Manulla girls seek support ahead of UK adventure
Manulla FC will be sending the first girls’ side from Ireland to the Trans World Soccer tournament in Newcastle this July.
A unique distinction will be bestowed onto a leading club for girls’ soccer in Mayo following their invitation to an international tournament in the UK, .
Manulla FC will be sending the first girls’ side from Ireland to the Trans World Soccer tournament in Newcastle this July 25-27, with girls’ teams officially entering the tournament for the first time in the competition’s history. Trans World Soccer provides youth football tours and tournament experiences across Europe and the United Arab Emirates.
The Blues achieved great success last year. There were wins in blitz competitions held at Castlebar Town FC and Westport United FC, they finished second in the league and they also reached the Mayo Cup final, where they were beaten by Claremorris. Such was the success that five of the panel are set to be put forward by the club for the Mayo Schoolgirls under-12 Inter-League team.
The panel is made of nineteen girls from national schools in Balla, Ballyglass, Ballyvary. Belcarra, Breaffy and Manulla itself, and the team has kept busy by playing in an under-13 league to help them prepare for the tournament. A number of them have been playing together since they were four years old and most since they were seven.
Eleven of the panel are set to travel over to Newcastle later in the summer, but even the ones unable to travel are playing their part. The team has entered the ‘Small Town, Big Difference’, campaign, which encourages community groups, clubs and schools to use the Deposit Return Scheme, and the team recently made a video showcasing their work which is on the club’s Facebook page.
With a €2,000 prize available, it would go a long way to the cost of the trip. “We want to make sure that this is an experience that the girls have that will put a platform for the next group that's coming up to look at going away at this,” said team manager Trish Maguire.
“We are asking the local community to bring your bottles to the club when you come to train and on to matches. We'll take the bottles away and then we're making money from that. When we put the bottles into the bucket, we bring it back to the return machines, and that money then goes into our funds.
“Manulla is a big community-based club. We try to do as much inclusive work. It's a community as much as a club and that's why the community are getting behind this.” Local sponsors like Unit7, Castle Cue Club and PJ Nestor Belcarra, as well as local councillors, have pledged support. They are also doing a bucket collection on June 21 and they plan to do a sponsored walk in Belcarra.
