Buddies team up with Belfast youth partners
Fitzy reckons there’s great potential in Irish venture
St Mirren are hoping Irish eyes shine on Paisley having teamed up with Belfast’s biggest youth side.
Saints chief executive Tony Fitzpatrick was invited over to Northern Ireland alongside club partner inspiresport’s head of sales for Scotland, Jed McCabe as the pair met with officials of the South Belfast League and member club Rosario Youth.
The plan is for St Mirren, in conjunction with inspiresport, to become official partners of the pair.
inspiresport are already partners of the South Belfast League, which has 640 youth teams boys and girls from 10 to 19-years-old.
And the league’s largest member club Rosario Youth, which alone have 56 teams from all ages, are also looking to link up with the Paisley club as well.
Fitzpatrick told Express Sport: “Following our successful new partnership with the NECSL League in the Republic of Ireland, which will see 200 young players coming to experience St Mirren in the next few months, coupled with the appointment of Oran Kearney, this new partnership gives us a huge platform in Northern Ireland with the chance to partner with the South Belfast League and Rosario Youth.
“It means the club will have a firm presence in the North and south of Ireland.”
Having these partnerships will bring huge benefits to the club and all 640 Belfast League youth teams. Boys and girls will be given the chance to come to St Mirren for a football development tour where they will enjoy professional coaching, play matches, enjoy a behind the scenes stadium tour, as well as attend a home match at the Simple Digital Area.
And the benefits work both ways as St Mirren engage with new supporters and potential players from Northern Ireland, as well as bringing in revenue to the Academy which will help the club financially long term.
The South Belfast League also have select sides at Under 13 and Under 15 levels, who are set to travel the path to Scotland carved out by new Saints boss Oran Kearney when they come to the St Mirren Academy in Ralston at the start of next year.
McCabe added: “I am delighted to introduce St Mirren into this wonderful new market as it will showcase what a wonderful club they are and win new fans, revenue and hopefully unearth a gem of a player.
“We at inspiresport value our partnership with St Mirren as much as we do our top European clubs such as Valencia CF and FC Porto.”