ATHENRY ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL CLUB INTERVIEWS D-H

 Interview with "Gary Delaney"

1. When did you join Athenry FC? When did you leave the Club?
- Played under age at Corofin United until I was 18 or so then joined Mervue United AFC U21 for two seasons, not sure what the year was think it was 99/00.
Took a break from soccer to try break into the CorofinGAA Senior team, once I got established I went back playing with Corofin Utd and captained them in there first and only season in the GFA Premier Division, that was a tough season!!
Played half a season with Dynamo Blues in Tuam.
- 07/08 to present (still waiting on dave to call me) I joined Athenry (after Alan O'Donovan) convinced Timmy to sign me, think it was the night Athenry won their first Connacht Cup.

2. Who was the biggest influence on you?
- I have worked with some great managers and coaches and have learned so much from each and everyone of them along the way.
I think each time you play/train you will always learn something,
But Frank McCormack(RIP) helped me out early doors.

3. What did you achieve in your time at the Club?
- I was very lucky and played with some serious ballers and we won.
Four Premier Division Titles
Four Connacht Cups and
Two Michael Byrne Cups.

4. What are your three most memorable moments with Athenry FC?
- 1. Captained the Club to a League title and Michael Byrne Cup, this was a huge honour for me.
2. Connacht Cup against Ballinasloe AFC (7-0), especially after losing the final the year before.
3. The Celebrations, they are a crazy crew, memories for life!

5. What three things did you enjoy most about playing for Athenry FC?
- 1. The togetherness of each team was unbelievable.
2. The banter was unbelievable.
3. Cleaning Seamie at training, when ever he wasn’t injured.

6. Who was the toughest opponent you ever played against?
- Team: Mervue Utd, never anything between us on any given day only a kick of a ball (or a man) we had some battles
Player: :Rian Gaffney (Salthill) always caused me trouble when he dropped in from up top, really good on the ball, have to given Ronan Caldwell an honourable mention also.

7. In all the squads you have been part of can you name the following:
Funny Guy - Paddy Quinn
Tough as Nails - Stephen Rabbitt
Fastest player - Benny Lawless
Most Skillful - Ollie Keogh / Alan O'Donovan
Most Grumpy - Seamie Crowe
Best Player - Jamie O'Driscoll

8. From all the players you have played with, name your strongest five a side team which includes yourself:
- One 5 a side team, very hard to pick so I'll add in a few as well:
Keeper - Kieran Killkelly/ Tj Forde
Defenders - Emmett Byrne/ Paddy Quinn
Midfielder: Jamie / Dunners/ Ollie
Strikers : Cathal Fahy/ Johnny Mernagh/ Valsta
Could name 5 more teams.

Thank you,
@athenry_afc / #athenry_afc 

 Interview with Owen Diviney.

1. When did you join Athenry FC? What roles have you had?
- I moved from Mervue, Galway to Athenry in 1998. My first coaching project in Athenry was an U10 Gaelic Football team in 1999. It was coming towards the end of our season, after been successful in the Community Games. We organized an end of season Blitz in Raheen for the boys. A man I didn’t know, at the time pulled up and asked me “how many boys do you have Owen?”, (he knew me) “Thirty I responded”, I advised him of our planned finish time, “Don’t let them go until I come back” Three hours later he arrived back with Supermacs for all the boys and he had no son involved with the team. This was my first encounter with Peter Gilhooley. In the spring of 2001, I was finishing off my lawn and needed topsoil. I went up to the soccer club as there was excess soil as a result of the Astro Development. I arranged a barter with Peter. In exchange for a few loads of topsoil he roped me into buying a few tickets for the club. That was the start of my relationship with Peter Gilhooley and Athenry FC. I regularly attended matches down the years. In the last four years I got involved in both coaching and the committee.

2. What other sports have you been involved in?
- I was very fortunate to grow up in Mervue at a time and in an environment where access to multiple sports was easy, accessible (walking distance) and common practice. There was no major emphasis on winning. The focus was on skills development, development of multiple movements and multiple sport sampling.
We had a natural hunger to achieve. I tried many sports; running, rugby, soccer (Crescent Utd), hurling, gaelic, and swimming. One of the highlights of our
National School year was when the Community Games forms came into the
school. We entered everything we possibly could, rounders, badminton,
draughts, athletics and many other sports and activities to keep us occupied during the spring and summer and into the autumn if we were fortunate to get to the National finals.
I grew up on a street where several boys I grew up with, went on to be County,
and International Sports stars. One of those was my eldest brother Noel, another was Eric Elwood. Noel was the 1st (soccer) player from Galway (Crescent Utd) to be capped (7 Times) for Ireland at U15 level. Noel was also a National Sprint Champion and part of the Mervue U12 soccer team that won both Gold & Silver medals in successive finals at the National Community Games. Noel, being 4 years older than me introduced me to the world of sport and the hard work and sacrifice it takes to achieve anything in life. Several mornings, before school, on the grounds of St. Michaels Boys School, under the warmth of the streetlights,
Noel went through his sixty minutes of skills work. At age 11, I was his ball boy.
He worked hard to improve his skills to make his dream become a reality.
In response to an ad in a local paper my mother brought my two older brothers (twins) and I down to Galway Rowing Club, when I was age 13. I’ll never forget that first morning. Jokingly someone said, “He’s is too small to be a rower”. This was my incentive. Fast forward 4 years, 3 all Ireland Championships, 1 Home International Championship (Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales) and a successful participation at the Junior World Championships in Szeged, Hungary- “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s about the size of the fight in the dog”. Self-reliance and the hunger to achieve is key. I was very fortunate to have a great coach and lifelong friend, Paddy Lally. He travelled all over the world with me and instilled an incredible belief that anything is possible if you are willing to put in the daily, sometimes twice daily, work and sacrifices to make your goals happen.
During my senior career I won the Head of the Charles, Boston in 1994 in the single scull, Strathclyde International Regatta 1995 (2 Titles), Grand Moscow Regatta in 1995 and the Senior Home International Championship in 1995 and 1996 along with many domestic titles. When I moved to Athenry in 1998, I took up Racquetball and won two All-Ireland club titles, commenced playing the guitar and started a wonderful family with my wife Suzanne, also a former successful rower and coach. While a lot of blood, sweat and tears was spilt into the water of the river Corrib, I was fortunate to find someone on the Corrib, who was a source of friendship and motivation through my immensely challenging senior training and competition times. Many years later, I am grateful to say, Suzanne became my wife and mother to our three children.
In recent times I have been involved with the Galway Minor Hurling and Senior Camogie teams in a performance coaching (mental skills & emotional intelligence) and teambuilding capacity.

3. Outside of sport, what are your other interests? What other groups in Athenry have you been part of?
- Since moving to Athenry I have been involved in many clubs and organisations. My initial involvement was coaching Gaelic Football. Not knowing anyone or having any children at this point, coaching gave me the opportunity to get to know people and get involved in the community. Down the years I have been involved in the Athenry Musical Society, Athenry Folk Choir, St. Mary’s GAA, Athenry Pastoral Council, Athenry Racquetball Club, and I am currently treasurer of Athenry Cancer Care, a fantastic organisation I have been involved with for almost 10 years. I like to train regularly, sing and play music with my family. I sing once a month in the Galway Cathedral on Sunday evenings at 6pm mass. I released my first music CD ‘Endless Time’ in 2010 and donated all the profits to charity. Endless Time is a celebration of the global success of Irish people over the past 200 years. Throughout its history this resilient race has proven itself worthy to face a great variety of challenges, which united they withstood and subsequently flourished”. The goal of the project was to remind people that we have tremendous resilience as a nation of people. A message that still resonates in the unprecedented times we are currently living through. I had the fantastic privilege of working for two years with Sky Sports on a wonderful initiative called “Sky Sports Living for Sport”. The goal of the program was to try to change the lives of children that needed help and support by boosting their confidence, changing behaviors and teaching them key life skills I learnt from my time as an International Athlete (hunger to achieve, planning for success, mental Toughness, breaking barriers, people skills and sports & life knowledge). I was lucky enoughto work with thousands of young people all over Ireland via this initiative.
Five years ago, in collaboration with NUI Galway I helped to develop a Diploma in Performance Sports Coaching. To date I have successfully delivered this to over 120 coaches across 20 sports. Last year I worked successfully, over a four-day period, with Matthew Wilkie (IRFU) and a team of fifteen of his professional coaches.

