WICKLOW ROVERS AFC CLUB NOTES WEEK ENDING 23rd JULY 2023

Our youths A team travelled to Shillelagh to take on their A team in the youths league on Saturday and came away with an impressive 5-2 win. With only 10 men the lads played one of their best matches this season with Lorcan Sinnott scoring two and Tadgh Lord hitting a brilliant hat-trick to take the win and a very important three points. Ben Doyle and Jack Macklin were excellent throughout in what was a good all round team performance.

Well week 1 of our annual summer camp came to an end last Friday. What a week it was with the camp completely sold out and it was great to see so many kids enjoying the sport of football. Despite been rained off on Wednesday it was great to get everyone down on Friday to replace the postponed day. There is definitely a positive outlook for the future with so much football talent on view all week, well done kids. Just a few people to thank. A big thanks to Corinna Collins, Trevor Conyard, Stephen Clarke and Ross Byrne for their help in organising different aspects of the camp. Big thanks to club chairman Paul Delaney who ensured the signing in process ran smoothly with the help of Emer Kennedy and was on hand all week helping where needed. Thank you to Yvonne Conyard, Jenna Sheridan, and Rachel Taglienti for making sure the distribution of the jerseys went off without a hitch. Huge thanks to our coaches Emer Kennedy, Rachel Taglienti, Evan Conyard, Lorcan Sinnott, Jack Macklin, Ben Doyle, Dylan Vickers, Brandon Battams, Peter Quinn, Mel Earley and Oscar Broxton who were excellent with the kids all week, every one of them carried out their duties to a high standard, well done and thanks. Big thanks to club president Anthony Earls who is always on hand to help in any way possible and is always on hand for a bit of banter. Thanks to head coach Johnny Dunne for overseeing the camp all week making sure everything went off smoothly, well done Johnny. Thanks to the parents for bringing the kids along and for their continuous support of our camps. Finally, to the main people, the kids. The kids make the whole exercise of a summer camp worthwhile, to see the smiles on their faces is what it's all about. The kids enjoying themselves is the main priority. But the kids were excellent and a credit to themselves and their families, well done kids, take a bow. Looking forward now to week 2.

The club’s annual community fun day in conjunction with our mini world cup takes place on Saturday 29th of July in Whitegates. Teams will be selected and posted on a notice board in the club grounds so players can see their teams on arrival. Names for the mini world cup should have been registered by Sunday 23rd of July. Admission for the mini world cup is free. There are four different age groups and are as follows: 8's/9's, 10's/11's, 12's/13's and 14's/15's. It promises to be a fun filled day with plenty of activities for the kids to amuse themselves between games, everyone welcomed.

Just a reminder to everyone our main pitch at Whitegates will be closed to all activities from August 1st and will be closed for 4 to 6 weeks. This is to facilitate repair work to the pitch as it requires urgent attention. During this period, we kindly request people to stay off the main pitch, thank you. This will not affect the use of the Astro pitch, sorry for any inconvenience.

The club’s weekly junior football academy continues every Saturday morning [weather permitting] under the watchful eye of senior club coaches Johnny Dunne and Jimmy Nolan. The academy takes place on the club grounds at Whitegates and is open to all kids from the age of 3 years to 8 years. The academy starts at 11 o’clock and finishes at 12. There is no need for registration so you can come along to any week that suits. Come along and learn the skills of football while having fun and enjoyment, it’s a great way of meeting new friends as you learn the skills as you get prepared for the introduction to participate in organised league football in the coming years. It is a very good way for the kids to meet new friends and interact with others, all the kids are put in their relevant age groups and its open to boys and girls. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Also, the club in conjunction with our Saturday morning junior academy run a Superheroes Football section for kids with special needs. It runs every Saturday on the astro pitch at Whitegates and will be overseen by coaches James Quinn and James Macklin. The Superheroes section will run from 11.15 to 12.15 on Saturdays. If you are interested, you should register your child by email to wicklowroverssuperheros@gmail.com or you can contact James Quinn at 086-3989769.

Anyone with anything for our club notes, Facebook page or our club website can contact me by email at jimmy.nolan09@hotmail.com or by text to 087-9108706. For all news regarding the club, check out our club website at www.wicklowroversafc.com or the club Facebook page.