MAYFIELD UTD 1993

NOTHING BUT THE BEST:




"Nothing but the best" is the motto at Mayfield Utd and one man who

has played a leading role there in recent years is chairman John

Stout.



Last Saturday, John and his hardworking committee had their efforts

over the last six years recognised when Mr Michael Hyland, President

of The FAI, visited the club's grounds to inspect the developments and

to hand over a cheque for œ25,000.



Stout, who played his football with Red City and Castleview, says that

there are still a couple of outstanding items from the 1987 agenda:

an all weather pitch and a gymnasium. "We want to have facilities

good enough for League of Ireland football".



The initial development committee consisted of Stout, Joe Kennedy, Jim

Atkinson and Willie Lettis. The latest phase saw the talents of

Stout, Kennedy, and engineer Nodwell, combined.



The Mayfield chairman was in no great hurry back in 1987: "We set

targets with which we were comfortable though that is not to say that

they were easy".



But the success of Jack Charlton and the senior team in Euro 88

accelerated the development. It created a new respectability for

soccer and Mayfield, like many other clubs, found it easier to talk to

financial institutions.



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NOTHING BUT THE BEST CONTINUED:



Another accelerating factor was Mayfield's acceptance into the newly

formed AUL Intermediate League. "Intermediate football caught us by

surprise," admitted Stout. "We would have done with another year or

too but we'll soon be catching up".



Stout also played tribute to some of the older players who have shown

great loyalty to the club when times were hard and are now doing their

bit to help the youngsters settle in.



The Mayfield chairman praised the members of Cork Corporation for

"their foresight" in granting the club a long lease of the ground but

also recalled the doubters in the early stages.



The club, grateful to the community for the fabulous support, now

extends an invitation to interested parties to come up and view.

There is training for nine and ten year olds every Saturday morning at

11.30am. Parents are welcome.



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NOTHING BUT THE BEST CONTINUED:



Officers of Mayfield Utd are: John Stout (Chairman), Mick Kennefick

(vice chairman and chairman of the underage section), Joe Kennedy

(Treasurer), Ted O'Mahony (secretary underage). Other committee

members and managers are: Tadgh O'Neill, Ernest O'Mahony, Pat

McClaverty, Willie Lettis, Tom Dennehy, Tony Carroll, Kevin O'Mahony,

Jim Atkinson, Padraig O'Leary, and Pat Saville.



Mayfield is not a male preserve. A Ladies Committee has been formed

recently and, of course, the club has a long and proud tradition of

participation in Ladies Football. They currently field two teams,

under the guidance of Kevin Barry, Pat Quirke, and Pat Saville,

continuing the great work begun by Steve Quinn who died a year ago.



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YOUTH POLICY:



"We gave ourselves six years to get the facilities in place", said

Mayfield treasurer Joe Kennedy last Saturday. "We achieved that and

now we are going to concentrate on getting the playing side right".



Mayfield have targetted their eight underage sides. Kennedy again:

"We are trying to introduce a level of coaching that will produce

quality players to fill our intermediate side, to go on to League of

Ireland level, and hopefully, to produce a few internationals along

the way. We want to be the Home Farm of Cork."



Kennedy talks of it as "an apprenticeship system" and the man giving

the master classes is Limerick's Dave Mahedy, highly qualified both as

a physical educator and as a football coach. Mahedy has been lined up

to make regular visits to the club.



Kennedy is confident of success: "We have great potential in Cork:

Denis Irwin, Roy Keane, Sonia O'Sullivan, Paul Buttimer. It is no

coincidence that there are two Cork players on the Irish senior side

at present". If Kennedy has his way, you could see three or four from

Mayfield on it in the not too distant future.



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JIMMY NODWELL - PUTTING SOMETHING BACK:



Jimmy Nodwell, a man who has seen action in some of the top European

stadiums, is now playing a key role in the major development by the

Mayfield United Football Club. No stadium there yet but don't bet

against it.



The popular Noddy, a civil engineer with Bord Gais, has brought his

knowledge to bear in the project that is now nearing completion on a

26 acre site that, for the moment, includes four pitches and a very

impressive clubhouse complex.



Jimmy Nodwell, three years with the club as a player, has given them

tremendous commitment. Treasurer Joe Kennedy has nothing but praise:

"Noddy has been responsible for the layout and design and largely

responsible for the seeing through of the latest phase of the

project".



Nodwell, who played in European cup competitions against AZ Alkmaar

(Holland), Southhampton (England), and Real Madrid (Spain), played

underage football with Barrackton, Wolfe Tones and Rockmount and was

capped at schoolboy level in 1974.



Two years later he played League of Ireland football with Albert

Rovers and went on to win nine youth caps and was also part of an

Ireland Under 21 Selection.



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JIMMY NODWELL CONTINUED:





In 78, he made the Inter-League Selection and, a year later, an Irish

amateur selection. Seventy nine also he gained a place on the

Sportswriters Team of the Year.



His major senior honours came with Limerick. They include a Cup

winners medal in 82 and a League Cup winners trophy the following

season. He also holds five Munster Senior Cup medals.







end of story