Wexford football club releases statement as well-known construction company to enter liquidation

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This is a terrible situation to be in…

County Wexford football club, Bunclody AFC, have released a lenghty statement after it has been confirmed that local construction company, Clear Water Construction & Landscaping Limited, will no longer be able to complete works on their astro-turf, as the company is to enter into liquidation.

A meeting of creditors is set to take place on 23 October at 9am, which will be held at the Talbot Hotel in Stillorgan. Eoin Massey and Anthony Glennon of Frield Stafford will be appointed as Joint Liquidators of Clear Water Construction & Landscaping Limited which had PJ Norton as their Managing Director.

Bunclody will be just one of many local sports clubs and charities impacted by this. The news will come as quite a shock to many. Clearwater Construction were also an avid supporter of Wexford Camogie, Wexford Ladies Football, and to local community groups. The significant issue with the company entering into a liquidation phase is that many projects were community projects, just like Bunclody’s, with significant community fundraising done to make the project possible.

The full Bunclody AFC statement, issued by Chairperson Jamie Farrell, can be read below:

“We want to give our members, players, parents, supporters and the wider Bunclody community a full update on our all-weather astro pitch project and the position we have been left in following recent communications from Clearwater Construction Limited.

We know there are questions being asked, and understandably so. This project represents a substantial investment for our club and has been supported by years of voluntary work, fundraising and community effort. Everyone who has helped bring it this far deserves a clear explanation of what has happened.

The club has paid €313,000 to Clearwater Construction Limited under the contract. Some work has been completed and inspected by our independent engineer, but significant elements of the project remain unfinished. We have now been informed that Clearwater Construction will not be completing the project and that the company is entering liquidation.

This is a serious setback. It is deeply disappointing for the committee and for everyone who has worked towards delivering this facility. However, we remain committed to completing the pitch and are already examining how we can move forward.

The background and purpose of the project

For approximately four years, club volunteers have been working towards developing an all-weather pitch at our grounds.

The purpose has always been to improve facilities for our players and provide something of lasting value to the wider Bunclody community.

Our grass pitches are affected by prolonged wet weather, particularly during the winter months. This can lead to cancelled training sessions, postponed matches and difficulties providing consistent playing time across our teams.

An all-weather pitch would give us greater certainty throughout the year. It would help us accommodate the growing number of players using our facilities and provide more opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to participate in sport.

Our ambition also extends beyond the club’s own teams. We want this facility to be available for local schools, community groups and organisations supporting children and adults with additional needs, including autistic people. We want it to be a place that serves Bunclody throughout the year.

Planning permission and the appointment of Clearwater Construction

The club submitted its planning application in late 2023. Planning permission was approved in early 2024, after which we began the tender process.

Clearwater Construction Limited, whose director was PJ Norton, submitted the lowest-priced tender. In our assessment of the tenders, we did not identify a difference in the proposed specification or quality that justified selecting a more expensive submission.

The club accepted Clearwater Construction’s tender and entered into a contract with the company in early March 2024.

Legal matters affecting the club grounds

Before the project could proceed, we had to resolve issues concerning the registration of the club grounds and the appointment of trustees.

The land remained registered in the names of previous trustees, and changes in their circumstances meant that the club needed to regularise that position. This involved legal work and a High Court process, which took considerable time to complete.

These matters delayed the project over approximately two years.

It is important that this statement gives a fair account of the entire process. During that period, Clearwater Construction worked with the club and maintained the agreed project price. We acknowledge that cooperation.

Once the legal position had been addressed, the club was able to move forward with the financing and construction arrangements.

Project finance

In March 2026, the club secured loan finance through Clann Credo to help fund the project alongside our other funding sources, including Sports Capital grant funding.

Taking on this finance was a significant commitment for the club. It was undertaken to help deliver a facility that would benefit our players and the community for many years.

Throughout this process, committee members and volunteers have devoted substantial time to the legal requirements, funding arrangements, contractor meetings, correspondence and oversight of the project.

Payments made under the contract

The club has paid a total of €313,000 to Clearwater Construction Limited.

This consists of four payments:

• An initial payment of €120,000 relating to the ordering of materials.

• A payment of €83,000 in respect of completed works.

• A further payment of €90,000 in respect of completed works.

• An additional payment of €20,000 relating to the synthetic grass.

The initial €120,000 payment was made against an invoice relating to the ordering of materials with long lead times, including the synthetic grass, fencing and lighting.

