'Home for Christmas,' a gala evening of music will be presented on Friday, 19th December at 9:00 pm in Campbell's Tavern, Cloughanover. Proceeds will be generously donated to Solas Family Resource Centre. Admission is €10 and tickets are available at Solas.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT - Playing the Field
So, it turns out that playing the field is a good thing. No, really.
A 2013 survey of 1,200 young athletes showed those who concentrated on a single sport were 70% to 93% more likely to be injured than those who played multiple sports. That makes sport one of the few areas in life where loyalty is actually a bad quality.
And if you ask Tommy Bane of Headford GAA, Tom Walsh of
Moyne Villa Soccer, or Frank Hennahan of Corrib RFC, they’ll all confirm that
fact.
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| Tom Walsh |
MOYNE VILLA SOCCER
‘Our facilities are second to none,’ Tom Walsh says of Moyne
Villa, which includes an indoor gym, outdoor gym, track, and even a bus
shelter! And yet, many of the players at Moyne Villa also play down the road at
Headford GAA. And vice versa.
The soccer club is comprised of 450 members, but, Tom says, ‘We’re
not just a soccer club. We want to include the whole community. Everyone is
more than welcome to use the facilities.’
Tom played soccer from the age of 18 to 43, but he started
coaching in his 30’s. Now he coaches and organises materials and upkeep for the
club. ‘We try to make the training interesting,’ Tom says, ‘and give the
players as much game time as possible.’ Toward that end, though there are eleven
players in a game, there are eighteen on each team. ‘And we have B teams, so
every player gets to play.’
Girls usually play soccer from age 6 to 25-ish. Boys from 5
to 30-ish. As a coach, Tom has his priorities straight. ‘It’s important to
learn how to get hit in the head,’ he says, with a smile.
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| Tommy Bane & Joe O'Donnell |
HEADFORD GAA
Down the road, the GAA’s Tommy Bane, has 38 years of
experience with the game and is the main organiser and coach for the Headford
team. Joe O’Donnell, Chairman, says, ‘I was a cross-country guy.’ So there’s an
excellent range of diverse experience in Headford. At the GAA, training is
usually two nights a week. Kids start at about 6 years of age and, Tommy says,
‘We put no age limit to when you hang up your boots.’
But sport doesn’t come cheap. According to Joe O’Donnell,
the price tag is over €40K to run the GAA club and maintain
the ‘terrific’ pitch. There’s a lotto every week that helps pay for pitch
maintenance, laundering the jerseys, transport, gear, and multiple insurance
policies.
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| Frank Henaghan |
RUGBY – CORRIB RFC
When it comes to Rugby in Headford, Frank Henaghan is your
man. After playing the sport for fourteen years, Frank is now President of the
Headford organisation. The Corrib RFC formed in 1981. Its youngest member is 7
years old, the oldest is about 35, and, Frank says, ‘We’re always welcoming new
members.’
Because rugby depends on a combination of strength, speed
and strategy to move the ball, you’d think playing other sports would definitely
come in handy. Frank says most of the Corrib RFC gang do play other sports, but
usually GAA because soccer clashes with the rugby season.
‘Rugby is the best team game you can get,’ Frank says,
‘because it really takes a team effort to win.’
No one from Headford is set to play in the 2016 Olympics.
Yet. But there’s still time!
Understandably, with all the talent and facilities
available, sport is big in Headford. Studies have proven sports help develop
physical and motor skills, but also psychosocial development and well-being. Even
more importantly, sports can help overcome some conditions.
For instance, according to the National Library of Medicine,
‘the world’s largest medical library,’ being active, working out, and playing
sports, help kids with asthma stay fit. In addition, sports can actually help strengthen
breathing muscles, thus helping the lungs work better. Padraic Heneghan, an
8-year-old asthma sufferer, has first-hand experience of just how helpful
playing rugby can be.
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| Padraic Henaghan, Headford Rugby Player |
