LDSL Awards a Celebration of Volunteerism, Talent & Hard Work

The Leaving Cert English Exam often throws up an essay entitled “youth is wasted on the young” and it leads the student to discuss the subject. Any student visiting the Absolute Hotel last Friday night would have had many arguments to refute the proposition.

The Limerick District Soccer League (LDSL) held their School boy and girl awards at the venue and it was so heartening to witness the recognition of so many deserving players, officials, FAI RDO ’s and volunteers on the night.

Mike O’Regan and the committee are to be genuinely congratulated for the organisation of the event which saw over 40 awards presented in  less than two hours. The celebration was made all the more special by the presence of the Mayor and the President of the FAI.

The players represented clubs from right across the district and in a very nice touch each player was asked what their “second” sport was, because as was pointed out on the night, it matters little what sport a child plays, what matters really is that they are playing a sport.

A special moment on the night saw the veteran Aisling Annacotty clubman Jack Cosgrave inducted into the “Hall of Fame”.

The FAI president in his speech rightly thanked all of those who give of their time and experience to administering the cubs and the game. More importantly, he outlined the strategic plan that the FAI have instituted which will see players able to progress through the age ranks in their own home place without the issue of geography dictating a players chances of recognition.

The LDSL exists in a district that is sports mad but their greatest challenge is not children playing other sports, it those that play none or who stop playing and fill their lives with other influences.

Both the Mayor James Collins and the SFAI chairman John Early both alluded to this with Mr Early pointing out that maintaining a child’s interest in sport was essential to maintaining their mental and physical health and how those that train and work with schoolboy and girl teams were often the confidants and last line of defence for players who may be experiencing difficulty in their lives.

Mayor Collins put it more succinctly when he asked: “Why would a kid want to play FIFA 19 on a computer on their own when they could play the real thing with real friends?” This is the challenge facing the LDSL, FAI and all sports bodies into the future and one that the FAI is seeking to address through it “Elite Pathways” strategy.

Nights like this one give hope for the future that Limerick will remain a premier sporting county and that the future of soccer is strong at the grassroots level. George Lee. There will be a selection of the photos in Thursday’s Limerick Post plus the entire gallery will be published on the Sporting Limerick website.