This article is from page 12 of the 2013-05-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
THE cream of schoolboys’ soccer in Ennis will take on some of Europe’s best at tournament in Germany later this year.
A team representing Ennis will travel to the German city of Langenfeld to take part in a soccer tournament, from September 6 to 8. Details of the trip were outlined at the May meeting of Ennis Town Council.
Accommodation and food costs for the 20-strong group will be covered by the tournament’s hosts.
Ennis Town Council is proposing to make a contribution of € 3,000 to travel costs. Soccer clubs in Ennis are also being asked to make a contribution.
Town clerk Leonard Cleary explained, “A group of 20 from Ennis consisting of 15 under 13 schoolboys and four mentors/coaches and one manager will represent Ennis at the sports (soccer) initiative in September 2013 in Langenfeld. The u13 schoolboys’ coaches/mentors will be representative of each of the four soccer clubs in Ennis. One of the mentors/coaches will be the FAI Development Officer for Clare, Denis Hynes. The tournament will involve up to three matches that will be held on September 7 to 8. Other teams confirmed to date for the tournament include Montale (Italy), Senlis (France) and Langendfeld (Germany) with other teams anticipated to confirm shortly.”
He continued, “Langenfeld, the organisers of the Sports Exchange Initiative have confirmed that the cost of accommodation and food from September 5 to 9, will be covered by them. Ennis Town Council proposes to make a contribution towards the travel costs of the group of € 3,000. The four soccer clubs will cover the cost of jerseys, tracksuits, gear etc. through direct contributions and fundraising activities.”
Mr Cleary states the visit to Germany will be beneficial to the players and may result in a similar tournament being held in Ennis in the future.
Relations between Ennis and Langenfeld have been developing over the past three years strengthening links in the areas of culture and youth affairs. A delegation from Ennis Town Council visited Langenfeld in late 2010, while a group of students from Ennis also attended an International Youth Conference in the West German city. The Mayor of Langenfeld, Frank Schneider, led a delegation from Germany to Ennis for the recent St Patrick’s Day parade following on from the establishment of links between Ennis and the German town, which lies between Düsseldorf and Cologne.