Cobh Ramblers launch new academy to cater to young players in the East Cork area

WHILE a new revenue stream is important, bringing families from the community to the club is a clear goal for all at Cobh Ramblers.

Last weekend Cobh Ramblers FC kicked off their new Rams Junior Skills Academy. It caters for boys and girls of all abilities between the ages of 7-14. It gives outfield players and goalkeepers the opportunity to be trained and coached under the guidance of Cobh Ramblers players and coaches.

The academy runs every Sunday in St Colman's Park, 5.30pm-7.30pm, broken into two age categories.

The Junior Skills Academy will be led by club captain Jason Abbott, who will be assisted by other Ramblers players and coaches.

Commercial Manager Paul Deasy is delighted the academy has started and expects it to be a huge success.

"We decided to set up the academy as a gateway to get more families actively involved in the club," said Deasy. "We hope that this appeals to the families of Cobh but also in the wider East Cork region. We hope this initiative is a springboard for the club keep growing and attracting new families while giving current supporters access to the senior players and coaches in the club on a more regular basis.

"While it is hoped that it will be a new revenue stream for the club the core reasoning behind this is to grow even more within the community. To get more families actively involved in the club and try to cast the net to new supporters within Cobh but also further afield."

The registration fee to join the academy will be €120 and includes the first four sessions, as well as Uhlsport/CRFC branded training quarter-zip, t-shirt, shorts and socks. The cost is €50 per month thereafter.

"The Junior Skills Academy was previously rolled out before Christmas and was a great success. However trying to secure consistent times and venues for the academy was a challenge, now with the new state-of-the-art astro development in St Colman's Park, the Junior Skills Academy now has a home to work from every Sunday evening and we are delighted about that. 

Kids will now get to train and play where they see the senior players play every week.

"As stated the new astro development makes a world of difference to a project like this, when the academy was run previously it was difficult to tie down consistent times and venues but now it has a home to work from in St Colman's Park and I am sure the kids will get a great thrill training there every week. 

"It also gives kids a chance to get more football contact hours with these weekly sessions, the hope is by putting the sessions at this time on a Sunday evening that we won't clash with any local teams' training or matches. Kids can still play with their local teams while on the academy, these are just sessions under the Cobh Ramblers umbrella."

Deasy, who previously worked with Cork City is enjoying his new role with Cobh and he hopes he can make a difference with the ideas he has to develop the club.

"I am two months into the role now and finally finding my feet, the first two months have flown by getting to know everyone and getting stuck in right away to the different things going on. Trying to reach out and meet all existing partners while trying to generate new sponsorship, getting the Junior Skills Academy off the ground and there are plenty of more exciting projects in the pipeline. 

GROWTH

"My aims are to help the club build on the great work that has been done off the field in the last number of years. My role is to maximise existing revenue streams, creating more revenue streams and strengthening our marketing and branding of the club, which will hopefully mean growing our fanbase even further. It's an exciting time to be involved with this great club."

Senior captain and academy Head Coach Jason Abbott was excited to get the project off the ground last weekend.

"I am delighted that we are able to get this going again. We had massive interest from kids and families in this previously and with a few tweaks that we have made we believe it can be an even bigger success. With the new Astro at Colman's this will give the kids a chance to play in the same place the Ramblers teams train and play which I know will give the kids a huge buzz, it was great getting started last weekend. Let's hope it can be the start of great things to come for our club."