Headford News and Community Spotlight-Headford Sport

 

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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.

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.

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. 

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.

Padraic Henaghan, Headford Rugby Player

Refusing to commit is often considered an objectionable personality trait. But when it comes to sports, playing around, experiencing as many different games as possible, wins you points in multiple categories. And when you think about it, that’s how it should be. Because, while football, soccer and rugby are all team sports, the inner joy one experiences when playing these sports is one hundred percent independent.