Glanmire underage success paying off as club builds towards brighter future

THE Glanmire U15 footballers recently captured a unique double when both their first and second teams enjoyed success in two grades of the Féile football tournament.

Thet captured the John West Féile U15 Premier 1 football title after they secured a hard-earned win over Douglas earlier this month. Glanmire emerged triumphant after they defeated Douglas by one point, on a 0-6 to 0-5 scoreline to secure Glanmire’s first Féile success since 2016. 

They were captained to glory by their impressive corner forward Cathal Galvin.

The Glanmire U15 second team also defeated Douglas in the Féile final held specifically for second teams to secure a great double for a club who are building nicely and are primed for a successful future.

Jenny Long who has served as the PRO for both the adult and underage section of Glanmire Football Club for the last two years said it was an ‘unbelievable’ day for the club. 

“It was a great win against Douglas. It was a very close final. I am involved with the club for a long period of time. I started coaching when I was about 13 or 14. It is a great achievement for the club. It was one of those special days. It was an unbelievable win and day for the club,” she said.

“There was a huge crowd at the Douglas game in the final,” said the club officer. 

“There was a savage effort put in by so many people and it was great to see all their hard work rewarded with success in the Féile." 

"Our second team also won the Féile tournament for second teams last Saturday week. This was also a great achievement and it shows the great work that is going on within the club. They won a tournament that was held for all the second teams and the standard was high. It was great to come out as the top team in that tournament.” 

A total of eight coaches were involved with the recent U15 success. James Kelly, Brian Murphy, Shay Galvin, Niall Fitzpatrick, Colin Naughton, Peter Conway, Alan O’Connor, and Daniel Spillane all played influential roles in leading the club to a unique Féile double.

RETAINING PLAYERS

The club PRO paid tribute to the great coaching work going on both within the U15 team and indeed at all levels within the club. 

“There are some very talented players on the successful U15 team. That team has been together since they were five years old. They have stayed together, trained hard and that same group of players has developed together over the years. The coaches have done a great job in retaining the players all the way up. There is great coaching going on at U15 level and throughout the club which is great to see.

“We have coaches coming in from everywhere at the moment and sharing their expertise with a variety of teams within the club. They are called blow-ins, but Glanmire is built on people moving into the area. There are huge numbers at the moment moving to the area. 

"It is a great way for new families to get involved in their local community when they join their local club. It is great when they get involved in coaching or assisting within the club. We have got an awful lot of coaches from West Cork, from the city, from other parts of the country and we even take the Kerry fellas,” she added.

The club administrator said that both on and off the pitch there is ‘great’ work going on within all the sections of Glanmire Football Club. 

“There is great work going on within all sections of the club, both from a coaching and administrative perspective."

"The population of Glanmire is increasing rapidly and it is a very up-and-coming area. We are fortunate to be able to provide a team for everybody that wants to play.

“A lot of our teams would have six or eight coaches involved with them right across the board. We are a big club and we have definitely got our act together over the last few years. It is down to all the coaches and the people coming in from other areas who have immersed themselves in the club,” she added.

Long said the jubilant Glanmire U15 footballers enjoyed a small parade through Glanmire after they won the recent Premier 1 Féile football title. She also paid tribute to the parents for their support. 

“The players and coaches all came back to Glanmire straight after the final. They did a small car parade before going back to the Sars clubhouse. It was well deserved. We are very grateful for the role all the parents have played in the background as well, taking the players to training sessions and to games. They have been so supportive. The players are also great to work with. They are a credit to the club and their families.” 

The club PRO said the hope within the club is that the players will continue to ‘progress’ and move up the various age grades. 

“We would be hopeful the players will continue to progress and move up the various age groups. The plan is to make sure they continue to develop and that they will subsequently filter into the various adult teams in the near future.”