CLUB STORY

A Cork soccer resource. This is an archive of mini club histories that I have published over the years. To find your club, check the label list on the left side or else use the "search the blog" box above. If you spot any errors (esp. in dates) contact cork.billy@gmail.com
Showing posts with label Springfield. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Springfield. Show all posts

Monday, October 5, 2009

SPRINGFIELD 1995

In the early sixties, when I first became involved in soccer, there was some


disapproval, what with the infamous ban and the rural establishment very much

in favour of the status quo and against the foreign game.



Soccer was said to be alien to our culture. That has been spectacularly

disproved, particularly in the last twelve years or so. As the game has spread,

through parish after parish, it has become an extra choice for our youth, a

new freedom, an extension of our culture.



And an extension that has projected the country on to the world stage in a way

that an introspective culture never could. Who can forget Euro 88 in Germany,

Italia Novante as George Hamilton loved to say during the summer of 1990,

still loves to say, and more recently New York and Orlando.



We Irish showed that we can enjoy ourselves, win, lose or draw. But the

players of Springfield know that you don't have to go abroad to enjoy yourselves.

You have enjoyed yourselves, win lose or draw, at venues in the city and in

villages and towns around the county.



You have enjoyed yourselves because you are a committed group, committed to

one another. You do the training, play the game, and enjoy yourselves afterwards. Sometimes, the craic can be marginally better if you have some silverware on the table. Perhaps that business will be done next year. Thanks for inviting us and keep up the good work.



(B Lyons at Springfield dinner)

SPRINGFIELD 1995

SPRINGFIELD:




Springfield may not be hitting the headlines on the playing

fields at present but the Cobh club is going well. Long time

Springers activist John Murphy says that support in the town "is

better than ever".



They need all the support they can get. In addition to the

senior and junior sides in the AUL, Springfield run schoolboy

league teams at under 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. Besides, every

Saturday morning at the gym in Colaiste Muire, some sixty under

10s, 9s, and 8s, have training sessions.



Paddy McCarthy is the current chairman and the other officers are

Hughie O'Reilly (vice-chairman), John Coughlan (secretary), and

Conor McCarthy (treasurer). The other committee members are John

O'Sullivan, Frank Collins, Christy Ryan, Colm McDonagh, and John

Murphy.



Coughlan and McDonagh look after the senior team and are in the

process of rebuilding, having lost some good players. But there

is more to football than winning and, while Springers are

currently in a lowly position in the AUL Senior Division, there

is a very good atmosphere when this squad gets together.



Springfield were losing quite a lot of the good underage players

to other clubs and while they would never stand in the way of a

player wanting to better himself they also wanted to benefit

themselves from all their good work at underage level. So, this

season they set up a junior team which includes a lot of recent

minors and will no doubt produce some handy players for the first

team.



Hughie O'Reilly is the player-manager with this side and he gets

sideline assistance from John Murphy (who also runs the Under

12s). Robert Murphy, the veteran of the side, is the skipper.

Most of the other lads are about the twenty mark.



Their home form has been excellent and includes a win over

promotion seeking Corkbeg Utd but, as yet, their away form has

been disappointing. That will have to change if they are to

become genuine promotion candidates next season.



The junior panel is: Kevin Condon (keeper), Gary Cox, Brian

Wilson, Jason Hickey, Adrian O'Flynn, Pat Foley, Peter Hurley,

Nino Pipitoni (a Sicilian), Damien Burns, Frank Collins (who

helps run the Under 12s), John O'Flynn, Robert Wilson, Greg

O'Brien, and Peter McSweeney.



The senior panel also has quite a lot of youngsters and is

captained by keeper Brian Farrell. The other players are: Colm

McDonagh (player-manager), Christy Ryan (who manages the under

14s), Christy Fitzgerald, Pat Hurley, Denis Kiely, Con Keating,

Kieran Brady, Val Keenan, Brian Lawton, Martin Cusack, Nigel

Britton, Niall Cloake, and Kieran Walsh.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

DOUGLAS HALL MIDLETON SPRINGFIELD 1999

CLUBS ON THE NET




Time was when hitting the net had only one meaning in football - that time has passed. Ask Douglas hall, Midleton, and Springfield, three AUL clubs who can be found on the net, the internet that is.



The 'Hall site has been up and running for about 2 years. When Joe Doherty started the site, it was pretty much experimental: "I wasn't sure what, if any, interest there would be. I had been working on my own site and added a few pages for the club".



