Academy

Saturday's Soccer Academy now open

Registration is €20 euro for the year and training costs €2 euro per week

Saturdays at..

10am - 11am Players born 2004, 2005 and 2006

11am - Noon Players born 2001, 2002 and 2003

(All players are advised to wear shin-pads)

February 19, 2012 Clonmel Town A – Cahir Park -:- in Clonmel Complex at 12pm

Saturday June 5 2010 was the date organized for the John Martin Memorial World Cup blitz with the Park a hive of activity with seven teams of under 10s and under 11s taking part. Spain (Tristan Buchwald, Dylan Sullivan, David Richards and Jack Kelly) were quick out of the traps with a 4-3 win over Argentina. Italy (Patrick O'Donovan, Tommy Magner, Rory Brown and Evan Shine) were next to impress with a 4-0 victory over Brazil. Then it was the turn of Portugal with a fine 6-1 win over Spain with the eventual winners playing the game of their lives. Holland (Conor Cotter, David O'Connell, John Coveney and Harry Tobin) all impressed when accounting for Italy 3-0.

Brazil secured a semi-final place after a 4-1 win over Portugal with starring roles played by Eoin Rowe, Dean O'Brien, Mateusz Etutniak and Jack Duggan. England powered into a semi-final place to meet, and beat, the Brazilians with a big win in the final qualifying rounds. All players - Stephen Grogan, Aaron Condon, Eoin O'Neill and Sean Murphy all played to the top of their game. So it came down to a penalty shoot-out to decide who would meet England in the final at the hastily renamed Aviva Stadium. By a 2-1 margin on penalties after a 2-2 draw, Portugal made it through disappointing free-scoring Argentina's representatives Darragh Conway, Cavan McKenna, Eoin Heffernan and Nicholas Reidy.

With an all-action final Portugal won through just pipping England by the odd goal in five - all goals scored by two players - Aaron Condon for the defeated side - one from the penalty spot and one after a fine one-two with Eoin O'Nelll. It was however Kenneth Cunningham's hat-trick which was to provide the difference on the day. With fine performances also from Jessica Rowe and Eric Czerniak,captain Conor Walsh lifted the beautiful John Martin Cup - a fitting tribute to a man so well thought of at Cahir Park for many years sterling service as a top-quality and likeable coach.

Nature will never allow the competitive spirit, which is part of us to change. Every child has his own personality and for some winning is the most important part of their game, for others the enjoyment is all that matters. Our job as managers, and leaders is to set the right environment for him or her to learn. How many parents have told managers

"Janey the sooner the season is over the better, your man is up since 7.30 am wanting to know is it time for the match".

Only a player of such a tender age has the ability to turn a small 60 x 40 yard pitch, bare of grass and open to the elements into his stadium of light with 60,000 people singing and cheering him on. Only he can bring in players worth millions of pounds to play alongside. Every Friday night his dream of scoring the winner lives on and the beauty of his dream is that, if it does not happen this weekend, it is sure to happen next weekend.

We all use sport as an escape from the pressures of our daily lives but for the young child, sport offers the window of opportunity to live his dreams. It is our responsibility to make sure that we do not rob him of this opportunity. We have the responsibility to create the correct environment for him to learn. Unfair and constant criticism will weaken his confidence. Constant demands of a young player will turn what is his dream into a nightmare and he shall be lost to our game forever.

We are competitive by nature and we cannot undo nature. However it is important to encourage our players to learn the skills of their game, accept discipline and to give of their best efforts during the game. It is also important that when they don't win that it is not seen as the end of the world and that there is always next week.

Some of our players today will develop into serious footballers in time. And when playing at Schoolboy level the principles that you have taught them will show. Encouragement to learn and motivation to develop the better habits and the ability to accept discipline in an atmosphere of fun and learning will produce winners for both our game and our society. Thus we can all be winners. It is our duty to make this happen.

(Courtesy Clare Schoolboys League)