The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
How Killarney Celtic are Kerry soccer’s top club
IF you talk to anyone outside the county about Kerry soccer the first club they will talk about is Killarney Celtic as their fame is known far and wide.
Without doubt they set the standards when it comes to running a club and this benchmark is always set very high and has been maintained over their proud forty four year history. Few will argue that they are the best club in Kerry and one of the best in the entire country and have facilities all clubs should aspire to.
The club was founded in 1976 by two Killarney locals, Mike Daly and Billy Healy (now living in Seattle, USA). The reason for starting the club was simply to give interested players a chance to play soccer on a regular basis.
The first competitive game was on 24th October 1976. That year the team went through the league unbeaten and gained promotion to Division 2. In division 2 they were again unbeaten and were promoted to Kerry’s top flight where they have remained ever since apart from a couple of brief spells Munster Senior League.
Last season their senior and youth teams won the league and cup double.
The club caters for boys and girls from under 6 (soccer tots) to Under16 and their Football For All programme is one of the best in the country.
The club has a strong community focus and expect high standards from everyone involved in the club..
Unlike a lot of clubs they have a great backroom team and a big band of volunteers who turn out in force when called upon.
They have a fabulous setup with a great underage structure in place.
They have three great pitches a small astro turf pitch that they train in and also rent out and stands for spectators and a spacious club house which can accommodate four teams at any given time while they have two very comfortable meeting rooms in the attic of the clubhouse.
Anyone who visits the clubhouse are always very well looked after as the kettle is always on the boil for a cuppa and there is always plenty of snacks to tuck into if you are feeling peckish.
The ladies who provide the refreshments always have a warm welcome for the local press and afford them the very best of hospitality.
Carmel Lanigan, Siobhan O Shea, Linda Clifford, Suzanne Scully, Jane O’Donoghue, Mary Lyne make everyone feel at home and no one has to put their hands in their pockets for anything they get but they have the option of investing in the club lottery with tickets available to buy. There are a good few people working hard behind the scenes who are not seeking any recognition but when it comes to getting the starting line out involving a Celtic team there is no one better than Diarmuid Daly.
He is great to the local press and can produce a team squad at the drop of a hat and is very co operative whever called upon for any favour.
When you go in to every game at Celtic Park Tom Mc Carthy is there collecting the few euros rain, hail or shine and always has a warm welcome for everyone.
Among the biggest supporters of the club include Karl Mc Mahon, Noel Brosnan and Der Lyne and of course their biggest female supporter is Marie Falvey.
While some people have criticised the club for not having players in the Kerry under 17 and under 19 League of Ireland sides the club have their own reasons for this as they put their club first all the time.
They have been consistently bringing players up through the ranks and always have young players to step up to the plate when they require them.