Council honour graduates from TY Football and Fitness Course
The country’s only Football and Fitness Course for Transition Year students held its graduation ceremony in the company of FAI President, Donal Conway, and ex-international and current Ireland U18 Head Coach, Andy Reid, at the Fingal County Council Civic Offices in Blanchardstown on Thursday, May 23, when 22 TY students received their certificates in front of an audience that included their parents and family members.
The ground-breaking course has been running for three years and is a partnership between Fingal County Council and the Football Association of Ireland with support from Empower, Blanchardstown. It provides the young students with the opportunity to meet their educational requirements while developing a whole range of football skills and also gaining a full ITEC Fitness Instructor’s qualification from Litton Lane Training.
This football centred education initiative was run in Corduff Sports Centre over the course of the 2018-19 academic year with all students getting permission from their respective schools to attend on a daily basis. It recorded an impressive average attendance rate of 93% throughout the school year
Speaking at the event, Margaret Geraghty, Director of Service, Fingal County Council, congratulated the 22 students who attended the course and added: “Within Fingal County Council we have a ‘can do’ attitude and this is another great initiative by our Sports Office. We are aware that young people within our community have sporting ambitions and this programme gave the students an excellent opportunity to develop and enhance their sporting skills while staying within the education system and also giving something back to their local communities through the work experience module of the course. It ticks many boxes for us as an organisation which is focused on the development of communities within Fingal.”
Within Fingal County Council we have a ‘can do’ attitude and this is another great initiative by our Sports Office. We are aware that young people within our community have sporting ambitions and this programme gave the students an excellent opportunity to develop and enhance their sporting skills while staying within the education system and also giving something back to their local communities through the work experience module of the course.
Also present at the event, Donal Conway, President of the FAI, who encouraged the students to continue to pursue their education, while playing football.
He commended the tutors and those involved in delivering the course, which allows participants continue with their education while gaining skills they can put to use both on and off the field and which will be important to them in the future.
In his address, former Republic of Ireland senior international player, Andy Reid, spoke to the graduates about his footballing career and the unique opportunity that these young people had been given. He encouraged them to follow their dreams and said that the skills they had gained would stand to them in all walks of life, including whatever sport or sporting role they may decide to pursue in the future.
Denis Hyland, an FAI-Fingal County Council Football Development Officer and Course Coordinator, stated: “The course allows TY Students to live in a proper sporting environment for a year while also meeting their educational needs. They are at an age when some young players head abroad to join professional clubs and this programme allows them to reap the same footballing benefits and a lot more while remaining at home within their families and putting something back into their local communities.”