The kitman
April 30, 2010An important figure in the Westmeath football backroom team is kitman Damian McLoughlin, whose responsibilities extend far beyond looking after the team's kit.
While Damian's main responsibility is to ensure that the players are catered for in terms of gear and are immaculately turned out, his other tasks include sterilising bottles, ensuring that there is always enough energy drinks and water to go around, looking after the footballs and helping to organise the training drills.
All of this is very time-consuming with Damian estimating that he devotes between 15 and 18 hours a week to the role. But he's not complaining, insisting that the opportunity to work with 30 inter-county footballers and to tend to their needs was something he couldn't pass up
"I love this job so the issue with time doesn't bother me in the slightest," the affable Kilbeggan man explains.
"I'm gone two nights a week and again at the weekend. The night before training or a game, I would spend an hour or two sterilising and filling up the bottles, pumping up the balls and organising the gear. I have everything loaded into the van and ready to for the next day. I have a room in my house set aside for all of this and for storing the energy drinks. I take what I need and head on to training."
Damian arrives at training half an hour before the players and has everything ready for them before they take to the field.
"I have to be there that bit earlier than the players so that I can get everything set up. It's just a matter of unloading the van because I have all the preparatory work done before I leave the house," he says.
"You also have to allow for where training is on because there is no set venue. If it's on in Ballinagore, it's only a 10-minute drive for me, but if it's on in St. Loman's, Athlone IT, Tubberclair or Kinnegad, it take that bit longer to get there."
During Tomas O Flatharta's reign, the company sales manager was solely responsible for setting up the training area and drills. However, until Brendan Hackett's recent resignation as manager, shared this responsibility with the team's physical trainer Martin Kennedy.
Damian also works closely with Ballinagore man Gilbert Carey who brings the ice and fruit to training. Gilbert usually collects the fruit in Mullingar but on the rare occasion when he doesn't, Damian covers for him.
Damian says he would not be able to carry out his duties but for the support and assistance of the following:
"First and foremost, I would like to thank my wife Frances for her patience. I would also like to thank my employers Shanette Sheds in Kilbeggan for allowing me to take phone calls and to deal with any other GAA-related business during working hours. They are very understanding in that regard.
"Others I would like to acknowledge are fellow Kilbeggan man and county secretary Pat Lynagh, Jim Whelan, Gilbert Carey, Joe Daly and his wife Margaret who washes the jerseys. I can't praise Margaret enough for the job she does. She always has everything in order when I collect the jerseys from her house in Tyrrellspass which again makes my job very easy."
Damian brings two sets of jerseys to every match in case players need to change at half-time or during the game due to blood injuries. A new set of jerseys is ordered for each championship game and players have the option of keeping them or exchanging them with opponents.
In his early forties, Damian has been involved in the GAA all his life, growing up only a stone's throw away from the Kilbeggan Shamrocks grounds on the Clara Road. He won an under 21 'B' championship with Kilbeggan in 1988 and was sub-goalkeeper on their 2000 intermediate championship winning team. He is also the holder of Division 3 and 5 league medals and served as secretary of the Kilbeggan club a few years ago.
Damian was involved in the county coaching set-up from 2001 to 2008, during which time he served three years (2006, '07 and '08) as a minor football selector under Dermot Brady. In his final year with the minors, he was asked by then Westmeath senior manager Tomas O Flatharta if he'd be interested in becoming kitman and he jumped at the chance.
"As someone who had been involved in underage coaching and has ambitions to coach adult teams in the future, I was delighted to take up Tomas' offer. I saw it as a great opportunity to learn about what's involved in organising and managing a team at the highest level. You can't get any higher than senior inter-county level. It was also a great honour to be asked to get involved with your county team.
"The amount of work that goes on behind-the-scenes was a real eye-opener to me. I've thoroughly enjoyed the experience so far and have made a lot of friends not just in Westmeath, but all over the country."
Regarding Westmeath's 2008 NFL Division 2 triumph as the highlight of his involvement to date, Damian accepts that success may not be as plentiful in the next couple of years and is calling on supporters to show patience while Brendan Hackett successor rebuilds the team.
"The team is in transition at the moment and people are going to have to be patient. The management are fully committed to the task in hand and I have every confidence in them," he concludes. Tweet
