SOME GOOD VIBRATIONS AT GLENAVY

Gerry singing the praises of work that has been done to make club part of community

GOALS and league titles would be secondary to Glenavy Youth’s main target of uniting their community.

A club which didn’t exist three years ago now has more than 120 players across nine teams – from the age of five to the seniors.

In this, their debut season, they’ve already achieved their target of giving the young people in the hinterland something to keep them occupied.

And with plans to continue to grow, first team manager Gerry Goodall (below) has opened the lid on a fantastic community experience brewing in the village.

He told Match on Tuesday: “Stephen Stewart established the club in 2015 with the idea of giving the young people in the area somewhere to come and something to do.

“Stephen is from a youth coaching background and has a real passion for it.

“We now have eight youth teams from the age of five upwards.

“In 2017 we decided to enter a senior team in the

Mid-ulster

League.

“We got the infrastructure in place and it gives the older boys, 17,

18, 19, somewhere to play. It’s a really good standard in Division Three but we’ve done alright, we’ve not had any tankings.

“Our aim has always been to just find our feet and enjoy it and that’s what we’ve done this season.

“We’re planning for the longterm – we didn’t just want to have one season, we want to leave a legacy.

“Now we have got 120 kids at the club at all ages, we train twice a week so there’s something for them to do.

“We try and do it in the right way, there’s zero tolerance to any nonsense.

“And the aim is for them to enjoy it.

“We are growing and growing and next season we should be in a position where we can have two senior teams which would

be brilliant. Stephen has been the instigator for it all, Mark Cush is in as my assistant and my daughter is club secretary.

“It’s a real family affair but not just our family, there are a lot of families involved.

“The whole community is involved to different degrees which is brilliant to see.”

A high-octane 4-3 win over Moira Albion at the weekend was Youth’s fourth league victory of their campaign in Division Three.

Irwin Cunningham bagged two goals with Michael Tohill and Michael Mcgarrity also on the scoresheet.

It took them up a spot in the standings and with just six league games left to play the Crumlin Leisure Centre side are in position to achieve their goal of a top-half finish.

They have one of the better attacks in Division Three with 33 goals put away in their 14 games. But they’ve shipped 38 at the other end – the fourth worst in the league.

It’s an obvious area for improvement but Goodall doesn’t want them to give away too much of their entertainment while making the necessary tweaks.

“We have scored quite a few,” he said, “but we’ve let quite a few in too.

“The ethos has been that style of football where players can relax and enjoy their football.

“Our games aren’t for the faint-hearted but at the same time that’s enjoyable to watch!

“On Saturday we were 2-0 down and then came back and scored four in a row before letting one in to make things a bit nervy.

“But we’re going OK so hopefully a tophalf finish is on the cards and that would be a great platform to build on.”