Athletic Clubs in Kerry by size...Aug 2012

A few days ago, Athletics Ireland released their figures for club membership. What they show is that in the last 15 months since May 2011, the number of adults in athletic clubs in Kerry has increased from 342 to 446, a rise of 30%.

These are the athletic clubs in Kerry with more 9 or more adult members...

Notes...
1) Gneeveguilla retains it's top spot with 134 members, a rise of 19% on the May 2011 figure of 113.
2) Star of the Laune AC jump from just 8 adult members to 125 thanks to an active Fit4Life programme.
3) Farranfore Maine Valley AC also recorded a rise in adult membership going from 29 to 39 members.
4) The remaining clubs have remained more or less the same, some up a bit, some down.

In terms of adult membership of athletic clubs and the size of the available population, Kerry is about average compared to the other counties. What is perhaps unusual is how the bulk of the races and club membership tends to be based in mid Kerry near Killarney rather than further north near Tralee. The town of Tralee has a population of 24,000 people compared to Killarney with 14,000 yet the smaller town is a lot more active in terms of road races and running. There is probably plenty of scope for growth for clubs in the north of the county.

Notice...some clubs have a large number of Fit4Life members, some are more into track and field, some are more focused on other specific areas. The figures don't say or suggest which club is best, just which club happens to have the most adult members....although it is probably fair to say that if a club has a lot of members then it must be doing something right.