4. As a football coach, how has your experience been?
- I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Athenry FC. I am currently working with an U14 B team. A great bunch of young boys. We only train 2-3 times a week, which is enough as most of the lads are doing other sports, which is very important at this age. Our total focus has been on development of the panel, instilling a growth mindset, developing key transferable life skills and individual technical and team skills. The boys that have attended training and put in the hard work have benefitted enormously. Prior to the break in this season the boys were extremely competitive against superior teams in higher divisions. This is a testament to their own hard work, sacrifice, application & attendance at training, being coachable and having fun. Also, the addition of the new sand pitch has been a tremendous asset to the club. We train in small ability groups. This space afforded us the opportunity to try and practice at match intensity on a surface comparable to a grass pitch. I have no doubt that these boys will go on to be good sports people, club people and nice people to be around. Very proud of all these boys.

5. What made you decide to join the committee?
- I attended an AGM and got nominated and seconded. My intention when I got involved was to help on the development of the coaching team. This year I had the pleasure of leading our fundraising initiative “The Chase”, Peter tapped into my skills as a Chartered Accountant. This introduced me to a fantastic team of engaged passionate club people. I would like to once again take the opportunity to thank all our Exhibitors and Advertisers for supporting this initiative and encourage our members to continue to support these local businesses, particularly at this very difficult time, as our economy comes back to life. We are all looking forward to our clubs 50th anniversary next year and we will need the support of these people to make the next step in our journey of the club more of a reality.

6. What are your most memorable moments with the Club so far?
- There have been many. Concentrating totally on this year I have enjoyed watching the progress of the senior team and getting to know the players. I enjoyed going to underage home games and watching all the players develop. I have enjoyed the team I’m involved with as they worked hard to develop their fitness, technical ability, teamwork and confidence. The future of the club looks very bright, on so many fronts. I enjoyed successfully leading the project “The Chase” and getting to know all the tremendous people involved in this project, for that I am grateful.

7. In short, what advice would you give to someone that is starting or thinking of coaching in any sport?
- Coaching is not easy. I have been 25 years involved in coaching different sports and in recent years working as a professional executive and business coach in addition to my work in NUI Galway. It’s important that people have a love and passion for their sport and the technical knowledge of the ABC’s of their sport.
It’s very important that coaches develop their soft skills (open questioning, active listening, giving effective feedback, building trust and rapport, creating a positive fun learning environment and have an understanding of learning styles). These are just some of the key tools required in a coach’s toolkit. In addition, it is important to have a high level of self-awareness (Emotional Intelligence) and to be able to define yourself in terms of your Values, Beliefs and Philosophy through consistent behaviors. It’s very important that all the coaches are aligned with the Values of the club for there to be congruence in the coaching and development of all players in the club. Strong leadership skills are also critical. It is also very important that there are positive player-parent-coach relationships.
This means good communication in all directions so that all parties can have a
positive face to face professional open conversations. Thankfully we always have a good attendance of parents at training and matches.

8. Lastly, what are your ambitions for the next three years?
- I am very excited about the future of AFC. As mentioned earlier there is a
tremendous number of players all at different stages of their development. We have 23 competitive teams, boys & girls, with over 550 members and 100 volunteers. We have a fantastic team of coaches / volunteers working tirelessly to make the environment of the club as positive as it can be for development. I would like to see more collaboration between the coaches. There is a tremendous amount of expertise from a technical viewpoint. I would like to see further clarity on the clubs’ Vision, Mission and Values. In parallel to this it is important that we continue to develop alignment with all the coaches regarding their own values and the club values, coaching philosophy, and coaching styles so there is consistency in terms of performance. Continue the work of developing our coaches on the ABC’s of Football Coaching. A fantastic amount of work has been done in this space and this is clear. I am very excited about the new development in collaboration with the Athenry Athletics Club and being part of making this happen. I would encourage more people to get involved in Athenry Football Club. I am very proud of where this club has come from and proud of where it is going. It is full of fantastic people, all volunteers giving of their time unconditionally to help make AFC and Athenry a better place. Please get involved.

Thank you,
@athenry_afc / #athenry_afc 

Interview with Committee Member and Club Coach "Barry Doyle"

1. When did you join Athenry FC? What roles have you had?
- I joined about 6 years ago when my son Eoin started with the Academy. Not having been involved in soccer for a long time I started coaching the Academy boys and I have stayed with that group of boys as they have progressed through the age groups in both leading and assistant coaching roles. In the time I have worked with various other coaches including Colm Branagan, Kevin Brett, Chris Moore, Pete McDonald and Cormac McCarthy, all very committed individuals who have given a lot to the club over the years.
I have been a member of the club executive Committee for a period of 2 years also.

2. As a player what are your fondest memories?
- As a 'blow-in' I never played with Athenry FC. I played soccer mainly as a school boy as well as a bit with Rush Athletic and after that I stuck mainly to the Gaelic aside of course from various 5 a side kick arounds etc. over the years. No major achievements therefore to brag about but I loved soccer as a kid and as someone who grew up abroad it definitly is an international language of its own and has helped me settle in no matter where I have lived.

3. As a coach what do you enjoy the most?
- With Athenry FC I have only coached children. Its been great to see them develop over the years into serious footballers, with their own dreams and objectives. Put simply I enjoy seeing them fulfilling their potential, improving their skills and fitness, their self confidence and playing good football. I also enjoy the commraderie and respect that team sports develop. Boys from many different backgrounds coming together as a team.

4. What made you decide to join the Committee?
- Having been involved with the club for a number of years as a coach I have seen the dedication and hard work from what is basically a small number of volunteers that keeps the club up and running. My son Eoin and daughter Mia have both got alot out of the club over the years and I basically felt it was my turn to help out and contribute a bit. I never ceases to surprise me how much effort is put into the club by a few club officers and coaches (all volunteers) on top of their own personal and professional commitments. It is something that I feel the majority of members are maybe unaware of, and this is demonstrated annually with poor attendances at the AGM. The club has gone from strength to strength but to continue to develop it needs new poeple to come forward with new energy and new ideas. The more involved the less the burden on any one individual.

5. As a Committee member what is the hardest part?
- Getting the time to follow up on any actions between meetings is generally the hardest part based on other commitments, however once everyone does their bit its all generally very manageable.

6. What do you enjoy most about being on the Committee?
- I generally enjoy the meetings as you learn a lot about the different aspects and complexity of keeping a club the size of Athenry running. The current Committee is excellent and have really taken a big picture view in terms of investing in the clubs future with the clubs current development plan. With the recent work done to secure valuable grant funding this project is now becoming a reality that will benefit the young people of Athenry for many years to come.

7. Can you name three of your most memorable moments with the Club?
Being crowned U12 league 1 champions last season.
Running Sheffied Utd U12 close (lost 1 - 0) in the 2019 Belfast Cup.
Winning the Regional U12 SFAI Cup this season.

8. What are your ambitions for the next three years?
- Very hard to say how the next 3 years will go. To see some of the current batch of our U12 players progressing to play with Galway and Regional Development teams and LOI teams would be great and something for Athenry FC to be proud of. Personally I hope to continue to develop as a Coach.

