Antrim's Catherine O'Hara formally launched her bid to be elected as President Elect of the Camogie Association during the recently held Ulster GAA Convention. The annual Congress will cast its votes in Roscomman at the end of the month. The popular Ulster Chairperson had already been unanimously endorsed as a candidate by Ulster Council at their Camogie Convention at the end of January. A native of Antrim, where she played for both the Cushendun and Cushendall clubs, Catherine brings not only a wealth of experience and an insatiable enthusiasm to improve every facet of camogie at national level, but also a determination to make it a more inclusive part of the whole Gaelic games brand. In a playing career, one that spanned almost two decades, she won Antrim and Ulster championship medals. The highlight of her career, and indeed the biggest disappointment of her playing days, was narrowly losing the All-Ireland minor final of 1981 against Galway. During the early 1990's her focus took a fresh direction when she replaced her playing career with refereeing. That presentated her with All-Ireland appointments, but also gave her an even bigger insight into some of the areas she felt needed to be improved. Top of her agenda, if elected, would be to bring Camogie Association grassroots democracy back to the clubs. Catherine claims: "The clubs need to be modernised, because I feel the administration is not operating at optimum level. We require a strategic plan in every club. It is imperative the clubs are dynamic and proactive. They are the driving force of this Association and we need to look after them, guide them and train the officers within them to a level befitting the office they hold. If we do not have flourishing clubs then the county scene will fragment as is sadly happening in pockets all over the country. "Camogie must keep pace with the mainstream changes that are taking place in all sports. We have to try and drive the counties forward, as well as creating a pathway for the elite players so that they can be taken as far as they want to go." Catherine believes if the administration is right, develops a conveyor-belt system for streamlining officers and also encourages mass participation through the efficent playing of the game and promotes players to the highest possible level, then the game of camogie can once again claim its rightful place in the grand scheme of things. She insists: "Our volunteers need to be able to adapt to change, and that would be part of my overall agenda to keep people abreast of what is best practice at any given time. Putting structures in place is necessary, but if we do not have proper communications then our democratic base will suffer. I fervently feel the Camogie Association has a lack of democracy at the moment. "That is unintentional, but it has evolved, in my opinion. It is an area that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Two-way communication is the only way forward. We must listen to the membership, we must hear their voices, otherwise they will vote with their feet and we will have even bigger barriers to overcome. "If you empower people, give them a voice that is effective and a vote that counts, making them part of the decision making process, you will find the results staggering. The enthusiasm is out there buried under a pretty thick layer of indifference. "It is vital we become totally inclusive in the Gaelic games sporting brand, which is the strongest in the country. We have to do everything we can to bring camogie affairs in all its diverse aspects up to speed. My base in Ulster would obviously be the flagship for these new initiatives, and then roll them out to the rest of the country." It is ambitious foresight, and one cannot help but be influenced by the all-consuming enthusiasm Catherine O'Hara has for the game. As well as her experiences as a player, a referee, a club and county coach and an administrator, and having chaired the Camogie Board in Antrim for four years, she also brings a sharp business mind to the table. A graduate of Queen's University, Belfast, Catherine is self-employed in her own Financial Services and Property Development business. She believes bringing that business acumen to the modernisation of the Camogie Association is the only way forward. Catherine continues: "Its okay talking about camogie as 'Chicks With Sticks' (a phrase she herself coined) but we have to think bigger than that. We must bring the game back to its rightful place, which is up there at the top of the GAA tree." Her progressive ideas will no doubt strike a chord with many members of the Association nationwide, and Catherine is hoping she can convince enough delegates attending the forthcoming Camogie Congress in Roscommon to give her the opportunity to activate her plans. Tweet

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