American Hurling Annual Report for 2008

As we all know, the New Year is the traditional time to consider what we have done with our time over the past year, and to set goals for the coming year. Among other things, perhaps you've been examining your development as a player, teammate, or coach, and are considering what your contribution to the club will be in the coming season: a sideline cut for a point, a stronger weak-side, better passing, a winning attitude, better inclusion of all club members, more dynamic training sessions? It's the same for us.

The following is a recap of our developments in 2008 and a look at our offerings for the coming year.

2008 is significant in that it was our largest logging campaign to date. We invested heavily in this sector in terms of time and equipment as there are no guarantees of wood quality unless the operation is done by someone who knows the end product. We have worked hard to practice low-impact, sustainable forestry techniques in our timber management.

With feedback from customers, our sticks were further standardized from junior to senior in style and quality. Additionally, because of our timber supply, we now offer flaired stock for all hurleys, minor through senior.

We brought on Mycro Helmets so that we could offer North America superior hurling helmets at Irish retail price and we continued to sell the popular Karakal Grips as they steadfastly prove themselves in terms of comfort and quality.

Our Gaelic Football line has been updated to include quality Gaelic footballs in size 4 and 5 and the addition of first touch footballs and sliotars for youth development.

Because hurleys can often be repaired, we offered a hurley manual dispersing general hurley care information and now prepare and sell bands for repairs. 

Additionally, we began offering solid utilitarian cutting boards at a reasonable cost to help us deal with byproducts.

2009 will mark the beginning of a system that has consumed our spare time and the majority of our research and development expenditures for the past year and a half. We are now machining hurls which will allow us to further standardize our product, producing them with the same technology as hurls in Ireland. The hurls will still be individually hand finished as every hurl needs its own unique attention, but a significant amount of time will be saved during production, and the process will ensure greater consistency. For those ordering in bulk, we can now offer different styles of hurls more consistent with regional preferences (As seen in the center photo below).

We will also begin using new machinery for sanding that will better finish the hurls; some of the customers who purchased hurls within the last few months may have noticed this difference.

With the continued support of our family and our customers, in the interest of community and culture, and with the understanding of the communion that exist between maker and player, we intend to put the best that is in us, into every hurl.

Enjoy the Pitch! 

and Best Wishes to You and Yours for 2009,

J. O’ Coigligh and Sons, Hurleymakers

© American Hurling Company

*Offer good to the contiguous U.S. states.