This article is from page 60 of the 2011-07-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 60 JPG
THE sight of some of the biggest names in Irish football lending their support to the game in Clare represented a proud moment for the men who played a key role in bringing the FAI’s showpiece event to the county.
As a former Chairman of the Munster Football Association (MFA), Michael Leahy, proposed bringing the FAI’s Annual General Meeting to Clare in 2006.
Clare District Soccer League secretary Oliver Fitzpatrick also supported bringing the event to Clare and laid a lot of the groundwork for the county’s ultimately successful bid.
Both men were among the guests in the offices of Clare County Council at last Thursday night’s civic reception held in honor of the FAI.
The prescence in Clare of Ireland manager Giovanni Trappattoni, his assistant Marco Tardelli along with major figures in the Irish game such as FAI CEO John Delaney and former international Ray Houghton, confirmed to Michael just how far soccer has come in the banner county.
Michael, a former league chairman who played for Newmarket Celtic and Hermitage, said, “It’s a fabulous day for sport. As long as kids are playing the game, any game, that’s all you want. We never thought we’d see dignatories coming down from the FAI”.
Michael said the visit of the FAI was made more memorable by the involvement of his son Tommy, who is the Clare District Soccer League’s delegate to the MFA.
Michael also paid tribute to the work of former CDSL Chairman Jim Madden.
He said, “Without Jim Madden I think the league would’ve just rolled along. He’s really pushed it into this century. The FAI coming has really made a difference. John Delaney has a great affinity for Clare. He pushed for us to get Denis Hynes which has made an awful difference to soccer in Clare. That gets kids out playing”.
Having been in Kerry for the first time the FAI held the AGM outside of Dublin, Oliver Fitzpatrick be- lieved the event could be a big success in Clare.
He explained, “I’ve been at them all since it first started. I saw what it did for Kerry, the county, bringing all the former players. It was a big thing. When I came back to Clare, at the next committee meeting, I brought it up that it would be a great idea to have this in Clare. Some people said maybe not, maybe yes, but we decided it was worth pursuing. We applied for it. It took a bit of time. Michael Leahy did a lot of work in the background”.
Beyond the immediate impact of grant funding, Oliver believes better organisation and increased playing numbers will be the long-term legacy of the FAI’s visit to the county.
He said, “Take Bunratty and Cratloe, they have used this to kickstart underage soccer in their area. I would say they will have a schoolboy’s team in for next season. That’s the big thing. That’s a positive straight away. West Clare is the same way. You’ll probably have more and more play- ing it. Around Ennis you’ve seen the crowds were very good. They came from everywhere. Everywhere was very good. You have to applaud the clubs and the effort they put in. I think this has been a big success for Clare. In Clare we do have good guys on the ground”.