Thank you,
@athenry_afc / #athenry_afc

Interview with 'Michael Dunleavy'

Part one - As a Player with Athenry FC:

When did you start playing with Athenry and when did you leave?
- I joined I think in the mid 70’s. I arrived in Athenry after moving from Castlebar. I went down to Raheen one day after arriving and a bunch of lads Sean Monaghan, Dermot Monaghan, Niall Murphy, Hilary Walsh and Adrian Ruane were having a kick-about and I joined in and it went from there.My first manager was Micky Gill. We had the bare 11and our best player and manager were sent off. Micky was sent off for time wasting when he was kicking a ball back it hit a wall and went 50 yards behind him. Some ref, we were a few goals down and trying to get back why would he time waste!! I went working in Dublin for a while and trained with a very good Templogue team (Training was a ten mile run around the streets followed by indoor gym session then anyone left standing could have an indoor 5 a side!) but despite them begging me stayed with Athenry and moved back playing after 6 months. I emigrated for 2 and a half years in 1986 and played with a couple of games with 2 teams in England but they were poor and didn’t train so stopped playing. I still togged for St Stephens day game when came home at Christmas. I stayed playing till 2004 at least as I see I scored a couple of goals in the reserve league (we must have been stuck for players!).

Biggest influences as a player -
- One of my earlier coaches as an underage player was Desmond Glynn who was excellent. Mike Kilkelly was good also. At senior level Paddy Forde and PJ Killen did quite well with us. I also enjoyed playing under Duncan McMillan who gave me a free role. Lots of funny memories playing under Noel Ward and Gordon Dean even though Noel put the fear of God in us!! One wild night in Kiltimagh comes to mind. There wasn’t really a lot of coaching in those days only Dessie Glynn. He was really ahead of his time. You would enjoy playing under most managers as long as you are getting game time. At the start of my career there was only one sub allowed out of 2 so as a young lad you would be either on the bench or brought off (a good learning experience though). Funny enough I didn’t enjoy playing under one manager (myself) couldn’t concentrate on playing spent too much time watching other players!

Players who influenced me -
- First memory as a player was watching Joe Glynn for Athenry. He beat at least 6 players in a run from the half way line on a mud bath of a pitch and with only the goalie to beat from 5 yards out hit it straight at him. Then 5 minutes later he put one in the top corner from 25 yards. He was without doubt the most skillful player ever to play for Athenry. It was a pity he stopped playing so young. After that I played with some great players over the years. At beginning at senior level Mike Kilkelly was excellent. He could head a ball harder than most could shoot.I also enjoyed playing with Frank Joyce who was a very calming influence. Pete Gilhooley and Michael Morrissey. Dave Ward a brilliant keeper who rarely played there because he could play as good anywhere else. The best player we have ever had in the air an excellent centre forward. We played Galway United in a friendly when he was back from the states after emigrating and he won every header in both boxes despite not playing for 2 years. Sean Monaghan was a very fast winger an excellent crosser of the ball. Pete Hession very skillful, Dermot Monsie Monaghan another quality centre back. Lukey Glynn and PJ King both hard as nails defender. In later years Francis Holian and Keith Nevin were quality players. David Crimmins and Tony O’ Shaughnessy also come to mind with Shaughs senior scoring 10 goals in his first 8 games in the premier division as a 16 year old (including a few headers!). I also enjoyed playing with Adrian Ruane, Alan Clarke, Aidan Archer, Adrian Devally, Joe Tighe, Frank Coyne, Paul Mitchell, Eddie Fox, Neville Hynes, Neil Murphy, Stevie Duane, Kevin Quigley, (good left back!) Timmy Holian, Gabriel Glavin, Willie Killeen, PJ Kileen, Patsy Lynch (Who can for got Patsy in his tights suffering from a groin strain and rubbing some deep heat in that area before the match, ten minutes in to the match he roars at the line screaming for water, game stopped for 5 minutes as ref and all 22 players on their knees in knots laughing as Patsy poured water in that general area for about 5 mins). Towards the end of my career I really enjoyed getting to the indoor final togging out with the young lads Kevin McCarthy, Ronan Kineen, Fergus Farrell and David and Shane Donohue.

What did you achieve in your career as a player with the club?
- I won 2 leagues and 2 or 3 cups and also finished second a few times in league to get us promoted to the premier league. I still feel very proud that I was captain of the first Athenry team to stay up in the premier division (I got 17 goals that season between reserve and 1st team, played for both). We were unbeaten till Christmas. At that time we had a lot of very good young players but a lot emigrated and a few quit. I left myself for a few years and when I came back we had gone from Premier to Division 2. I also won 3 of our local indoor tournaments with 3 different teams and was runner up a few times. The Athenry indoor tournament was huge for a few years with over a 100 teams from all over Connacht entering. So winning, playing and managing a team with all my friends was great.

What else have you achieved with the Club?
- I also served as Chairman twice, Secretary, PRO and committee member. I was chairman when we purchased the grounds in Moanbaun. We had a great committee (Michael Morrissey, Tony O’ Shaughnessy, Michael Doherty, Willie Killeen, Timmy Holian Terry Nolan, Peter Gilhooley, Gabriel Glavin and Eddie Fox) who went around door to door selling ticket for about 30 days in a row one summer. I am still honored to be a trustee of the club. It was also a brilliant achievement for Timmy and the lads to get to an Irish Junior cup final. I helped produce a great programme which started off as 10 pages and went in to a few 100 thanks to the support of the local community (also made good money for the club even if it took me 20 hours a day for 3 weeks to do it!). I also helped run a very good Easter camp with over 120 attending. I did the first development plan for the club which resulted in the purchase of the pitch and having some sort of coaching structure (getting coaches going on courses). I also did the first website, code of conduct, child protection policy and facebook page. Many of those policies are still in place. I also got the club nominated for Club of the Year which we were very unlucky to lose (we were second I think). I wonder if we would have won under a different FAI regime! I worked with some great people on various committees throughout the years and got good support from most of them. If I haven’t mentioned ye don’t be offended and thanks for all the help. Special thanks to Michelle Michelle Leggett for all the good work she did with the girls teams while I was there.

Any other good memories?
- I spent nearly 40 years with the club so plenty. My first trip away to London was absolutely brilliant craic. We went to see a great Luton team with Irish international Tony Grealish and a good few of them went on to become England internationals. They came to see us play on Sunday but game called off due to waterlogged pitch. The whole travelling party went to see life of Brian which was banned in Ireland at time. The 2 trips to Scotland were also brilliant craic. Who can forget being stoned by Rangers fans and seeing guys you’d never seen run before sprint past you! Dermot Monsie Monaghan keeping us entertained with funny stories and him Micky Crimmins, Georgie Clarke and Roy O’ Brien leading the sing songs. Davie Crimmins, Terry Nolan and the Buckfast! Willie Killeen trying to keep up with PJ Killeen drinking! All the above were organized by the great Mike Morrissey. Trips to Carrick on Suir and Kiltimagh also come to mind. Celebrating our indoor win in the Jersey bar and being thrown out by Guard Pat Nally at 3 in the morning as he asked us by the way did ye win? Then Mike Melia let us in again a while later. Hearing Pierce Coffey singing Pipes of Peace after Carnaun win in the Shed pub! Celebrating cup win in kno Kno’s in Galway a mad night! Seeing Willie Killeen sing Coward of the county! Meeting Martin Keown (ex Arsenal player) and having him as guest at our awards night.

