Ah sport….don’t we just love it?

You know that the New Year has well and truly shaken off its newness when the Six Nations starts and finishes, The Champions League, Premiership and Heineken Cup reach their conclusions and the days get longer. In our business I know that the presentation gifts are no longer needed. Last year’s mentors have gotten their clap on the back or kick up the backside and either way gifts are not needed for another 12 months. On the other side of the house sales of Mother's Day gifts, Fathers Day gifts and even Teacher's gifts (for the well organised) increase in Spring.

Another new dawn. Another year starting full of hope and expectation. Every player and every team starts the year with the same hopes. The hills of Antrim or the hills of Tipperary are equally tough to surmount. The kgs on the rusty barbell are no lighter than the kgs in the state of the art gymnasium. The sweat of a lowly division player is just as profuse as a top division player. Pound for pound the club player is trying just as hard as the county star but with less support. No backroom dietician, physiotherapist or psychologist to smooth the early season journey.

For the vast majority the work is fruitless in terms of winning trophies, getting a run in the county championship or maybe even getting on the first fifteen but that doesn’t mean quitting. That doesn’t mean fries, Coronation St and weekend pints next new year. No, that means returning to the drawing board, starting again. The hilly runs, the gym, the porridge, the new boots, only seven in the field ……

Ah sport….don’t we just love it?