, Pierse O’Brien, Tommy Quaid, James Hunt, Callum Buckley, Michael Dalton, Eoin Sheahan, Denis Greaney, Evan Curry 0-3 (1 tpf), Jason Kelly, Brian O’Connor (2-0), TJ Hunt 0-3f (1tpf,0-1f) Alan Kelly, Andrew O’Riordan, James Broderick. Subs Darren Murphy, Michael Tierney, Tadhg Ahern.

Fixtures:
Woodlands House Hotel County Premier Junior A Football Championship Group 2 Round 1
Thursday 9th July, 2026 at 7:30pm, venue: Abbeyfeale
Monagea v Athea Referee: Alan Kehoe.
County Junior C Football Championship Group 1 Round 1
Sunday 12th July, 2026 at 12noon, venue: The Bog Garden
Rathkeale v Athea Referee: John Mc Grath

Ladies Minor League Semi Final:
Best of luck to our minor ladies who face St Ailbe’s on Wednesday 1st July in Athea at 7pm. In preparation for this, they recently played Cappagh in a challenge match. Huge thanks to Cappagh for the sporting game.

Festival of Football:
Athea will once again host the Festival of Football u8 and u10 Munster blitz on July 11th with teams from Cork, Kerry and Clare joining us on the day. With over 300 players, parents and supporters expected in Athea on the day, the club are looking for volunteers for the smooth running of the event. More details to follow shortly.

Club Draw:
€7,450 guaranteed prizes. There will be over 40 winners of cash prizes ranging from €100 to €500. There will be 5 monthly draws starting in August, tickets cost €50 with all proceeds going towards the day-to-day maintenance of our GAA club facilities and walking track.
Tickets for our Annual club draw are on sale at the moment from the usual ticket sellers or any committee member. Alternatively ask any of the underage coaches and they will let the club know of your interest. Your support would be greatly appreciated by all the users of our wonderful club facilities.

Ball Wall:
Work has commenced with the digging of the foundations, for our much-anticipated Ball Wall. Local contractor Francis Ahern and his team are carrying out the works in preparation for the arrival of the precast wall which will come in sections. This will be another great addition to our existing facilities, and a place for kids and adults to practise their skills in a safe environment.

Underage Training:
Our Friday evening 6:30 to 7:30 underage training from nursery to U12s is back.
Hurling, Hurling training Sunday mornings at 10am.

Split the Bucket:
The last draw took place on the 15th of June and the lucky winner of €256 was Jerry Brouder, congratulations Jerry. The next draw will take place on Monday the 29th of June 2026.
Tickets can be Purchased at Collins’ shop, Ger White’s bar, Brown Joe’s bar, Gables Grill, O’Riordan’s Pharmacy, Credit Union, Batt’s bar, Athea Hairstyles, Doctor’s waiting room, Bingo Friday evenings and also online @ https://atheagaa.clubforce.com/products/draw/athea-gaa-draw

Membership:
All players should have membership before starting back at training.

Cúl Camp:
Athea Cúl Camp 6th to 10th July 2026
Please book to avoid disappointment as places are filling up. Contact Jacqueline O’Connor on 086 067 0091 with any queries, see link to book https://tinyurl.com/yz87rypn