Premier league palace return to ballina town

SPORT for development charity Active Communities Network, which works across Ireland and the UK with an office in Belfast, will be returning to Ballina Town FC with Crystal Palace FC and former Irish international footballer Eddie McGoldrick.

From Friday to Sunday next, July 3 to 5, McGoldrick, alongside Crystal Palace FC Foundation coaches, Crystal Palace FC Academy manager Ben Smith, Active Communities Network coaches and Ballina Town FC, will deliver an elite football training camp for Under 18 football players from Belfast and Ballina Town in the three-way partnership.

The weekend will be broken up into a football camp on the first two days, with a challenge match for silverware on the Sunday, putting into practice everything that has been learnt previously.

With comprehensive feedback from the Crystal Palace FC coaches and officials from the local FA, the weekend is sure to prove not only a feast of football but a unique atmosphere to learn more about the finer points of coaching.

It also represents the start of the second year of the three-year partnership between Active Communities Network, Crystal Palace FC and Ballina Town FC. The first year saw a week-long work and mentoring placement for young people from Ballina and Belfast with Crystal Palace FC as community coaches in both towns.

“Following on from the success of the partnership last February, the members of Ballina Town Football Club are really looking forward to renewing acquaintances with familiar faces,” said Ballina Town FC chairman Colm Hendry.

“Often the best friendships are made through sport and we feel that this project affords us the opportunity to develop lasting friendships with our visitors from Crystal Palace FC and Belfast. 

“Furthermore, these friendships will allow us, as a progressive club always looking to develop further and be innovative, to greater develop the skills and personalities of our exciting young talents in the 15- to 18-year-old age bracket, which will be focused on during the course of this visit. 

“At present it's all systems go at our home, Belleek Park, as we prepare for the next phase in this most positive initiative and we are all eager in anticipation of further positive developments enabled through this wonderful partnership.”

Eddie McGoldrick, Crystal Palace FC Foundation ambassador, added: “The work that Active Communities Network is doing is massively important - it is bringing people together, which sport does. 

“The connection we have now between Belfast, Co. Mayo and southeast London with the football club is a fantastic achievement. It’s only going to get bigger and get stronger, and we can then branch out further into different communities, different towns - it’s very important that we achieve that. 

“What we’re trying to do here is not about selling shirts; it’s about changing people's lives in the community through the participation in sport, not just to get fit, but for their general wellbeing, lifestyle and health.

“Supporting this work is a no-brainer. It’s terrific, I’m delighted to be on-board, and I feel very privileged.”