Park Life: Football focus on St Brendan’s Park FC

TRALEE club St Brendan’s Park is one of the top clubs in the county with facilities to match its illustrious standing in the world of soccer.

The club’s underage structure is the envy of most other clubs in the Kerry District League and with this emphasis on underage football the future of the club is looking very bright indeed.

While their senior team has been going through a bit of a transition period over the past few years they are beginning to make their presence felt again and are in with a good chance of coming out of Division 1A this season.

Of course a club of this stature wants to be playing in Premier A and it seems only a matter of time before they will be back in the top flight of Kerry soccer again.

Padraig McCannon and Tadgh Healy have concentrated on their younger players over the past couple of seasons and now a new crop of talented players are coming through who are gelling together nicely and are improving with every game.

If they can win their final few games of the season they will qualify for the league final.

THE FOUNDER MEMBERS

The following are the officers, first team, and founder members of St. Brendan’s Park FC

Chairman: Percy Prendeville, Secretary/Treasurer: Gerry Clifford Manager: Denis Hehir.

Players: Teddy Brick, Tommy Sugrue, Brian Fitzgerald, Declan Walsh, Sean O’Callaghan, Tommy Nolan, Mikey Sheehy, David Diggins, Noel Kelter, John Joe Naughton, Timmy Clifford, Tom Prendiville, Pat Prendiville, John Cullinane, Timmy McAuliffe, Barry Noonan, Christy Leahy.

CLUB OFFICERS

President: Christy Leahy

Chairman: George Dineen

Vice-Chairman: Tadgh Healy

Secretary: Colm McLoughlin

Treasurers: Declan Walsh and Ken Twamley

PRO: Robert Powell

Director of Coaching: Padraig McCannon

Academy Co-ordinator: Preston McEvoy

Child Welfare Officer: Colm McLoughlin

Club Shop Manager: Mary McLoughlin

ROLL OF HONOUR

Premier A - 1975, 1976, 1977, 2000, 2002, 2012

Division 1B - 1981

Greyhound Bar Cup - 1976, ’77, ’89, ’90, 2001, 2011, 2013

Dominos Pizza Reserve Cup 1995, 2008

Castle Bar Cup - 2000, 2010

Tommy Healy Memorial Cup - 2008

Celsius Menswear Cup - 2006

Anchor Shield - 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977

Munster Junior Cup Kerry Area - 1977, 1985, 1987, 2002

JOHN O’FLYNN

THE club lost a great servant with the death of John O’Flynn at the age of 53 back in July 2017.

A native of Baltimore in west Cork, John worked as a sales representative with The Kerryman newspaper for many years and played a key role in the development of the Tralee Club assisting both as a player and an official of the club.

He was also the assistant secretary of the Kerry District League and done tremendous work on their behalf.