Special Visitors at First FAI Summer Soccer School in Tyrrelstown

The Irish women’s national football team head coach, Vera Pauw, and goalkeeping coach, Jan Williem van Ede, visited the first FAI Summer Soccer School to be held in Tyrrelstown on August 3. They spoke to the children involved, shared some words of wisdom and even did some coaching. Their visit will hopefully encourage the children to keep playing football and to join the Tyrrelstown FC academy which is due to start in September. 

The Summer Soccer School was held in Tyrrelstown all-weather pitch where approximately 90 children participated in activities delivered by FAI qualified coaches. This is the first ever FAI camp in the area and was overseen by the FAI and Fingal County Council Football Development Officer, Jamie Wilson, and Head Coach, Sean Fogarty.

The highlight of the week was the visit from the two Dutch coaches Vera Pauw and Jan Willem van Ede who are now involved with Ireland’s women’s national team. The pair joined in on some of the sessions, displaying some football skills and chatting with the participants. This was an amazing opportunity for the local children who fully embraced the opportunity to interact with two international coaches. They were joined by the Mayor of Fingal and Fingal County Council’s Director of Housing and Community, Liam Burke, on the day.

The Mayor of Fingal, Seána O’Rodaigh, said: “Vera and Jan are an inspiration to the younger generation. Their attendance at the Soccer Camp in Tyrrelstown showed the children that they are the future. The engagement and respect between the National coaches and children was a joy to see.”

FAI/Fingal County Council Football Development Officer, Jamie Wilson, was delighted to see Vera and Jan visit the Summer Soccer School: “It’s fantastic for the kids and coaches to see people like Vera and Jan go out of their way to visit Tyrrelstown. There are thousands of kids in the area and football has been badly neglected in recent years. With summer soccer schools, the club restarting, and many other events planned for the future, football will be more readily available for all age groups and for both boys and girls. We hope that Vera and Jan’s visit will inspire the kids to take up football and play on a more regular basis.”

Niall McGuirk, Acting Principal Sports Officer for Fingal County Council said: “It was an absolute pleasure having Vera and Jan at the soccer school. They showed the kids some great tricks and really got involved. It’s our first ever FAI football camp in the area so we were delighted that Vera and Jan could join us and encourage the kids to keep up the sport. We hope that the children feel inspired to join in on the academy starting in the coming months.”

Tyrrelstown FC academy will start on Sunday, September 12 for the 6-12 age groups. If you are interested in participating, please email Jamie Wilson at [email protected] .