Linking club with local community
AS Sligo Rovers’ season is winding down, a new initiative between the FAI, Sligo Leitrim Youth Schoolboys and Schoolgirls League and Rovers has been launched that aims to encourage more children to get involved in the beautiful game.
The seven week coaching programme will see coaches attend schools one day a week.
There will be four football sessions, teaching children the basic components of the sport, a session on nutrition, a racism session and one session will consist of a presentation about Sligo Rovers and the school’s local schoolboys or schoolgirls club.
It is hoped that the initiative will begin following the mid- term break.
“It’s a new initiative from the FAI, Sligo Rovers and Sligo Leitrim Youth Schoolboys League. We’re trying to get more football in schools and trying to get more kids playing the game.
“We’re running a seven week coaching programme which consists of four football sessions and three classroom based sessions, one on nutrition and healthy eating where we get the kids to do a food diary and give them the basic information on the kind of foods they should be eating, then we have another session on racism, using sport as the medium to engage with the kids and explain the different types,” explained John Russell, Football Development Officer with the FAI for Sligo.
“We also have one on Sligo Rovers Football Club, so we’re giving kids information on the actual club, the new players, the new management team and we’ll have interactive video. We’re looking forward to rolling it out for the new school term,” he added.
The programme will be run across the county from November until June, and any schools interested in taking part are encouraged to get in touch with John on john. russell@ fai. ie.
There will be a small cost involved, but there will be prizes for kids at the end.
Darragh Healy will be head coach for this programme, and he will assisted by a number of Transition Year students.
“It’s all about getting more kids playing football. We’re going to use the schools to do this,” said Darragh.
“We’re excited to get involved with the kids, we have a couple of schools on board but we’re hoping to get more in the coming weeks. We’re starting in Castlebaldwin on the first week in November. If it doesn’t suit you to start, we’re going to give the schools a choice for when we start. We’re going to ask them whatever suits then. We’ll facilitate them,” he said.
The session on racism, says Darragh, will be crucial for these children taking part in the programme.
“It’s very important. There are so many different ethnic groups playing soccer in Ireland, it’s important to integrate everyone together and to have equal rights, so that they all get the most out of it. That’s our aim just to make them more aware of that.
“Sessions will be about 50 minutes, so it’s all about the fun.”
The involvement of Sligo Rovers will no doubt be a big attraction for local children, and players from the club will be in attendance at workshops.
Sligo Rovers manager Dave Robertson says the initiative is welcome, and he is hopeful that the club will be able to support these players in the future.
“It’s a fantastic grassroots initiative for the FAI and the schools programme to be targeting players of the right age in Sligo and developing the skills that are going to attract them into the game and make them better players in the long term. Hopefully from the football club’s point of view we can support that process as they get a little bit older.
“When they see the likes of Seamus Coleman who is the Ireland captain it shows a real progress from the grassroots right through to the very top.”
There has always been a strong connection between Sligo Rovers and the local community, one benefits the other in a major way in the form of support, and often financially.
This new programme will see players visiting schools and carrying out coaching sessions.
With children being educated on the history of Sligo Rovers, there will also be representatives present from their local schoolboys and schoolgirls league clubs who will inform children more about their club.
“You’ve seen the great work the club have done signing up players, a lot of the players will be coming back in January, we’ll be out in schools doing visits and coaching sessions,” said Russell.
“We’re going to give information about Sligo Rovers but also about the local club. So if we’re out in St. Patrick’s in Calry we’re going to get someone from Calry Bohs to come out and speak to kids about the club.
“This is between the FAI, Sligo Rovers and the Schoolboys league so we’re trying to get coaches to come in from wherever and give information on the club, who you contact, where they train and give a presentation on the club.
“A presentation on Sligo Rovers will be a presentation on Rovers and their club, if they want to do that.”
For Robertson, seeing his players involved in the local community is of the utmost importance and he feels that it is vital to continue and to even strengthen the links between the club and the community.
“The players are always involved in community activities and in conjunction with the club and the FAI, long may that continue.
“In the community involvement, from the players point of view and from the club’s point of view is vital and you can see there are a number of players who are very active with community activities and they take that very seriously because of the connection between the football club, the players and also the wider family game that’s vitally important to us.
“We need to continue those links,” he said at the programme’s launch on Friday afternoon.
As someone who has been involved in football for sometime, Robertson understands the journeys of players at all levels, some finding their way quicker than others.
He also understands, the importance of a professional club like Sligo Rovers showing their support for an initiative that will hopefully start journeys for some of the younger footballers in the county.
“All of the players have their own journeys. Their journeys start out at a young age. In the foundation phase, they have to fall in love with the game, whether that be in an initiative like this, in soccer schools, playing in the park with their mates, before they then join teams and they go through that process.
“Everybody’s journey in football starts somewhere and for us to support that and to see the next generation is fantastic.”
For young fans, seeing their idols visiting their schools or clubs can often be the reason they start taking football seriously. And Robertson is keen to say Rovers play a part in the development of young players.
“I remember being a youngster myself and going to soccer schools with West Ham and before joining their local club and progressing from there.
“When you see your idols you try and emulate what they do on a Saturday night in big matches for the club you support, it gives the place a huge part in your imagination and the creativity side of young developing footballers.
“For us being part of the community and for our players to be engaged with these future young stars is excellent,” said Robertson.
John Russell, and those involved are working on getting information out to schools ahead of the initiative beginning in November.
“We’ve sent emails out to the schools to get information to them. There is a cost involved, it’s € 150 per class to participate for the seven weeks. I think it works out about € 2 per child. That will cover the costs for coaches to get out to the schools and the materials that we will be using.
“We’ll have prizes to give out to the kids like Sligo Rovers merchandise and FAI gear as well. We’re looking forward to working with the schools,” said Russell.
For more information on the initiative get in touch with John Russell.