BY MATTHEW WILSON
SHARON McGinty is looking forward to the challenge of a new role as she begins her tenure as the Assistant Secretary of Donegal GAA.
The Glenswilly club member was recently elected to the position at the Donegal GAA Convention at Jackson’s Hotel in Ballybofey.
Having served as the Secretary of her local club for the last number of years, McGinty decided that it may be time to move on in search of a new challenge and put her name forward for the position at Donegal GAA.
Speaking to the Donegal News, she expressed that it’s a role that she’s excited about and is looking forward to the challenges that will come with her new position.
“I’m excited about it. I’ve had experience of being involved in the CCC previously, first of all as a Northern Board rep when I was Secretary there and later I was secretary of the Minor Board so it’s not totally new to me.
“Fixtures isn’t anything that’s new either as I was involved in the Minor Board as I said before. That side of it I’d be confident enough in, obviously it’s a bigger field and you’re dealing with more competitions in the adult level so it’s probably going to be a bit more of a challenge but it’s something I’m looking forward to.”
The incoming Assistant Secretary continued by praising the work that previous holders of the position have done before her and she’d like to display what she has learned from them and do her best for Donegal.
McGinty discussed that it’s important to try and work in collaboration with the Minor Boards next term in order to discover a plan and schedule which will enable youthful players to balance their underage and senior football responsibilities appropriately.
“There’s been some very good Assistant Secretaries in the role in the last number of years that I’ve worked alongside. I’d just like to follow on from what I’ve learned from them and do my best for Donegal football and hurling.
“I’d like to try and work with Minor Boards as we know the challenges that are there as well, especially at the end of the season when the Senior Championships are running in tandem with the underage fixtures.
“It’s about trying to have a balance there and trying to get a plan that works. It’s not going to be perfect but we’ll try to come up with solutions that work for everybody and enable players to play at their own age group while being able to be part of their senior setups as well, that’s the ideal goal.”
The Assistant Secretary of Donegal GAA also takes over the role as the Secretary of the CCC which means that a substantial part of McGinty’s new position will be associated with fixtures for the upcoming campaign.
This can be a difficult job at times, especially around the early stages of the Championship since the introduction of the new format a couple of years ago.
With Donegal reaching the All-Ireland Football Final last term, the County Championship commenced two weeks later on August 9.
However, there’s a proposal coming up in Congress to potentially push the All-Ireland decider back a number of weeks and, depending on how far Jim McGuinness’s side progress in 2026, it could disrupt plans for the County Championship later in the year.
“I know there’s a proposal coming up at Congress about moving the All-Ireland Final back to mid-August so that could have a knock on our County Championship in the current format that we have and make it more congested if Donegal progress to the latter stages of the All-Ireland Series.
“There’s challenges all the time no matter what way you look so I’m looking forward to seeing what the outcome of that is at Congress as well.”
With a wealth of experience of working on various boards in the past as well as the years spent as the Secretary of Glenswilly GAA club, McGinty will certainly be a good fit for this role and has the committed and determined personality required for the position.
With the start of the 2026 season now just around the corner, she discussed that she’s excited about working alongside some new faces and bringing new ideas to the table.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge. David McLoone is in his fifth year as chairman of the CCC and as vice chairman so he definitely has a lot of experience there.
“I’ve worked alongside David on the CCC so it’s not totally new to me and there’s other people that will be on the CCC that have been there for a few years too.
“There’ll be new faces too, with Michelle McKenna coming in as assistant treasurer but Michelle has a lot of experience being involved in the hearings committee as well.
“It’s exciting to be able to work with new people and try to bring new ideas, listen to people and listen to clubs.
McGinty concluded by stating that correspondence has already gone out to clubs around the county in order to get feedback from them on the current structures in place.
She expressed that they are aware of a decline in playing numbers in a lot of clubs in the area and therefore it’s key to work in collaboration with all of the various boards to come up with a suitable plan that works out the best for the players in the county.
“The email has gone out to clubs already for the new regulations to see what ideas will come back from that as to the formats of our current structures.
“We’re well aware that there are problems in reserve football in Donegal. The demographic report is showing a decline in playing numbers in a lot of clubs so that’s going to be a challenge going forward as well.
“It’s working together with the clubs, with the Regional Boards and the Minor Board in relation to trying to come up with a plan that works for our talented players that are coming into adult football that are still playing minors and trying to come up with something that works for everyone for the best of both hurling and football.”
