All systems go for FAI tour of Clare

After almost 12 months of planning, the Clare and District Soccer League will host the annual general meeting of the FAI next week.
The meeting on Saturday week will come at the end of a week-long programme of activities throughout the county during which FAI officials, led by the chief executive John Delaney and including ambassadors Ray Houghton and John Aldridge, will visit clubs across the county.
It is believed the staging of the AGM and the week long festival which goes with it will be worth upwards on half a million euro to the county. Included in this is €100,000 in grant aid that will be distributed amongst the clubs of the county and the lucky clubs will be identified next Monday.
The FAI visits begin on Monday morning at Kilmaley community field where Connolly Celtic will welcome the visiting party who will perform a plaque unveiling. From there it will be on to Corofin Harps at 12.55pm, Moher Celtic at 3.10pm, Burren United at 4.30pm and Sporting Ennistymon at 7pm.
On Tuesday the tour begins at Lees Road and then it will be on to visit Lifford (11.30am), Coole FC at Gort (12.50 pm), Mountshannon Celtic at Scariff (3.10pm), Lough Derg in Killaloe (4.25 pm), Bridge United (5.45pm) before finishing up in Tulla (7.15pm) for the official opening of the club’s Astroturf pitch followed by a social night.
The officials will be in Cratloe at 11am on Wednesday for the Powerchair football demonstration and from there it will be on to Bunratty at 11.50am Kilmaley at Tiermaclane at 12.45pm, Moneypoint at Kilrush at 2.55pm, meeting with Clare County Council and Kilrush Town Council officials at Gallery Park at 4pm, meeting West Clare Utd and Kildysart Celtic at the Astroturf in Kilkee (4.45pm) before visiting St Pat’s in Kilmihil at 6.20pm.
Lees Road will be the starting point on Thursday at 11am for a visit to Avenue and from there it will be on to Ennis rugby grounds to meet Ennis Town FC at 12.10pm, Newmarket Celtic at 2.15pm, Shannon Olympic at 3.25pm and Shannon Hibs at 4.25pm. They will attend a Clare inter-cultural Futsal league at Shannon Recreation Centre at 5.20pm before meeting with Park United FC at 6.20pm.
Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council will jointly host a civic reception at council headquarters at 7.30pm after which the Clare Schoolboys League will host a social evening.
On Friday the FAI delegation will be at the Cliffs of Moher at 12.30 while there will be a golf outing in Shannon at 11am and a tour of Bunratty Folk Park for the delegates at 1pm.
The AGM delegates’ dinner will take place at the West County Hotel, Ennis, at 7pm during which the winners of the special awards will be named.
The festival will conclude on Saturday with the FAI AGM, at which over 300 delegates will attend from all strands of the game across Ireland.