The vibes are positive in Westmeath GAA right now both on and off the pitch.

The county senior footballers have won four from four in the Allianz Football League and a youthful county senior hurling team featuring a clutch of players still in the U-20 grade performed well in their last two matches against Limerick and Tipperary.

The county’s Coaching and Games Development programme is humming nicely under the watchful eye of Darren Magee and the county’s development squads and underage competitions have been seriously boosted by the significant sponsorship of Westmeath expats, Michael and James Stones, who run the successful MJS Building and Development company in New York.

Perhaps most significant of all in terms of the long-term picture is the news that a deal has been struck by Westmeath GAA to purchase 48 acres in Mullingar for a new Centre of Excellence that will, in time, have a hugely positive impact on Gaelic games in the county.

“It’s something that we’ve been crying out for years for in the county so at long last we’re on the final leg of that journey,” says Westmeath GAA’s Head of Operations, Patrick Doherty.

“It’s an exciting step forward because we’ve spent the last whatever number of years with our county teams at every level begging, borrowing, and stealing pitches and training facilities from clubs.

“Indeed, our county senior hurlers use Abbottstown at least once a week so it will mean that we’ll primarily be able to train in our own facility. That in itself would be terrific.

“We have a great relationship with TUS in Athlone which we’ll certainly be continuing as well. Our county footballers train there once a week and we also have access to facilities and sport science expertise there. But having our own Centre of Excellence would give us our own home which would be great.

“Integration is obviously going to be exciting in the next number of years and the Centre of Excellence is absolutely going to be a Centre for both the girls and boys, men and women of county Westmeath and all the codes.”