McNally Swords CC

Launch 27th March 2002
Address by Mr. Joe McNally, Sponsor

Ladies, Gentlemen, Colleagues and Friends,

On behalf of Breda, and on my own behalf, I welcome the opportunity to speak to you this evening. Breda and I have a great interest in cycling, and we are delighted to provide again this year sponsorship to our own cycling club. It is truly a great club, a club does not segregate its members because of their ability or inability to perform on the bike. It is a great club mainly because its members are great people. As a club our first priority has always been and always will be cycling. Each of us in our own individual way, and collectively as a committee and as a club do the best we can to further develop our own club that in recent years has gone from strength to strength. Both racing cyclists and tourers continue to enjoy cycling, and also the friendship and support of a caring and vibrant membership.

We are delighted to come on board again this year, 2002, as sponsor. The year 2002 has seen very significant developments in cycling at both national and local level.

At national level Cycling Ireland has undergone major administrative changes and has appointed Eamon Duffy as its Chief Executive Officer. Breda and I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Eamon, when he did so much for cycling while working with the Blazing Saddles and the National Council for the Blind in Ireland. He has now brought a new and much needed vision and direction to cycling in Ireland. The manner in which he and Cycling Ireland are now projecting, publicising and assisting cycling is very much appreciated by us all, and augurs well for the future of the sport we are all so committed to. Having spoken in depth to Eamon about his strategy for cycling over the next few years and having attended some talks at his invitation about the future of cycling in Ireland it inspired us and motivated us to stay on as sponsors of this club. Eamon’s appointment and the new vision he brings to cycling are among the reasons we are continuing our sponsorship this particular year to Swords Cycling Club and presenting you with a new kit.

Another reason of course is that we, as you, are only too well aware that our own club is also in a period of transition and change. It too has a new Chairperson and Committee. While pledging our total and unequivocal support to our new Chairperson, Sean Lally, and to his committee, we take the opportunity to complement previous Chairpersons, Terry Quinlan, Paddy Griffin and Johnny O’Sullivan on the secure confident foundation on which our club now stands. Sean and his committee have the onerous responsibility of leading the club in the new millennium, building on the successes of the past, and planning new ideas and approaches for the future.

This they cannot do on their own. This they can only do if they receive the support and good will of all of us. This they can only do if each of us in our own way contribute generously to our club, giving rather than taking, helping rather than criticising, working for the club rather than against it, being positive rather than negative, working as a team in a spirit of cooperation and friendship under the guidance of the committee, so that our club will continue to be the premier cycling club in Ireland.

It is particularly important to recognise that personalities do not dominate the club; rather it is the work the club does in a spirit of partnership and agreement. Sean, all of us here tonight pledge you our support in the great work you and your committee are doing and will do for our club.

Breda and I, at a time of challenge and change, are making our contribution by acting as sponsor during this important year of transition. Why, you may ask, have we been and why are we involved in sponsorship. Our family has a long tradition in cycling. My father was a founder member of Balbriggan Cycling Club in the early 1970s. My two brothers and I raced as beginners and juniors. My brother Johnny was a former winner of the Waller Cup/Bohermeen, Killian Cup in Naul. he rode 4 no Ras’s and finished first junior in 1973 and finished 7^th in 1974.

It is with considerable pride and pleasure that we present the club with its new colours here this evening. We realised that in order for Swords CC to appear professional, competitive and fashionable we had to design a kit to meet these requirements.

We knew from speaking to members that we had to produce a kit that was colourful on the road, could be picked out easily in the peleton, did not show dirt easily etc. Blue seemed to be the order of the day and particularly blue shorts.

I take this opportunity to thank everyone responsible for the finished product. Particular thanks are due to Brendan Byrne who designed the new kit for his patience and many nights of hard work and meetings week after week. I thank in a very special way Breda, who from the outset devoted so much personal time and attention, sometimes at great inconvenience, to ensure that our new gear would be nothing less than perfect.

We are all aware that the new gear was a long time coming. It was during the Winter of 2000 that we thought about introducing the new kit. After several meetings with Brendan in an effort to modify the existing colours, we realised it was not possible to do this successfully and accommodate the requirements of the members.

At this stage it was too late to get new gear on time for the racing season of 2001 but we did press ahead.

I am sure you will agree that your new club colours are stylish, colourful, of good quality, conforming to the highest standards, attractive and pleasant – just like the members themselves!!

Sponsors usually make demands on the organisations they sponsor, and this year we are going to make a very specific demand or request. We are confident that you will accede to it with the customary courtesy for which this club is so renowned. Our request is that you wear the club colours, of which Breda and I are so proud, with pride. We would ask you in particular to wear them at all club events – races, the league, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday morning spins and all tours. In this way you will be giving much appreciated exposure to your sponsor, and also be projecting to the local community and in venues all over the country, the pride you have in your club, as well as the teamwork and cooperation that have made our club such a good one so far, and will make it even better in the future.

I would like to convey our special thanks to Impsports and in particular AlanWright who was extremely helpful and patient during the whole procedure.

I want to thank all the racers who took the time to come to our house to collect their gear to wear for the first race. We were really impressed with their loyalty to the club and to ourselves as sponsors.

I want to thank Richie for making his shop available tonight for the photoshoot, and the very expensive backdrop of top class frames and accessories. I know that our members will continue to purchase from him top class gear at extremely competitive prices.

In conclusion, Chairman, I thank you again for the opportunity to speak to this gathering of friends and cyclists tonight. Breda and I are delighted to sponsor the club again this year. We are particularly pleased to present you with your new club colours, and we are confident that they will represent the vitality and energy that will continue to permeate the club and propel it to even greater successes in the future.

Joe McNally,

27^th March 2002.