Avondale's Ken Bruton delighted to be coaching the future of the club

Ken Bruton has split his time playing senior football between UCC and Avondale primarily, and has being lucky enough to have had success with both along the way. 

Towards the end of his playing days, Ken went back and played a couple of seasons with his schoolboys clubs Wilton and then Glasheen. 

He began then splitting his time between playing and helping out on the coaching side with his good friend Kieran O’Mahony, who was the senior manager at the time.

Bruton’s two boys had also got to the age where they were now playing football with Avondale United, so he also started to coach both of them too. 

Along the way, Ken helped out Hugh Kavanagh with a schoolboy’s team at Avondale that eventually ended up winning the U19 league. 

Bruton also had a stint coaching the Avondale senior side which was a fantastic learning opportunity for him at the sharp end of the coaching ladder locally.

However, he is now doing a superb job at the helm of the Avondale U17 Premier League side.

"I like many other fathers, just turned up to watch my lads train with Avondale United and then ended up leaving with cones and a bag of footballs,” Ken said.

“I didn’t really want to coach my sons as I didn’t want to be overbearing in their sporting lives. 

"However, I have to say, it has turned out to be a great decision. 

"I have coached the U17 lads since they were five years old and have seen them grow into fantastic young men along the way. 

"I think sport has a major part to play in young people’s development and I’m glad I’ve had the chance to be involved in their lives in this way.

“I am presently coaching our U17 Premier side and I’m really happy with how the group have developed over the last number of years, this season especially. 

"With Stuart Warner and Eamon Kavanagh, we have a great coaching group, which has meant that every training session has pushed the lads a little further along in their development. 

"Anthony Wolfe has also been very helpful with the senior team in allowing some of our lads to train with them on a Monday evening under their watchful eye, which gives them something new to aspire to.

“I have always focused on the technical aspects of the game since the lads were a young age, and just want them to play at as high a level as they can in a way that they can be proud of. 

"I like my teams to play fast attacking football, while also working hard as a collective to limit other teams’ opportunities. 

"We don’t always get it right, but we try every week to get just a little bit better with the objective to be challenging for league and cup honours by the time they get to the U19 league.

“The Cork Youth U17 Premier League is extremely competitive with all of the nine teams well organised and coached, so it is a great challenge for the boys every week. 

"Trying to reach the level of the top teams in the league, two of which, Carrigaline United and Midleton, are now in the last four of the FAI National Cup, has always been our objective. 

"It just shows how strong the league is when your teams from within it go so far in national competitions and again, it gives our lads something to aspire to.

“Our goal as always is improve, develop and enjoy our football while doing it. 

"We try every year to close the gap to the top teams with a view to being competitive at the top end in years to come. 

"We also focus on developing our lads hopefully to go on to play senior football too, so we have started to integrate them into that environment. "We organised a trip to Liverpool at the start of the season to play some local sides and to give the lads the opportunity to attend a premier league match which was a huge success.

"We hope to do the same again next Summer, in case anyone out there would like to sponsor us!

“I want to see as many of my U17 group progress to senior football as possible, so I’ll keep pushing them on for the next few years. 

"I also coach my younger lad’s side at U14 level with Micheal Mulconry and David Spratt, who I played with for many years, so I’ve got an eye on the next batch coming through as well.

“After that, who knows.” Ken added.