Saturday the 21st day which is always a favourite with our players but it was the official opening of our pitches at Castlemartin.
The day kicked off at 10am with each age group from our academy to U11’s playing each other and the theme this year was World Cup so plenty of excitement and tricks to be seen on the pitch. The official “ribbon cutting” event followed and we were delighted to have ex International and Leeds player Gary Kelly in attendance to do the honours.
Our chairman Mark Quinn made a speech thanking everyone involved in the club both past and present for making his dream a reality. Brian Mooney who has overseen our Pitch Development also thanked our local politicians, the residents of Castlemartin and the contractors for their assistance and patience in getting the pitches to completion. A presentation was made to Brian Mooney who has stepped down from the committee in recognition for his huge contribution over numerous years which has brought the club to this next stage in its development.
A presentation was then made to Molly McNally’s mother Emma following a recent charity match where €1,700 was raised for five year old Molly’s courageous fight against Neuroblastoma.
The final few words were left to Gary Kelly who commended the club for achieving such wonderful facilities not only for the benefit of all the kids in our club but for the wider community. Gary also commented on the wonderful community spirit and sense of achievement that could be felt on the day as he stood watching the events. The ribbon was cut, the champagne popped and a great cheer from one and all. The afternoon continued on a glorious day with our U12 to U17 age groups followed eagerly by the highlight of the blitz each year, the coaches v parents match!! It goes without saying they thought it was the World Cup Final with a big thank you going to Paul Hand for being brave enough to referee the match!!
A great day was had by young and old with the usual bouncing castles, BBQ, DJ, Face painting, penalty shoot- out and the old favourites the goodie bags. A big thank you to Boyne Valley Foods for their generous sponsorship of the goodie bags and to everybody who helped out on the day and in the run up to this event.
Bringing the evening to a close the adults were invited to Moran’s Pub to mark the official Pitch Opening with a Mid Summers Night Dance in our purpose built Marquee. A massive thank you to Brendan Battersby owner of Moran’s for his continuous support to the club and a great night was had by all as we danced into the small hours of the morning.
Check out the Gallery for photos from the event.