Who was the toughest opponent you ever played against?
- I can’t remember most of them at this stage! John Tierney Hibs was excellent, Pa Dunne and Tommy Carton both from Dynamo blues, I remember seeing Eamon Ryan against us when I was younger (what a player), John Gonzo Leahy, Kiltullagh (very underrated and clever), Gerry Moran, Colmanstown. Indoor John Coll (played rugby for Connacht at time like running in to a brick wall! But did score twice against him). In the club Francis Holian hated playing against him in training could never go around him, he read everything.

Toughest Team You played against
- It was probably Hibs and Dynamo Blues who were 2 of the top teams at the time. Another great memory when I was around 18 we played Hibs in Terryland in some area Junior cup quarter final. We were 2 down and I came on as sub and set up one and scored the equalizer (Jimmy Laffey who went on to play with Galway United was marking me). Although that memory is tinged by me hitting the post with a peno in the penalty shootout. I also remember the first time we beat Blues it was in Tuam. A cross by Dave Ward and a Willie Killeen lay off set me up and I curled the ball in to the top corner with the outside of my foot (probably the best I ever scored). Both Hibs and Blues beat us most times though they were great teams with a lot of quality players.

In all the Athenry teams you have played with name the following:
Tough as Nails – Dave Ward, PJ King and Pat Kilkelly (RIP)
Funny Guy –Dermot Monsie Monaghan and Pat Kelly (Pat was a teacher in Craughwell who played a bit of reserve football and trained with us. I always remember a game in Galway where he got kicked by an opposition player. About 5 minutes later Pat flattened him with a kick I front of the ref, straight red card. As he was about to go off he turned around and walked up to the ref, showed him the stud marks on his leg. The ref ignored him. Then he prodded the ref and said “Its not that I mind being sent off but being sent off by a little shit like you does my head in”). Just one of numerous stories
Fastest player –Sean Monaghan
Most Skillful –Pete Hession, Tony O’ Shaughnessy Most Modest Player – Aidan Archer
Most Grumpy –Gabriel Galvin and Timmy Holian
Worst Trainer – Patsy Lynch
Best Player – Dave Ward

From all the players you played with, name your strongest five a side team which includes yourself:
I was fortunate enough to have achieved this in the Indoor tournament. We used to hire the hall on our own to train before tournaments. My training regime when I was younger: Monday Free, Tuesday and Thursday: Soccer training 8 to 10 with club in pres gym followed by game of squash for an hour, Wednesday at Friday: An hours indoor soccer with team below, Saturday: Reserve game, Sunday: First team game. We were fit then!! Anyway here’s the team!
Goalkeeper - Patsy Lynch/PJ Killeen Defenders - Adrian Ruane and Dave Ward Midfielder - Me Striker- Sean Monaghan Subs - Dermot Monaghan, Tom Dempsey Manager - Me no one else would do it!!

Part 2 - Coaching:

When did you start coaching and what qualifications have you?
- I first started managing in early 1980’s doing a 5 a side team with my friends. I really got involved in 1989 when I returned from England and was asked to manage the team with Timmy Holian helping me as there was no one else (Not a good reason to do it). I think it lasted a few years then we quit. Then in early 1990’s Johnny Delaney asked me to get involved with the under age as he needed help.Myself, Timmy Holian and Gabriel Glavin were the first to go on a coaching course. It was for one day. I went on to do level one, two (UEFA B) and three (UEFA A) I don’t even remember what year that was.

Name the clubs and years you spent at each club?
- I was at Athenry till 2013 and have been with Mervue United since. Although at the moment I am on my first break since I began coaching in 1989. I have coached and managed from under 13 to 18 and both senior teams at Athenry. I have coached from under 13 to 18 in Mervue with 2 different teams. At both clubs I had 2 or sometimes 3 teams on the go at the one time so Friday was the only evening I had off (not recommended!). I also coached the Galway District league team at under 17/18 level (lost a Connacht final) and lost 2-1 to a Leeds team with 9 internationals. I also coached Galway United’s A team.

Who/What was the biggest influence on you as a coach?
- In Athenry Johnny Delaney got me involved in coaching and I think he was a massive influence on everybody. He must have been doing 5 teams at one stage. All the managers you played under would also be a good influence, you learn something from them all (thanks guys), or most of them! Also any coaches I worked with I would have massive time for them. I had a great year coaching with Johnny Delaney (first game I saw them in they got hammered by Corrib Rangers yet later in season the team only lost 1-0 to a last minute goal to the same team in a cup semi final. I had a great under age team with Sean Mulroe who was also a great coach. We were very unlucky not to win a premier league losing in last match of the season. I think it was the only one we lost (we had already beaten Mervue and gave Salthill their first defeat in 2 years). If we had a full squad at start of season we would probably have won a few of them but games clashed with GAA ones at times. A lot of those players went on to achieve a lot for the club winning title and leagues. Ronan Kineen, Kevin McCarthy, Paddy Quinn, Fergus Farrell, David and Shane Donohue, Colin O’ Grady all played for Galway squads. Paddy went on to play for Ireland, Fergus Farrell got picked ahead of David Forde for Connacht so very proud of the lot of them. Paul Fitzgerald was also another good guy I had the privilege to work with. Timmy Holian and Paul Mitchell were others I worked with and also enjoyed a year with Sean Flaherty, Roger Leggett, Nick Hitchcox and Andy Bichard. Dessie Glynn was another great coaching influence. Outside the club Dave O’ Connell (great coach) who did my first coaching course, and managed the Galway under 18s when I was coach. Maurice Price on our coaching courses was also brilliant. He also went on to coach Galway United. I still talk to him. At Mervue, Stephen Lally is obviously a big influence and a gent, Sinesa Radevic and Henry Williams are both excellent coaches and enjoyed my time under managers John Stewart and especially John Donovan. Special mention to Nugger Healy who I had one great game with and Joe at reception who is a calming influence before matches. And also Liverpool FC Bob Paisley, Kenny Dalglish and Jurgen Klopp and Pep isn’t bad either! And last but not least special mention to Conor T McNamara (RIP) who I enjoyed coaching for a while during my career (another gent and big Liverpool fan).

You were instrumental in a very successful period for the B team. How did you get it to work? What were the strengths of the squad? What did ye achieve?
- We got it to work by hard work and dedication. If you have over 16 players attending over 75% of the training sessions you have a good chance of winning something so the players were dedicated and we trained 3 times a week if we didn’t have a game. We had good players, and good leaders all over the pitch, a good system of playing and all the players knew their jobs. We won two leagues and a reserve league.Actually one of my best achievements as coach was the first season I took over. The team had conceded 57 goals the previous year and we brought it down to 8 (Shaughs, Quigs and Niall Tomas at the back). When you win something it is usually player driven, I had good captains in Niall Tomas, Neville Hynes and David Glynn who never let the other players slack.

In 2004 the B team won their ever league title. What are the best memories from the season?
- We made hard work of it at times (won 10, drew 5 and lost 1 in league) but beating Medtronic in last game and then beating them in play off for the league were undoubted highlights. Also that year beating the first team in the Michael O’ Byrne cup quarter final in front of a packed Raheen was fantastic. We scored over 70 goals (including friendlies) that season and conceded only 14 in the league, so we had a strong defense and attack. Our strikers got 34, midfielders 30 and defense 7. Ciaran Callinan, Derek McDonagh and Conor O'Grady were top scorers banging in goals for fun.The sessions in the Hop inn on Saturday evenings after games with some fantastic food from Mourad and Tara in La Rustica supplied by our host and sponsor Neil Molly Molloy (Thanks to all 3of ye). Getting Derek McDonagh in to Coffey’s for the celebrations after the league win (He was barred. Thanks Andy Kelly). The session after the play off win in the Hop was good as was the party afterwards in Choppers! The Paulie McCarthy award! Biggest disappointment was losing the Michael O’ Byrne semi final to Renmore after beating 3 premier teams in previous rounds. We came back from 2 down and missed sitters in extra time. We went out after a wrong decision by the referee and linesman in the shootout. After going 2 up our third peno hit the post and then the back of the goalies head and went in. The linesman came over and said to the ref to disallow it because it hit the post firstand they came back to win. I met the linesman a few months later and he admitted he made a mistake. I was a bit disappointed the club didn’t object but that’s life. Special mention to Marin Gafney (RIP) who banged in 5 goals for us that season (top man, LFC supporter and a gent).

