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Soccer is good for you, says Packie


SOCCER is a tool for tackling obesity and social problems, this week’s meeting of Clare County Council heard.

Packie Bonnar visited the council chamber to give a presentation on the FAI’s work in Clare and beyond, as did CEO John Delaney and Clare development officer Denis Hynes.
Mr Delaney said playing soccer could help prevent alcohol abuse and obesity, adding that gender equality was very important.
He said that, as a parent, it is important to him that the organisation he leads wouldn’t view his daughter as a second-class citizen.
“It would be important to me that my boy and girl would have the same opportunity to play sports. Every girl has the same right as every boy,” he said.
Mr Delaney noted ESRI figures show that soccer has around 450,000 participants in Ireland, along with 43 development officers.
Packie Bonnar outlined the type of structures the FAI are operating and said that they are monitoring emerging talent. “If they have got talent, they have got to get the opportunity that I had.”
He said tsummer camps run by the FAI help to bring children into contact with clubs and that dealing with social problems has become more important over the years.
“Six or seven years ago, when we started off, social inclusion was not on our radar but once we started, one of our key objectives became tackling the kind of things John was talking about,” Mr Bonnar said.
Development officer for Clare, Denis Hynes, said that there are now 357 qualified coaches around the county.He also said that there are two referees from the county on the Airtricity panel.
Hynes added that there have been initiatives taken in Clare to promote inter-culturalism through soccer. With regard to social inclusion, he said Park United had been set up in a RAPID area, which gave an outlet to 50 children.
The ‘Beat the Streets’ initiative, which took place in Shannon last year had been a great success, he said.
“It snowballed out of all recognition. I’d say we picked the worst six Friday nights for weather but the kids stuck and we’re looking to expand it to Ennis,” he added.
Mr Delaney said partnership between the FAI and the council could help tackle some of the social problems he had referred to.
He said that the FAI’s annual conference, which will be held in Clare in 2011, would be a celebration of the game, which will see an underage international game played in Tulla, while up to €100,000 in grants will be announced for Clare clubs.
“My mother always said never to arrive with your hands empty,” he joked.
Mr Delaney said soccer was perhaps the most useful game for promoting social inclusion.
“There are estates in all parts of the country where if you brought in a hurley it would be seen as a weapon, if you brought a rugby ball they would see it as elitist but if you brought a soccer ball, they would kick it.”
However, he said that people’s choice of sport is not as important as ensuring they play some game. “I’ve a son who plays soccer in the morning and hurling in the afternoon. I don’t care which one he plays as long as it’s one of them,” Mr Delaney added.
Councillor Gerry Flynn applauded the work of the FAI and said that when he was young, soccer had to be played “behind closed doors”.
He joked that the FAI should concentrate its efforts on the leading county in hurling’s roll of honour. “Ye should put more development officers into Kilkenny, it might give the rest of us a chance,” he commented.
Councillor Johnny Flynn said that the possibility of developing an indoor facility for futsal should be examined, while he described the work of Denis Hynes as ‘phenomenal’.
The decision by the FAI to hold its conference in Clare was described as “a great vote of confidence” by county manager Tom Coughlan and said he expected it to be very successful.

 

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