This payment was made in good faith for the purpose described on the invoice and on the understanding that it would enable the necessary materials to be ordered for our project.

The subsequent payments of €83,000 and €90,000, totalling €173,000, related to completed stages of the groundworks and associated infrastructure. These included drainage, the initial stone layer, ducting and lighting bases.

The additional €20,000 payment

Approximately nine weeks ago, Clearwater Construction requested an additional €20,000 from the club in relation to the synthetic grass.

The explanation given to us was that material costs had increased, that the original grass price could no longer be maintained and that the supplier would only hold the revised price for a further few days.

Clearwater attributed the increase to international conflict and its effect on material costs. We are reporting the explanation given to the club; we have not independently verified that explanation.

We were advised that the additional €20,000 was needed promptly to secure the grass price and avoid further increases.

The request was made on a Wednesday. The club paid the €20,000 the following day on the basis of that information and confirmation that the grass provider would give us a letter in headed paper stating the reason.

That payment brought the total paid to Clearwater Construction under the project to €313,000.

The work completed on site

There has been work carried out at the grounds, and it is important to acknowledge that.

Drainage, the initial stone layer and elements of the lighting infrastructure have been installed. Lighting columns are also in place.

Our independent engineer has inspected the completed work and has advised us that it is of a good standard.

However, the facility is not complete and cannot yet be used as the all-weather pitch intended.

The fencing remains outstanding. Further preparation and installation of the shock pad and synthetic grass are required. The lighting also needs to be completed and connected before it can operate.

Our current working estimate of the value of work completed is approximately €180,000. This is a preliminary estimate and remains subject to our independent engineer’s detailed assessment. It should not be taken as a final valuation or a confirmed calculation of the club’s financial shortfall.

The further invoice

The club received a further invoice concerning lighting columns, lights and associated works.

That invoice was not paid.

We were awaiting a Sports Capital grant drawdown to provide the funds for payment, and this had been discussed with Clearwater Construction.

There were also items covered by the invoice that had not been completed, including cabling and having the lighting connected and operational.

We therefore had both the funding arrangements and the outstanding work to address before payment could be made.

The sequence of delays

Around five weeks ago, correspondence accompanying an invoice indicated that fencing work would commence the following Monday.

That Monday passed without the fencing work starting.

Club representatives contacted Clearwater Construction by telephone and email and were advised that work would begin later that week. It did not.

We contacted the company again and were told that it was held up on another job and that work would begin towards the start or middle of the following week. That timeframe also passed without the fencing commencing.

At that stage, the chairperson wrote to Clearwater Construction expressing the club’s dissatisfaction with the lack of progress and requesting a clear update.

The club subsequently received a revised schedule of works stating that fencing would begin the following Monday. Once again, that date passed without the work starting.

These repeated changes caused increasing concern within the club. We needed to know when the project would resume and whether the revised schedule could be relied upon.

The meeting at the club grounds

Following those delays, we requested a meeting with PJ Norton.

The meeting took place at the club grounds on a Friday and was attended by Jamie Farrell, Nick Finn, John Kane and Barry Murphy on behalf of the club.

At that meeting, we raised the missed commencement dates, the lack of progress and our concerns about the position of the company.

The club representatives’ account of the meeting is that Mr Norton reassured them that the company was not in financial difficulty. We were also advised that the fencing would begin the following Monday.

Those reassurances were important to us because we were trying to establish whether Clearwater Construction could fulfil its commitments and complete the outstanding work.

The following Monday passed without the fencing starting.

Further attempts to obtain an update

After that commencement date was missed, further calls were made to Mr Norton.

On some occasions, we received messages indicating that he was unavailable and would return the call. However, the club did not receive the substantive response needed to establish when work would resume.

There was still no fencing work underway later that week.

The chairperson then wrote again, advising that the club was contacting its solicitor for legal advice. We did so.

Further follow-up emails were sent the following Monday and Wednesday seeking an update and a way forward.

Throughout this period, our aim was to obtain clear answers, resolve the delays and get the project moving again.

The notification that the project would not be completed

On Friday, 9 October, the club received notification from Clearwater Construction that a receiver had been appointed to the business and that the company would not be completing our project.

On Monday, 12 October, we received further correspondence through Clearwater Construction’s email account stating that the company was entering liquidation and that creditors would receive formal correspondence explaining the next steps.

We are taking legal advice on those communications, the formal status of the company and the steps available to the club.

We are awaiting the relevant creditor documentation and will deal with it through the appropriate process.