In 2005 the B team gained promotion again winning the league . How good was this group of players ? What was the mentality of the squad? What was the recipe? Reserve league win 2007?
- We were on a roll from the season before Again an excellent group of players with a great attitude and mentality. We won 11, drew 6 and lost one scoring over 70 goals (including friendlies) conceding a bit more 20 this time.Our strikers got 34, midfielders 29 and defenders 5. Wayne Finn and Alan Lynch were our top scorers. We lost a few players from the previous year but also gained a few great additions from the A squad (Gary Coffey, Brian Carroll and Paul Flaherty). The recipe was the same as before hard work, dedicated players, good leaders and training hard no excuses. We had a chance to win it in our last game by getting a result against West United in the swamp but they deservedly beat us. But pulled a few strings to get the play off in Mervue as I knew a big pitch would suit us. It didn’t start off well but in front of a huge crowd we came from 2 down to win 4-2 after extra time, a magnificent performance from all our squad (from our keeper to every member of the panel) on the big day. A few great nights celebrating league win again in the Hop Inn including a great party in Lynchy’s house. Trying to get David Glynn home after the party (especially when he didn’t seem to know where he lived himself) was a great experience!! The Reserve league win was also good we won 7 and drew 2 scoring 28 goals and conceding only 5. Vlasta and Darragh Starken were top scorers. Again a great squad and great attitude with David Glynn providing good leadership as captain. It is an easy league to win though if you watch the fixtures and go strong against the good teams but I also think we became the first B team to win it. I think the trophy was the biggest the Galway FA has. Celebrations were in the Raheen Woods (thanks Lester). I think a young Colin Bane was part of the squad!

Toughest Opponents as a coach?
- At under age level, Mervue when I was with Athenry and Salthill when I was with Mervue. At senior level West United come to mind especially in the swamp. I hated going there. They had a lot of good and tough players. Jody Curran always had them well prepared and tough to beat and watching Eamon Chick Deacy (RIP) play was always a pleasure. He was first up to congratulate us after our win in the play off (what a gent). Also I would like to wish a speedy recovery to Paddy Grant who I got to know when he worked in Eamon Deacy Park. We used to have great chats every time I called in to the Galway FA and hope to have many more with him.

Can you name your three fondest memories with Athenry FC as a coach?
- I think I have mentioned a lot of them already. Winning the leagues were obviously great but developing players and seeing them develop into very good players and nice people. The first great memory I have is from the first under age team I managed.After losing our last league game (a draw or win would have seen us finish top) myself and Sean Mulroe went in to the Square Inn for a pint (very depressed) and found when we went to pay for it the players had already paid for it. A lovely gesture as they were all only 14 at the time. The other one was getting two awards from the B team players (I have a lovely glass boot and a trophy at home on the mantelpiece). It is always nice to be appreciated as a manager especially by your players. I never won any award as a player or manager from clubs (although I was up for player of the year once voted for by a 3 man committee, the other 2 voted for me but I voted for the other player and overruled them and gave it to him!) so It really was appreciated.Seeing my youngest son Eoin get a player of the year award was also nice.

Any other memories as a coach?
- Winning a league and cup with Mervue and my oldest son Cian’s team. Seeing him get a player of the year award in there. Then watching my youngest Eoin win Connacht cup, Premier league and league. Coaching Eoin to cup success and watching him score (especially a brilliant chip and super strike from edge of box. Seeing improvements in Eoins team after they used to get hammered. Last season they beat a Salthill Devon team who had hammered them and won all around them the year before and the unluckily lost a Connacht cup semi final to 2 late goals after being a goal up. Coaching David Forde (Irish keeper) on a Galway squad. Coaching Aaron Connolly (Brighton) in my first year in Mervue (he is some scorer). Meeting loads of new and good people who are have become friends. Minding Ronan Ronnie Kinneen at his 21st! Also getting to go to weddings (and stags!) of players you coached when they were younger seeing them grow up and settle down. Always appreciated and some great memories and craic with Niall Tomas, Ronan Kinneen, Sean Mulroe, Alan Georgie Clarke, Eddie Fox, Aidan Archer, Terry Nolan, Philly Somers, Kevin McCarthy, David Glynn, Paul Chopper Neary and Eric Ruane.

What advice would you give to younger coaches or players that are getting into coaching?
- Don’t coach until you are finished playing. Enjoy playing as long as you can.Also coach because you want to not because your young lad is playing. Develop the players first, the main thing is to get their technique and skill level right. Then get them fit and playing in the right way and the wins will come. Trust in your own philosophy, don’t get bullied by people or let you players be bullied. Remember players need to play no point in having them part of the squad if they don’t play. You have to think about player development as well as team development something a lot of coaches don’t do.

This may be difficult but can you name a starting 11 from all the players you have ever managed at Athenry FC?
- No unfortunately not. There were too many good players that I coached at under age and senior to pick 11. They all did a great job with me and especially the league winning and under age teams. Instead I will do the same ones I did as a player with a few add ons (see below).

In all the Athenry teams you have coached with name the following:
Under Age
Tough as Nails – Shane Donohue, Fergus Farrell, Tadhg O’ Donovan, Cian Dunleavy
Funny Guy–The terrible twins Kieran Mont Corban and Aidan Holland
Fastest player – Colin O’ Grady
Most Skillful – Conor Feeney though Kevin Mac thought he was!
Most Grumpy – Shane and David Donohue when they were giving out to each other!
Worst Trainer – Kevin McCarthy and Eddie Caffrey Best Trainer –David Glynn, Paddy Quinn Best Keeper – Fergie Gus Farrell
Best Player –David and Shane Donohue, Ronan Kineen Quietest–Derek Carroll (never said a word then)! David Brady, John Caulfield
Best Touch–David Casserley and Eoin Dunleavy
Most Underrated – Kevin McCarthy though not by himself!! Paulie Thompson when fit!
Best Ginger – Eddie Caffrey and Brian Flannery
Best at free kicks – Adam Healy
Senior
Tough as Nails –Niall Tomas, Kevin Quigley, Derek McDonagh, Stephen Lawless and Joe (broke my ribs) Maloney!
Funny Guy–Andrew Umpah Aherne and Neville Hynes at least they thought the were
Best one Liner – Gaz Coffey on a player who trained with a lot of teams “He must be the most stretched player in Athenry”
Fastest player – Paul chopper Neary, Alan Lynch and Martin Gafney (RIP)
Most Skillful – Vlasta, Gary Gaz, Coffey and Brian Barney Carroll
Most Grumpy –Paul Flaherty and Ciaran Callinan Best Trainer - James Redmond
Worst Trainer – Tony O’ Shaughnessy Mark Lawless, Emmet Byrne and David Crimmins!
Best Player –Ciaran Callinan and Kevin McCarthy think they are!!!
Quietest – Conor O’ Grady Best Dancer - Neville Hynes with Ray the Raver McCarthy a close second and David Donohue a distant third!
Best Touch – Gary Gaz Coffey and Wayne Finn
Most Underrated – Derek McDonagh and Paulie McCarthy Best Impact as Sub – Eric Roo Ruane
Best Buddies – Definitely Ciaran Callinan and Wayne Finn with Barney and Fla a close second
Best at drinking fat frog – Aiden Fahy Best Keeper – Kieran George Kilkelly Most likely to form a boy band – Neil Murphy and Stevie Duane
Best at free kicks – Philip Somers thinks he was but it was me really!!
Most potential to become a good player – Conor Cannon should be really good when he grows up! Best Diver – Finian Gardner but in fairness he was also most likely to buy a round!!
Most Skilful bits of magic seen on a pitch – Gary Gaz Coffey while falling curling a 60 yard pass down the line to put one of our forwards clean through (Any other player it may have been a fluke but not Gaz you could even see him looking up). Vlasta taking the ball down on his chest then thigh while 2 foot up in the air then hitting a 35 yard volley against the crossbar while still in the air (as David Glynn said that would have been goal of the century). Lastly me scoring a header now that was a fecken miracle!! Best Player seen at Athenry – Jamie O’ Driscoll with Ronnie Kinneen a close second (both 8 to 9 out of 10 every match).

