Achill Rovers named FAI Club of the Year

Anton McNulty

ACHILL Rovers are celebrating being named the Aviva FAI Club of the Year for 2015 as their outstanding work in the community was highlighted as a major factor given in securing the coveted title.

The island club – who follow in the footsteps of 2007 winners Manulla FC – were presented with their award by FAI Chief Executive John Delaney and President Tony Fitzgerald at the FAI pre-AGM delegates’ dinner in Sligo on Friday night.

Capping a great night for the county, the Mayo Football League app designed by Moy Villa’s SeΡn Garvin won the Best Website award, and Donal Benson (Swinford) was awarded the John Sherlock Service to Football award.

“We entered the competition because we knew we were doing good things with the club and we wanted to gauge where we were,” said vice-chairman SeΡn Molloy, who told The Mayo News that the judges were very impressed by the community aspect of the club. “We thought we had a good chance of winning it and when we made it to the last eight, we put out best foot forward. To win the competition overall was something else and a fantastic achievement.

“This award is a tribute to every single person who has been involved in the club and justifies to everyone in the club and on the island that we are doing the right things. We are not just a football team, we want to make a difference to the people of Achill, and we will continue to do that,” he said.

The presentation team representing Achill Rovers included SeΡn Molloy, Etain O’Connor, Tony Grealis, Tony McGing, Terence Dever (Saula), Martin Fadian, Patrick English, Michael Gallagher and new Sligo Rovers coach, Joseph N’Do.

In the past four years, the club have come from the brink of extinction to having 12 teams, over 350 members and a third of the population of the island involved in the club. Two years ago, Rovers had no female teams, but now have two competing in leagues, and they’ve attracted 200 of the island’s 250 national school children to the club.

“They are a club who have plenty of excuses to fail, but they have used this adversity to create a club that is now the bedrock of the island,” said Donal Conway, Chair of the Aviva FAI Club of the Year Judging Panel. “A hub for the Achill community that works hard to include other sports and not compete against them shows the ethos of the club.”  

There could be further success for Achill Rovers next weekend, with two finals in Milebush Park, Castlebar. The U-13 boys play Ballina Town on Saturday at 2.45pm, while the men’s team take on Ballyhaunis Town in the Tonra Cup final at 2.30pm on Sunday. Win, lose or draw, the club will have a parade through the island on Sunday to celebrate the Club of the Year award, starting at Alice’s car-park at 7pm and finishing at Lourdie’s in Dooagh.

Achill’s Most Eligible Bachelor, Damien McGreal will be part of the parade and a children’s party will take place at 8.30pm in Ted Lavelle’s followed by a club function in Ted Lavelle’s at 10pm.

“Hopefully we will have a lot more to celebrate,” said SeΡn Molloy.