Billy Tabb on his bicycle kick picked as best amateur goal in the world and shown on Sky Sports

Grangevale player Billy Tabb is still coming to terms with the remarkable journey that saw a stunning strike from a Cork Business League match travel from a local pitch to screens and social media feeds across the globe.

The 31-year-old recently claimed the prestigious Veo People’s Puskás Goal of the Year, an award run by camera company Veo Technologies which celebrates the best amateur goals captured on its cameras worldwide.

Billy Tabb bicycle kick....

The Mayfield man scores one of the best goals you will see this season ⚽️🟠⚫️ pic.twitter.com/LUSsNyJ4Rx

— Grangevale_AFC (@Grangevale_AFC) August 6, 2025

For Tabb, who lines out with Grangevale AFC in the Cork Business League, it has been a surreal few weeks.

“The Veo People’s Puskás is a competition run by the Veo camera company to award the best amateur goal captured on their camera around the world,” said Tabb.

“My goal was captured on a Veo Technologies camera which our club purchased last year. At the time I knew it was a good goal, but I had no idea it would get as much attention as it did.” 

That attention came fast. What started as a great moment in a local game quickly snowballed into something far bigger, as clips of Tabb’s goal spread rapidly online.

“I suppose the goal went pretty viral the next day. It was all over most social media platforms, RedFM, and the one that surprised me the most was seeing it on Sky Sports.” 

For an amateur footballer juggling work, family life and football, seeing his name and goal shared by major broadcasters was something he never expected.

TOP GUN

The competition itself was no small achievement. Veo reportedly narrowed thousands of submitted goals from around the world down to a final 100. From there, the public vote determined the top 16 before eventually crowning an overall winner.

"The camera company narrowed a few thousand goals down to a final 100, and from there it was down to the public to vote for the top 16.

I was very lucky to win first prize as there were some amazing goals.” 

The award is particularly meaningful given how often great moments in amateur sport are lost forever without being recorded. In fact, Tabb believes he may even have scored a better goal a few years ago — but there was one major difference.

“I did score a bicycle kick around three years ago that I think was better, but we’ll never know because it wasn’t captured,” he laughed. "It was great to be able to watch this one back.” 

That ability to relive and share moments has become one of the major attractions of Veo cameras for grassroots clubs, with more teams investing in the technology to record matches, analyse performances and, occasionally, preserve something special.

For Tabb, football has been a lifelong passion.

“I’ve been playing soccer since I was around six years of age. I began my football journey with Mayfield United, where I spent most of my playing career and enjoyed considerable success at youth level. I started playing with Mayfield seniors at around 16.” 

While silverware came more regularly at underage level, senior football brought different challenges.

“We didn’t have much success at senior level as the Munster Senior League requires a lot of commitment.” 

BALANCE

As life changed and family responsibilities grew, Tabb made the decision to move away from the demands of senior football.

After becoming a father of two, he joined Grangevale AFC, a move that has proven to be the right one both on and off the pitch.

“After having two children, I moved to Grangevale where we have had a lot of success.” 

Away from football, Tabb lives in Innishannon with his girlfriend Katie and their two sons, Cian and Adam. He works in spray foam insulation with Envirofoam, balancing family life, work commitments and football like countless amateur players around the country.

Unlike elite professionals, amateur players rarely expect their moments of brilliance to be seen beyond teammates, opponents and maybe a few supporters on the sideline. Yet Tabb’s goal captured imaginations far beyond Cork, proving that football magic can happen anywhere.

His victory also highlights the growing influence of technology in grassroots sport, where a single camera can turn a brilliant moment into a worldwide talking point.

From a local league game in Cork to winning a global public vote, it has been a whirlwind experience.

For Billy Tabb, though, the biggest takeaway may simply be having proof of a moment he can replay for years to come.