Big Bellurgan contingent have a ‘Wales’ of a time

A BIG group of Bellurgan United schoolboy teams ended their season in fine style when travelling to north Wales to take part in the SCI Schoolboys Soccer Tournament the weekend before last.

In all, 69 kids and 49 adults travelled by bus and ferry to Prestatyn where they settled into the accommodation in Pontins before two days of competition kicked off in glorious sunshine.

Bellurgan were represented in the Under-10 to Under-13 age groups and considering the difference in ages, as the UK use September to September to categorise the various age groups, all the teams did exceptionally well. And thanks to the large travelling support group each received massive encouragement from the sidelines.

Notable highlights were provided by the under-11 age group where Bellurgan Celtic received the referees-nominated Fair Play Award for excellence in sports- manship. Bellurgan United U-11s finished two points clear at the top of their league table, kept seven clean sheets over two days and progressed to the Under-11 Final where they conceded their only goal of the weekend in the last minute. Nevertheless, both players and coaches were delighted with the outstanding performance.

Meanwhile, the Under-13s missed out on silverware by just one point, and taking the age difference into account this was a fantastic achievement also.

The final highlight of the weekend came with the awards ceremony on the Sunday evening. A gala show, hosted by former Liverpool player Gary McAllister, was put on, with superb music and lighting effects and an electric atmosphere.

There were some very proud parents and coaches in the venue as the kids took to the stage, to the sound of the Champions League theme music, to accept trophies from the Liverpool legend. Bearing in mind that there was a large proportion of Liverpool fans in the Bellurgan delegation it was doubly sweet.

The biggest cheer of the night went to the U-11s when presented with their Fair Play trophy.

However, the more important aspect of the weekend was the significant bonding experience, not just of the kids but also the adults. The kids had a wonderful time outside of the football, enjoying the facilities at Pontins Prestatyn and the experience of travelling, rooming and eating together for four days.

From first leaving Bellurgan at 6am on Friday to the return at 7pm on Monday of last week it was non-stop fun and an experience that will live long in the memory for everyone involved.

Throughout the journey over and back and while in Prestatyn, always turned out in their new travelling club gear, the kids repre- sented themselves, their families, the club and the area with impeccable behaviour.

Bellurgan United would like to say a special thanks to coaches Richie, Sean, Declan, Michael, Paddy, Gavin, Tiernan, Pat, Niall, Neil and Alec - just when they thought they were getting a wellearned break, with the season finished, they were asked to give up another weekend of their time. They did so without hesitation which shows their commitment to the club and to the kids.

Thanks also to the Carrickdale Hotel for their generous sponsorship towards the travelling kit for the kids, the parents for their fund-raising activities and support and the Magic Hill Brewery for their sponsorship of the new U-10 kit.

Thanks in addition to John Cotter who was hopping in and out of taxis to get to the different venues for photos and comments to keep everyone back home up to speed through Facebook.