Sponsor needed as Menolly quits

Meath GAA Co Committee will be urgently trying to source a new sponsor for 2010 with the throw-in for the first competitive game of the year only four weeks away. That game will be an O'Byrne Cup clash against Longford, but it is likely that Meath will be turning out in logo-free jerseys for the first time since they broke the mould back in 1991 when they took the field for a Leinster SFC game at Croke Park with support from O'Reilly Transport, the first official sponsors of the Meath team. There followed a long and enduring period of support from Kepak during which Meath went on to considerable success under manager Sean Boylan. Four years ago Menolly Homes and Seamus Ross came on board and this year's accounts show that the financial contribution amounted to somehwere in the region of €250,000. "It is with regret that I have to report that Seamus Ross and Menolly Homes have severed their links with Meath county football teams," Co Committee chairman Barney Allen told delegates. "We hope that when the time is right that Menolly Homes might come on board again," added the chairman. Hurling committee chairman Francis Lynch reported that Martin Donnelly would be staying on board with the Meath hurling team. "Martin has provided a lot of valuable support for Meath hurling over the years and it's great that he is on board again for 2010," added the Kiltale clubman. "We have put together a number of potential sponsors who might be interested in supporting Meath and we hope to arrange some meetings next week," stated treasurer Pat Clerkin. It was suggested from the floor that there might be a potential conflict if some of the mobile phone service providers, apart from Vodafone, were interested in Meath. "That's a fair point, but the Meath football team is a good brand and we should not sell ourselves too cheaply," he added.