The position regarding materials

One of the most concerning issues for the club is establishing the position of the materials for which advance payments were made.

Following the recent notifications, we contacted suppliers to ask about the fencing, synthetic grass and shock pad for our project.

The suppliers contacted have advised us that they have no orders recorded for our project for those items.

We are seeking written confirmation and clarification of that information. We are also seeking a full account of the position regarding the materials covered by our payments, including whether any materials were ordered, paid for, manufactured or held elsewhere for the club.

Those are questions that must now be addressed through the appropriate channels.

We understand why members will be concerned about this, particularly given the initial €120,000 payment and the subsequent €20,000 payment relating to the grass. We share that concern and will pursue documented answers.

We will not speculate publicly about matters that have not yet been established.

The financial impact on the club

The club has paid €313,000 under the contract. There is completed work on site, but substantial work and materials remain outstanding.

We are now assessing the financial consequences of that position.

The total paid, the value of work completed, the cost of finishing the pitch and any amount recoverable through the insolvency process are separate figures. All need to be established before we can give members an accurate account of the final shortfall.

We cannot currently say what amount, if any, may be recovered through the insolvency process. We have to plan cautiously while seeking to protect the club’s position.

The club still has Sports Capital grant funding to draw down, subject to the applicable requirements. That is an important part of the funding available for the project.

However, we expect that additional funding will be needed to complete the facility. We do not yet know how much.

It would be premature to announce a final figure before the outstanding works have been assessed and quotations obtained.

What we are doing now

We are working with our solicitor to review the contract, invoices, payment records and correspondence and to establish the club’s position in the insolvency process.

We are also working with our independent engineer, David, to inspect and document the completed works, assess what remains outstanding and develop options for completion.

This includes examining whether the remaining work should be put back out to tender or whether suitably qualified specialist contractors can be engaged for the different elements.

We are looking at fencing, the remaining groundworks, the shock pad and synthetic playing surface, and completion of the lighting.

Any decision will need to take account of cost, quality, the funding requirements and the contractual position. We want to establish a sound completion plan before committing further club funds.

At present, we cannot give a reliable completion date. We will provide that information when we have a plan supported by clear costs and realistic schedules.

The impact on our volunteers and community

This has been an upsetting experience for those who have worked on the project.

As chairperson, I have been involved in bringing it forward for approximately four years. Many others have also given their time, knowledge and effort to help get us to this stage.

We entered this project with the aim of doing something positive for Bunclody. We placed our trust in the contractor appointed and made substantial financial commitments towards delivering the facility.

To now be left with an unfinished pitch and uncertainty over important materials is heartbreaking.

We know that the disappointment extends beyond the committee. Players, coaches, parents, supporters and community groups have all been looking forward to seeing the pitch completed.

We share that disappointment. We also recognise our responsibility to respond carefully, keep members informed and concentrate on the decisions needed to move the project forward.

Our commitment to completing the pitch

Despite this setback, our ambition for the project remains unchanged.

Bunclody still needs this facility. Our players still need it. The wider community still stands to benefit from it.

We are determined to find a practical way to complete the pitch. That will require careful planning, professional advice and, very likely, additional support.

We will be honest about the challenges. We will also continue the work needed to overcome them.

How you can help

We would welcome contact from anyone who can offer practical assistance or introduce us to contractors and suppliers who may be able to help.

In particular, we are seeking contacts and expertise in:

• Fencing supply and installation.

• Synthetic sports surfaces and shock pads.

• Groundworks and preparation for all-weather pitches.

• Professional advice relevant to completing the project.

Offers of suitable materials, services, sponsorship or financial support would also be appreciated.

If you know someone who may be able to assist, please put them in contact with the club committee. We will coordinate all offers with our engineer and completion plan so that support can be used effectively.

Keeping members informed

We wanted to explain the position directly to our members and the community rather than leave people relying on incomplete information.

There are still questions we cannot answer. Where that is the case, we will say so.

As the engineering assessment, supplier enquiries and formal creditor process progress, we will provide further updates on the cost, funding and proposed route to completion.

We ask for your patience while that work takes place, and for your continued support for the club.

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who has supported this project, helped with fundraising, volunteered their time or contributed to Bunclody AFC in any way.

That support has brought us this far and remains vital to what happens next.

This is a serious and painful setback, but the purpose of the project remains worth working for. We will continue doing everything we reasonably can to deliver a facility that our players, members and the wider Bunclody community can use and be proud of.

One club. One community. Bunclody AFC.”