Thanks you for the memories Athenry FC Dunners Original, it’s been a privilege. Apologies if I have left out anyone and I know its to long but great memories and stories (took me a fecken week to write it and I could keep going). Some meant to be funny so don’t take it seriously! Keep up the good work Colin Bane.

Thank you ,
@athenry_afc / #athenry_afc 

 Interview with "Aiden Fahy"

1. When did you join and when did you finish up with the Club?
- I joined Athenry under 12, unsure of year a long time ago. Retired in 2018 played most of senior with the b team, played two seasons with the first team in Premier.

2. Who was the biggest influence on you?
- Started off with U12, Timmy for one year then from under 13 to 18 we had the father and Peter Gilhooley who would be hard but fair. They always got the best out of us. We had a great team winning the U13 league and cup double that year. That team stuck together up to U18, were very unlucky not to win the U18 Connacht Cup against a great Sligo team we ran them close but ended up losing 2-1.

3. What did you achieve in your time at the Club?
- Won lower divisions with Athenry B team unsure of the years.

4. What are your three most memorable moments with Athenry FC?
- Winning the league with the B team, great friendships from that time.
Playing in Premier with the First team for two seasons.
Playing along side my brother Cathal in the Premier.

5. Who was the toughest opponent you ever played against?
- West Utd in the Swamp, hard spot to go.

6. In all the squads you have been part of can you name the following:
Funny Guy - Paddy Quinn
Tough as Nails - Niall Tomas
Fastest player - Gary O'Donnell
Most Skillful - Wayne Finn
Most Grumpy - Conor Cannon "a very angry man"
Best Player - Cathal Fahy

7. From all the players you have played with, name your strongest five a side team which includes yourself:
Goalkeeper - Kieran Kilkelly
Defender - Mike Fahy
Midfielder - Shane Gilhooley
Striker - Cathal Fahy
Manager - Tommy & Pete

Thank you,
@athenry_afc / #athenry_afc 

 Interview with Mr "Tommy Fahy"

1. As a player, what was the highlight of your career?
- Playing in the Premier league in Galway and winning an indoor competition in the Presentation Gym with that Great Carnaun team.

2. Can you name three players that stood out during your playing days?
- Patsy Lynch in goal outstanding, Peter Gilhooley sweeper he could read the game very well and John Burke for his long throw in's, he was the only one back then that could do it correctly.

3. When was the first juvenile team started in Athenry FC, what age group?
- - I'm not sure, we may have had teams in the 80's at under 18.

4. You later went on to managing, what success did you have?
- Winning the Connacht Cup U14 in 2006. That was the first Connacht Cup win for the club at underage level.

5. Excluding Aiden and Cathal, can you name three players you coached that were very good?
- Adam Duffy playing with the first team now, Joey Burke and Micheal O'Halloran. They are all holders of a premiership medal in Galway now.

6. Who for you are three of the best players ever to play for the first team?
- Adrian Cronin in Goal. Seamie Crowe in midfield (when he wasn’t injured) and
Johnny Mernagh up front (a speed Merchant).

7. How good in your opinion is the current fire team squad?
- They are right up there with the best.

8. Recently a survey showed that Moanbaun on a wet day is the worst pitch in the league, would you agree?
- I disagree, sometimes a wet pitch might suit (horses for course).

9. Finally, who is the best referee in Galway?
- Niall Crosby

Thank you,
@athenry_afc / #athenry_afc 

Interview with "Kieran Flannery"

1. When did you join the Club and when did you leave?
- I joined Athenry FC when I was 9. Would go to my brothers u12 games. Hoping to get a game. My first competitive team was the u12s managed by the great Johnny Delaney. I played striker from u12 to u18 and once scored 7 goals against St. Bernard's we beat them 9-1. I was asked one day by Timmy Holian who was referring our u18 match to go and train with the seniors. I duly obliged and on my first night had a great battle with Eddie Fox and Kevin Quigley and never looked back. Started up front with Paddy Quinn in division 2a in 99_00 season we where on fire and pushing for promotion. Near the end of the season our keeper Leo Corbett got injured and I had to take over in goal. Thankfully we won a playoff against Moylough 4 nil and gained promotion and won the Division Cup final 4 - 1 against against Palace from Tuam. The season 00-01 we won the league and Cup and went unbeaten. Played for a couple of seasons in the Premier our best finish was 4th. My goalkeeping career was cut short due to a shoulder injury. I also played with a brilliant 7 aside team Barney's boys and won the Kiltullagh 7s three years in a row with Shaughs, Davy Crimmins, Paddy Quinn, Brian Cos, Brian Carroll, Neville, Pauline Mac, Emmet Byrne and Derek ó Loughlin.

2. Who was the biggest influence on you?
- my biggest influences where Johnny Delaney and Timmy Holian.

3. What did you achieve in your time at the Club?
- won promotion from 2A in 99-00 and won the Division Cup and league in 00-01.

4. What are your three most memorable moments with Athenry FC?
- my three most memorable moments where the penalty shoot out wins in the FAI Junior Cup, Winning the finals in EDP, Terryland and Sunday sessions in Iggys with DJ flaming Éamonn.

5. What three things did you enjoy most about playing for Athenry FC?
- my three things I enjoyed the most where playing with lads I grew up with, having the craic with the great Conor T MacNamara a Club Legend RIP and our FAI Junior Cup run to the last 16 in our first year.

6. Who was the toughest opponent you ever played against?
- toughest team was a Galway United star studded team with Derek O'Brien and Ollie Keogh up front in the Kiltullagh 7's final, we ended up beating them 2 - 1.

7. In all the squads you have been part of can you name the following:
Funny Guy - Spanky Quinn
Tough as Nails - Kevin Quigs
Fastest player - Johnny Mernagh
Most Skillful - Gaz Coffey
Most Grumpy - Timmy Holian
Best Player - Dave Crimmins

8. From all the players you have played with, name your strongest five a side team which includes yourself:
Defender - Emmet Byrne
Defender - Davy Crimmins
Midfielder - Gary Coffey
Striker - Brian Costello
Manager - Bob Paisley

Thank you,
@athenry_afc / #athenry_afc 

 Interview with "Gary Forde"

1. When did you join Athenry FC & when did you finish up?
- I joined from Colga FC in 2009 and left to rejoin Colga in 2019.

2. Who was the biggest influence on you?
- Emmet Byrne was a great leader as captain.
Peter Gilhooley and Tommy Fahy for being great clubmen keeping the place going and for dropping you home in the back of the van after a night out.

3. What did you achieve in your time at the Club?
4x Premier Leagues
3x Connacht Cups
2x Michael Byrnes

4. What are your three most memorable moments with Athenry FC?
- League & Connacht Cup double in 2010.
Beating Mervue in League Play-Off 2018.
Colm O Donovan's end of year celebratory sing songs.