Over time, the site has evolved and now includes results and fixtures, generally updated on a weekly basis. "This is one of the difficulties", says Joe. "It is always necessary to keep the site updated - there is no point in having and using the internet service without maintaining accurate information".





Another "side effect" has been correspondence from clubs and individuals around the world. So far, Doherty has recorded letters from Italy, Portugal, England, Scotland, Wales, USA, Canada and Mozambique. "Former Douglas Hall players in Belgium and Austria have been in touch, as have Douglas natives in Australia and New Zealand. I like to think that these Douglas people see the site as a link to home - hence the need to maintain accurate information".



Further, with access to the internet now spreading, there is no doubt that Douglas players do access the site and check that their own latest result is included.



Joe says that feedback has been very positive and while maintenance can be time consuming (not always), the effort involved is overall worthwhile. In addition, team managers are now well aware of the need to provide information about their teams - scorers, results, performances and so on - similar to the need to provide information for inclusion in the newspapers.





The Springfield web page is running since last Christmas and is constantly being revamped. It now gives a brief history of the club and has a separate page on each of the teams from Under 11s up to the Premier side. These pages include match fixtures, results, scorers, league tables and some photographs, all of which are updated as soon as the results are at hand.



While the web page could be classified as an 'unofficial' site it has the full backing of the club. Ted Creedon started the page as a hobby both for himself and his son who plays with the U-16 & U-17 sides, but the 'hobby' is now starting to be a regular informative sheet, especially for ex players now abroad.



The Midleton website had a more planned start than the others as it is part of a change in structures and ongoing developments that are currently taking place within the club who see it as a gradual process.



Midleton FC chairman Michael Kirby and his fellow officers decided to enlist the services of Pat Carroll, who had spent a number of years with Churchvilla FC in the role of club development, to re-package Midleton Football Club.



The site has provided the club with a new means of communication and at the same time allowing the public access to what is occurring within the club.





Through the website the club has built up relationships with a lot of clubs all over the country and worldwide some of whom are undergoing similar development plans as the Magpies. Knockgriffin Park is renowned for its facilities and it is the clubs aim to constantly improve them for players and members. It is widely anticipated that within a very short period of time website and email communication will be the norm within a lot of clubs and organisations, it is Midleton Football Club's intention to utilise it to its full extent.





It was decided to look at the entire workings of the club over a three month period .Significant areas included- all playing sections, administration, cost saving measures, club image and presentation , fund raising and club sponsorship



On the playing side Midleton FC is currently going through what can best be described as a "period of transition “with a high percentage of very young players.

The advent of the website along with the development of the all weather playing surface has allowed Midleton FC enhance other areas within the club. All club business is now computerised, a players database has been constructed which contains all relevant information from registration, membership, home address, phone no.etc. It has provided the club with a new means of communication and at the same time allowing the public access to what is occurring within the club.

It was Midleton Football Club's aim to procure a high profile sponsor and the Magpie website went a long way in achieving this when the large multinational Stryker Instruments after a very courteous meeting with Stryker Instruments Mr. Mike McGrath and Midleton FC's officers, Stryker Instruments expressed a desire to become associated with the club. This was seen as an endorsement of the new foundations being put in place by Midleton FC. Through the website the club has built up relationships with a lot of clubs all over the country and worldwide some of whom are undergoing similar development plans as the Magpies. Knockgriffin Park is renowned for its facilities and it is the clubs aim to constantly improve them for players and members. It is widely anticipated that within a very short period of time website and email communication will be the norm within a lot of clubs and organisations, it is Midleton Football Club's intention to utilise it to its full extent.

Billy,

Thank you for your interest in the site, I have enclosed a brief summary as a

text attachment for you.

Kindest Regards,

Pat Carroll

Lisanley,Cloyne,Co.Cork

http://homepage.tinet.ie/~midletonfc//

http://indigo.ie/~tcreedon/springfield.html), Midleton (http://homepage.tinet.ie/~midletonfc) Cork City (at least 4) and Cobh Ramblers. If there are others, I would be delighted to hear of them, because building links on the 'net also helps to build additional links between clubs. Our address is: http://indigo.ie/~joedoc/dhafc.html If you need more information, please let me know, Regards, Joe Doherty PRO Douglas Hall AFC