Name: Ken McGrath
County: Waterford
Sport: Hurling
Company: Ken McGrath’s Sports

IF you think Ken McGrath’s switch from his usual comfy confines of centre-back to the number three jersey was the most seismic shift he has endured in the past year, think again. McGrath, like many hurlers of his vintage, had a good job as a sales rep for an oil company. He was on the road, it didn’t impinge on his hurling and there was no heavy lifting involved. What could be better?

“I just wanted to have a go at something myself,” he says. “I’ve always just liked the idea of owning my own place and working for myself and I just thought there was an opening for a more GAA orientated shop in Waterford.”

McGrath leased a building off his girlfriend’s grandmother and employed the expertise of those close to him in fitting out the shop. All that was for it then was to get stuff and sell it but that wasn’t quite as easy as McGrath expected.

“I thought it would be a lot easier,” he admits. “I thought you just ring fellas and you get their goods but you have to build up a bit of reputation as well. You can’t just go off and get every supplier straight away.”

Besides that, the early spade-work had to be attended to after ‘McGrath’s Sports’ opened its doors last November. He pulled out of the All Stars trip to New York last winter to concentrate on generating a good turnover during the busiest retail period of the year.

“Lucky enough, the hurling people had contacts with some of the bigger lads. We had adidas fairly fast. We got a few of the bigger brands fairly fast which helped a lot.”

Now McGrath’s shop stocks jerseys and sportswear of every description, which adds its own excitement to the business: “You’re watching Munster playing and hoping Munster win because people will want to buy their jerseys.

They stock retro gear too and there’s probably quite a few hurling people who’ll smile at the thought of Ken McGrath making a living buying and selling Tipp, Cork and Kilkenny jerseys.

“Well, mainly Tipp and Kilkenny, because they’re only up the road from us...but I keep them at the back!”

And dealing with the Waterford sporting public on a daily basis in what has been a hugely eventful year must have it’s own quirks?

“The week of the All-Ireland semi-final, you’d have lads coming in every second to you. If I hear this ‘are you full-back?’ question one more time I’ll have a stroke!”