5. What three things did you enjoy most about playing for Athenry FC?
- Kicking lumps out of each other in 5-a-sides in Crowes gym.
Winning trophies nearly every year.
Listening to Spanky.

6. Who was the toughest opponent you ever played against?
- I'd give it to Mervue for all the battles over the years.

7. In all the squads you have been part of can you name the following:
Funny Guy - Spanky
Tough as Nails - Ronan Kinneen
Fastest player - Gary O'Connell
Most Skillful - Colm O'Donovan
Most Grumpy - Stephen Rabbitte
Best Player - Cathal Fahy

8. From all the players you have played with, name your strongest five a side team which includes yourself:
Goalkeeper - Kieran Kilkelly
Defender - Emmett Byrne
Midfielder - Jamie O'Driscoll
Striker - Cathal Fahy
Manager - Slippers

Thank you,
@athenry_afc / #athenry_afc​ 

Interview with "Dessie Glynn"

In all the squads you’ve been part of as a player, can you name one (or more) of the following:

Funny Guy : From the 1977 team, many fellas e.g. Peter Gillhooley, Jody Connolly, Gerry Doherty and Paddy Forde.
‘Tough as nails’ : Tommy Fahy (Carnaun), Peter Gillhooley
Fastest Player : Leo Coffey, Eugene Corley
Most skilful player: Michael Kilkelly, My brother Joe Glynn
Most ‘grumpy’: Nobody comes to mind.
Best player : Michael Kilkelly

From all the players you’ve played with, name your strongest five-a-side which includes yourself. I have given myself options for each position. I don’t think I would include myself.

Goalkeeper: Eugene Corley (formerly from Caheroyan), played in goal for Galway Rovers in their first game in League of Ireland (Caheroyan), Patsy Lynch and P.J.Killeen

Defender : Francis Kilkelly (Caheroyan), Peter Gillhooley

Midfielder : Pat Kilkelly R.I.P., Tommy Fahy, Joe Greene (Ballymana, Craughwell)

Striker : Michael Kilkelly (Caheroyan-also played as centre forward on University College Galway First Year team (Freshers) in hurling.

Manager : Timmy Holian (Park). I had no experience of seeing Michael Dunleavy as a coach but he coached a District league team so that is a definite badge of honour. There are many of the recent coaches that I wouldn’t be familiar with so I cannot say anything about them.

From a few lads kicking a ball on St.Patrick’s Day in 1971, to almost 650 members now, the Club has come a long way.
What would you say are the best things about Athenry FC ?

Somebody said that you can describe a Club in three Fs ;

Football, Finance and Facilities.

Well , the football has improved with better coaching. The most successful clubs give coaching courses their top priority. Also, I have to admire the idea of giving a substitute who sits on the bench or stands on the sideline a certain amount of game time on the field. I hear coaches are doing this nowadays.

The Finances I cannot say too much about but the various fundraising efforts are good. I like to contribute to the development draw which is for the future development of the Club. The ‘Chaser’ was a great success.

The Facilities are great. The clubhouse is a real testimony to the hard working committees over the years. Great to get tea and a biscuit there at full-time, well done to the ladies (and fellas).

Some suggestions for the Club development:

It would be good to see more work done on drainage of the senior pitch in Moanbaun. This is ongoing so that is good. The all-weather pitch allows training /coaching to take place no matter the weather. The new pitch will hopefully be well drained.

Maybe in the not too distant future it might be possible for spectators to have a sand/gravel path all the way to the main and a small covered stand for spectators. I can only say that the new pitch/ running track/walk is a great idea. The involvement of the Athletic Club is great as a combined effort. I think there is another group/club involved. The ladies (and fellas) who give out tea and sandwiches in the clubhouse for certain games is a great idea.

The Club committee are doing a lot of good work and I think that the local community should know about the great work. The articles for the ‘News and Views’ are great. It would be nice to see a notice about the Club e.g. a contact email address, website and phone number in the ‘What’s on?’ page at the back of the News & Views’. Alternatively, maybe the club’s training on Saturday mornings from September to May. It’s not really to attract more kids to the training but it is a way of seeing the Club there with the other Clubs in the area. Athenry is continuing to have a lot of new people coming to live in the town and they like to look at the ‘What’s on?’ page first where all the other clubs have their notice.

Well done on putting these questions together and hope the answers are helpful to the Club. It’s a great idea to ask not just myself but other former people that were involved. It’s a great way of keeping us involved with the Club.

I am proud to say that I was there on St. Patrick’s Day in 1971 when it was originally decided to establish a Club in Athenry. Next year 2021 is the 50th anniversary of the Club and that is a great testimony to the success of the Club. Here’s to the next fifty years.

​Part 2 Dessie Glynn Interview 

Dessie as a coach, it has been mentioned that you were light years ahead of those in your time.

What did you enjoy most about coaching?
What advice would you give to others that are thinking about, or are already beginning their coaching career?

- I am well aware of my shortcomings as a coach but I suppose that didn’t stop me from trying to do the right thing when coaching or knowing a better way of doing something. Being able to listen to players individually is always a good thing to want to do, or be able to do. Having respect (for players and officials) is now written on players arms of jerseys. I hadn’t done any course when we won the old second division 1977 junior league (today it’s named the First Division). However, the players on that team were good players and got on very well with each other. This was a key reason, as well as talent, the team won the league that year.

A thing I enjoyed most about coaching was having a few ‘well chosen drills’ for a training session with a team and getting it across to the players how a particular drill is used in a game situation. That gives great satisfaction. I say ‘well chosen drills’ because there must be a reason for the drills to be done in that coaching session. When we started playing club soccer, the ‘coach’ had also to be a team ‘manager/trainer’. It was demanding to have to be a trainer and a coach at the same time. No one in the Club had done a coaching course. A coaching course would give the trainee coach a guide as to what drills to do with the team. On cold Tuesday evenings at a ‘training session’ the team manager/coach usually has to be a ‘trainer’ as well as a coach and keep the players moving to keep warm. Therefore time is valuable and drills have to be for a particular purpose e.g. working on defence, improving passing or working on how to develop attacking play. In a team coaching session, you have to be very prepared to include some drills that will reinforce some aspect of team play that is needed in a game. Having cones, bibs, footballs and the all-weather pitch help coaching. Giving young players more touches of a football by having 4 or 5-a-side games is great to improve players. Even restricting the better players to two touches of the ball when the other players can use three touches is good for part of the game before letting all players use any amount of touches. An assistant manager could be the trainer and the manager the coach. Better still, if both had done coaching courses. Good to have two people involved in managing a team.

Of course there are ball skill drills for use with younger players. The improvement in ball skills is more evident as players are learning from a young age. This would give a lot of satisfaction.

I would advise anyone who wants to be a coach to do an F.A.I. Level One coaching course followed by the F.A.I. Level Two and follow-on courses. Use the drills learned on the coaching course in the training session and show the players how these drills are used in a particular move in a game. In other words, break the game down into ‘situations’ that players might find themselves in either in possession or not being in possession. Also, to get the players to understand the notion of the ‘shape’ of the team when we have possession or when the other team has possession.

The manager/coach Don O’Riordan was very much into this idea and his team ’got it’ eventually. For example, if the right-full back is in possession ask the right mid-fielder where he should move to, so that the right-full back can pass the ball to him more easily. Then, get every player to ask himself the same question, ‘how can I position myself to make it easier for my team mate in possession to pass the ball to me?’. The whole objective is to get the team to figure out how as a team they can keep possession of the ball and not give it away to the opposing team. As a youngster, I used to run forward with the ball like a ‘headless chicken’ with my head down to get up field. An experienced player told me to go so far and stop, look around and wait for the rest of my team mates to catch up. Then, of course, pass the ball.

