Clough/Ballacolla’s Tom Clear confirms bid to become next Laois GAA Chairman

Clough/Ballacolla's Tom Clear has confirmed his intention to run for the position of Laois GAA Chairman at next month's county convention, with PJ Kelly's five-year term in the role coming to an end.

Clear has been involved in Laois GAA at both club and county level for a number of years, holding a variety of positions which have included county board vice-chairman, PRO and Hurling Board Chairman.

2026 marked his 11th year on the Laois GAA County Board, while his involvement with Clough/Ballacolla has also seen him serve in several capacities, including club chairman and juvenile chairman.

Clear, who has spent 27 years working in a business management role, believes his experience across the organisation has brought him to a stage where he is ready to take on the county's top administrative position.

Speaking to the Leinster Express/Laois Live, Clear outlined why he feels the time is right to put his name forward.

"My experience of the GAA is massive, from club right up to the county. I spent 10 years as an officer with Clough/Ballacolla, from juvenile chair to senior chair. Then I went into the county board; I'm in my 11th year now on the county board as well. Doing everything from PRO to vice chair to hurling chair.

"I was referee administrator and at the moment I'm on Leinster Council and I'm on Leinster hearings as well. The next step is moving on to becoming the chairman. I feel now I'm at a stage where my involvement with the GAA between club and county that I’m at a level where I'm ready now for the chair."

Clear believes his professional experience outside the GAA could also be an asset, particularly when it comes to the commercial side of running the organisation and generating additional income.

Having spent almost three decades in business management, he feels there are opportunities to bring that experience into the county board while continuing to build on the work already carried out.

"I work in a business management role with my company. I've been in this job for 27 years. I do know that I would be able to give a lot more experience in an organisation, obviously trying to get more, maybe, sponsorship in and around the whole set-up. Also, keep going what's good there at the moment in Laois GAA, and to keep it going and even try and make it better."

He was particularly keen to highlight the facilities already in place in the county, pointing to the LOETB Centre of Excellence and Laois Hire O'Moore Park as major assets.

"Our Centre of Excellence and O’Moore Park facilities are actually second to none. We're probably the envy of a lot of the country."

However, Clear also identified the rising cost of running county teams and maintaining facilities as one of the major challenges facing Laois GAA.

While he believes the current county board is in a reasonably healthy position, he feels additional funding will be required to ensure the organisation can continue supporting its teams, players and management structures.

"The current state is not bad. Like, it's quite good. There are some great people in there and they're working, and everybody's working to their ability and to their expertise. Anyone who's in and around it at the moment, no one's lacking. There's always going to be room for improvement.

"The big threat coming to the GAA at the moment is the cost of running teams and the cost of running your Centre of Excellence. It's growing and growing every year, and we have to find ways of bringing in more money to support all that and then to be able to support our managers and support our players. Our players are the most important part of it."

When it comes to his priorities, Clear wants to see Laois strengthen its senior football and hurling teams and believes every effort must be made to ensure the county has access to all available players.

Laois have faced difficulties in recent years in both codes, with the senior footballers competing in Division 3 of the National League and the hurlers having enjoyed a significant upturn in fortunes through their Joe McDonagh Cup success in 2026.

Clear feels the county board has an important role in supporting the respective management teams and ensuring they have the strongest possible panels at their disposal.

"My priorities, anyway, first of all, we want to strengthen both our football and hurling teams. Try and help so that we get every player that's available to Laois in both hurling and football, that we get all players that are available and maybe asked in by our county managers and try and support our managers to get them players in. At least then the managers have the best opportunity to put out the best team that we possibly can and compete at the highest levels throughout the country."

One of the more pressing concerns he identified is the county's record at underage inter-county level, particularly in minor and under-20 competitions.

While Laois have shown an ability to win games at those grades, Clear acknowledged the difficulty of consistently competing against stronger counties when reaching the latter stages of Leinster competitions.

He believes the development squad system needs to be examined, with a particular emphasis on attracting more players into county set-ups and ensuring the right management teams are in place.

"That's a constant risk that has been there for the last number of years. That's why we've got to make sure that every player that managers and selectors are looking at is up to the level of inter-county football and hurling; we have to make every effort for them to come into us.

"We have to go back to looking at our development squads. We've got to make sure that we're getting as many players in as possible and then we're also putting the right management over them. Even if we do have to go and bring in management from outside the county. No stone can be left unturned; we have to put in the best structures for our underage that we possibly can get."

Clear also wants to see the recent changes to the county club championships given sufficient time to develop before any major decisions are made.

The new criss-cross format in the senior hurling championship has been working well in his view, although he believes the county board must remain alert to the possibility of uncompetitive fixtures emerging as the competition progresses.

The football championship structure, meanwhile, will require a longer period of assessment, with Clear suggesting the next few years will provide a better indication of how successful the new changes will be.

"With the new Hurling Championship that's there at the moment, like, we're definitely going to be reviewing that at the end of next year, after three years and see if there’s any way we can improve it or if it needs improvement. At the moment, when it comes to the Hurling Championship with the criss-cross system, it is working very well. Overall, we're probably getting about 90% to 95% fairly competitive games."

He also believes the revised football structure could have a positive impact on the intermediate championship, while stressing that no club or player should be left behind as the changes take effect.

Away from the competitions, Clear outlined plans for further investment in the county's facilities should he be elected.

A number of projects have already been completed during 2026, including a new stand on Pitch 1 at the Centre of Excellence, alongside fencing and a new walkway. Disability facilities were also added at the Abbeyleix End of O'Moore Park. A new solar panel system has also been installed at the Centre of Excellence, with the intention of reducing running costs.

Clear said there is further scope to expand the existing county board offices, dressing rooms and gym, with additional space available to develop facilities for players and management teams.

"At the beginning of this year, there were plans drawn up for different projects to be done. This year we completed a new stand on Pitch 1 with a new fence and a new walkway and then we put in the disability area at the Abbeyleix End in O’Moore Park. We also just completed a whole new solar panel system in the Centre of Excellence as well to try and reduce our costs."

Looking ahead, he believes there is potential to continue developing the facilities and has indicated that further projects will be considered in the coming year.

Ultimately, Clear feels his experience at club, county, provincial and national level makes him a suitable candidate to take over from Kelly.

He also placed particular emphasis on the relationship between the county board and its clubs, believing that communication and ensuring clubs have a voice in decision-making must be central to the role.

Having spent many years involved at club level with Clough/Ballacolla, he feels he understands the expectations and concerns that can arise within individual clubs.

"I've been in there long enough now between club and county. I feel it's my time now to step up to the mark. One sure thing: coming from a club and working in a club, you sort of know what clubs expect? Clubs can talk to me, I'm not going to say I'm going to be able to solve every problem that's going to come at you, but you are prepared to listen to every club in their opinions and in their ideas.

"That's what we need. We need the clubs very much involved in helping with the running of the GAA. That's where the success is going to come from and that's where all the players come from originally."

Clear added that his experience across the various levels of the organisation, including his time as Hurling Board Chairman and his current involvement with Leinster Council, has prepared him for the responsibility.

"I think I'm the right guy for the job and I think it's my time now to move."

The election will take place at the Laois GAA County Convention on Monday, December 7, when delegates will decide who succeeds PJ Kelly following the conclusion of his five-year term.