Mooney feted for a lifetime of service
A BROKEN leg and ankle proved to be a blessing in disguise for Jimmy Mooney over half a century ago.
In the space of a few months, Mooney broke his leg before breaking his ankle on his return and that spurned the end of his playing days.
His love for the game didn’t wane though so Mooney decided to invest in a whistle and relocate to Co. Wicklow and that’s where he remained match after match, year after year, decade after decade until his reluctant retirement.
His dedication did not go unnoticed locally and this weekend, Mooney discovered that he was noticed nationally as he was honoured with the John Sherlock Services to Football award at the FAI AGM in Cork on Friday.
Mooney was joined in Cork by family members who shared the memorable day with him and the gentleman of Wicklow soccer was thrilled to receive the award.
The aforementioned double injury may ended his playing dreams but it proved to be a good move for Wicklow soccer as they gained one of the most committed and talented referees seen in the county.
“I suppose it was about 54 years ago. I was playing football until I broke my leg and two months later I went back to play and I broke my ankle! I thought to myself; “that’s the end of it”. I decided to give up so I came down here to Wicklow and joined the society here.
“I wish I could go back and do it again! I made great friends. You do really miss it.”
Retirement doesn’t keep him away though and he still pops down whenever he can to take in some football and pass on his wisdom to the younger crowd of whistleblowers.
“I still go down to the Wicklow League matches and I’ll look at the lads and if I see them doing something wrong or anything like that I’ll give them a bit of advice - whether they listen or not is a different story!”
And when Mooney looks back on his career, he can’t help but smile.
“It was very good. I had a good 50-something years. I enjoyed every minute of it.”
One man who knows Mooney very well is ISRS President, Paul O’Brien and he summed up Mooney’s contribution perfectly: “I was delighted to see Jimmy receiving his award at the FAI AGM.
“Jimmy has given a lifetime of service to refereeing & the Wicklow branch of the ISRS.
“He continues to do so as one of the branches delegates to the ISRS Council. I regard Jimmy as a close personal friend & I look forward to working with him for many years to come”.