John Jarman, a coach who came to us many years ago, tried to get us to keep our heads up when we had the ball so that we could pick out a team mate to pass to. We need flat, rolled and drained pitches to play good soccer. A rolled pitch will allow players to play better.
Eric Levine at a training session would tell his team to spread towards the sidelines as the ball was worked out of defence. Then get a mid-fielder to ‘show’ or ask for the ball to be passed to him. It’s difficult to beat a team that has a man out near the sideline ready for the ball to be given to him when a team mate brings the ball out of defence or gets forward into the centre circle.

Finally, especially for the younger players, if FUN can be brought into a part of a training session, all the better. And if they learn from a training session, they will enjoy the real game more.

"Desmond Glynn"

Thank you,
@athenry_afc / #athenry_afc

Interview with "Timmy Holian"

1. Having joined Athenry FC at u12, who was the biggest influence on you as a player?
- I joined as a 9 year old. A few of us from 4th class were recruited to make up a team for the U12’s. The club underage managers in my time were Des Glynn & Michael Kilkelly. They got us playing the game though I already had the bug, it’s worse than coronavirus.
Players: The senior members on the pitch when I moved on to adult football were Peter Gilhooley and Tommy Fahy, who have directed affairs very well off the pitch ever since.
Manager/Coach: Paddy Forde was appointed at a time when an already small squad was losing key players to emigration. Despite that, he took the club into the Premier League in his first season and that team did what no Athenry team had ever previously done, we survived in the Premier League, going unbeaten for half a season in our first year up. We lost our unbeaten record that year to a Hibs team which later got to an Irish cup semi-final, losing 1-0 to Cherry Orchard.
Journeys to away games seemed a lot further in the early years, maybe because of the detours on the way back.

2. You went on to be one of the first players at the Club to do coach education, what is your coaching qualifications?
- A few of us started at the same time. Then Secretary Michael Dunleavy heard about an FAI Preliminary Level Course being run in Galway. All the other courses I did were in Dublin. I got through that Level, Level 1 and Level 2/UEFA B. Maurice Price, the best coach I have ever come across, was an assessor on one of those. I took the UEFA A course after that, most of those taking it were full or semi-professionals. I was manager of the 1st team at the time and the course/assessment started the day after we retained the Connacht Cup, our last match of the season, having already retained the Premier League. Needless to say, I didn’t make it to Dublin that Monday, so that one didn’t go too well. A month in Australia and later self-employment got in the way after that.

3. How and when did you get into management with the first team?
- My first match as player/manager/coach was January 1999. We were in our 11th year in the third tier. We had been losing players to other local clubs for the previous few years and looked like dropping down to the bottom division. I was asked to take over, I dont think there was any other contender foolish enough to take it. More turmoil immediately followed during which we lost half our squad, so I spent that Christmas trying to persuade 11 to play my first match away to Tuam Celtic, a relegation 6 pointer and a game I will never forget, which luckily we won. If we lost that one, I think we would have been relegated, I would have had a very short stint as manager and given the length of our stay in the third tier, who knows what the future of the club would have been. A third player exodus would probably have followed. I was very much on my own for the first few months but in later years had assistance from Peter Gilhooley, Tommy Fahy, Colin Byrne, Gabriel Glavin, Paul Mitchell and the various club Committees.

4. In 2001, you were part of the team that went on to win the double (first division and cup), what was your role and what are the best memories from the squad?
- My role as Manager/Coach was unchanged for ten years, though I was called into action on the pitch from time to time until 2002/03. We had finished my first half-season well, ending up third from the top 1998/99. Although we won three trophies in my first two seasons, my main memory from that time was achieving promotion in a play-off from the third tier 1999/00. After 12 seasons in the third tier, it was the day the shackles came off and we never looked back. We won that 5-0 and I will never forget the feeling of relief and satisfaction that evening. We were on a roll at that stage and won the 2nd tier league in my second full season 2000/01 with games to spare. We were back in the Premier league for the first time since Paddy Forde’s time, none of us could have imagined it would have taken 15 years to get back there.
Memories of that and subsequent years off the pitch were of enjoyable afternoons in Iggy’s. On the pitch, I think we all knew we would go on to win that league after a 1-0 away win over Loughrea, when our big centre-forward rose highest in the box to head into the top corner, only to end up buried on the ground with the entire squad on top of him.

5. In 2006, Athenry reached the FAI Junior Cup Final for the one and only time in history. Can you give us an insight into how this was achieved? What was the mentality of the squad? What was the recipe?
- We were the first Galway team to get there since Bohs in the 1940’s and it was the makings of the club. There is no once-off recipe. Teams that end up in that final are almost always proven teams. I had preached that once we got to the Premier League, we should have no fear of any team from any League. We had beaten Usher Celtic, AUL champions and Leinster Junior Cup holders, 4-1 in 2002, our first year up. A year later we should have beaten a Fairview Rangers team which won 6 Irish cups in 8 years. We had played a lot of the country’s top teams when we got to 2005/06. It took a great performance and a massive effort away to Castlebar to get to the final. Unfortunately, we met a team in the final which were the opposite of us. They were in their third Irish final, a very experienced team used to winning A titles in Waterford and Munster. We were a club trying to win a national title at a time when we had never won a local A league at any level, we had lost a Premier League play-off to Mervue a year earlier. We had a very young team still short of its peak, most were in their early 20’s or less. Losing a key defender in Castlebar and another during the final didn’t help. After that final we had no fear, we won a treble a year later and a double the following year, in my time.

6. Can you name three of your fondest memories with Athenry FC?
- 1. None of us will forget the club’s first Premier league win. Mervue, Salthill and ourselves could all have won the league on the final day. That Salthill team had won the League of Ireland U21 Cup that season and were rightly confident of winning the league at home in Drom, in front of a big crowd. We went in at half time 3-0 up. It was a rare game when every single player was at the top of their game, we were a team ready to win. There were only two changes in the starting 11 from the previous year’s Irish Cup semi-final v Castlebar, one enforced, with 9 of the starting 11 having come through from under-age. We followed it up with the Byrne cup and Connacht Cup, all three games being played in 10 days.
- 2. I think the key game in retaining the league the following season was our third last game away to Mervue, another game I remember very clearly, when again every player was at the top of their game. They were preparing for their first season in the League of Ireland A league, but like the previous year away to Salthill, we outplayed them on the day and went 3-0 up. I think they got a late one back.
- 3. Memories as a player - I considered myself average and was never over focussed on awards or trophies, but being voted first team player of the year twice by fellow players was nice and a big surprise, especially considering I used to spend the year kicking them in training. That and the satisfaction early in my career of competing over three seasons in the Premier League, there was such a massive gulf at the time between that and the lower divisions, it was like a different sport.

7. Having coached for many years and gained the respect of many great players. Is there any advice you would give to younger coaches or players that are thinking of getting into coaching?
- Trust your instinct. Luckily I had learned a few lessons before taking over as manager, I was part of 4-man selection committee one year and it’s nothing to do with the individuals, but they dont work. Players need to know who they are answering to.
Dont do it if you like to be popular all the time, I reckon I was popular none of the time.

8, This may be difficult, can you name a starting 11 from all the players you have managed at Athenry FC.
- I deliberately haven’t named players above. It’s such a narrow line, I could have been gone after a few games. I am equally indebted to the players who played my very first game away to Tuam Celtic, those who got us out of the third tier, those who won the trophies or who played a great game away to Irish cup holders Carrick in my last shot at the Irish cup, when we did everything but win. I was lucky to have great players, great leaders and characters. It wouldn’t be fair to choose.

Thank you,
@athenry_afc / #athenry_afc