Introduction
Ballyoulster
Utd. is an amateur football club serving the people of Celbridge since 1968. The club is named after the townland of
Ballyoulster, which dates back to 1641. When
the club was founded, the catchment area was over 1000 people. At the end of 1999, the population of Celbridge
was approaching 20,000 with much of this growth
occurring during the 90s. The club has
strived to meet the needs of this rapidly expanding young population.
Ballyoulster
has always fostered a sense of belonging and pride in the club and locality. The importance of friendship and loyalty has been
critical to the success of the club. Players
from the original team of 1968 are now involved in the Club’s Senior Committee,
sharing policy development with the new members whom Ballyoulster has always sought and
welcomed. Three of these players are now
trustees of the club and the founder of the club is Hon President.
The club has
now almost 300 members. Our soccer academy
for 8/9 year olds, which started in 1998 with 24 children, had 70 children in 1999 and we
expect it to continue to grow. It is an
exciting time for Celbridge and Ballyoulster intends to be an intricate part of its
growth.
Objective
To quote
from the Club’s Constitution & Rules, the Club’s objectives are:
Ballyoulster United Football Club will strive to develop soccer in
the Celbridge area through:
· Actively pursuing the development of
all its players and coaches
· Promoting, fostering and developing the
attitudes and skills necessary to compete at all levels in the sport of soccer.
· Emphasizing the importance of
discipline, encouraging fair play and developing social skills through team participation.
The Club is committed to the local
community and will strive to respond to requests whenever they arise; treat all members
equally regardless of age, sex, colour or religion and respect the rights of others
whether members of the Club or not.
Club Achievements 1990 –
1999
In 1990, the
club was based in the green in Ballyoulster. It
had 2 senior teams and 1 underage team. Demand
for facilities had started and with the proposed growth in the population, the club was
faced with a dilemma. Due to the confines of
the location no further growth was possible, but given the size of the club no funds were
in place to purchase land. In 1992, the club
embarked upon a two-year fund-raising campaign to raise the down payments necessary for
it’s own ground. In late 1994, the club on the strength of its fund-raising obtained
bank loans to enable it to purchase 12 acres of land near Ballyoulster. 1995 saw the development of 2 pitches,
installation of temporary dressing rooms and the electricity. More importantly the club
had six underage teams as well as two senior teams and an over 35 team. In the following
year a 650-meter road and carpark was put in, an additional pitch and lighted training
area as well as two additional schoolboy teams. The
club also adopted the “Code of Ethics and Good Practice Guidelines for
children’s sport in Ireland”. An additional pitch was developed in 1997 and the
club appointed a club coach to oversee the coaching standards in the club. In 1998 we completed a boundary wall along the
roadway, put in place our final pitch and introduced an academy for 8 and 9 year old
children. We were also successful in
obtaining National Lottery funding for our proposed clubhouse. 1999 saw the academy, cater for over 70 children
and we had 9 underage teams. Clubhouse plans were finalised and planning permission
obtained in late 1999.
Club Plans 2000 – 2004
In 2000 we
have successfully launched a club membership scheme and the club is now on the Internet. The clubhouse has gone out to tender and
completion date is now fixed for the end of July i.e. before the start of the new season. The focus on the clubhouse design has been to
provide a facility for all family members. It
is with this in mind that a veranda, a children’s playground, a small function room
with kitchen and a gym area have been included. Given
that the club is open to young and old, male or female, the dressing room area has been
designed to ensure that all members can use them in a safe and unthreatening manner. The intention in 2000 is to put the infrastructure
in place at a cost of £250,000 which will then be built on over the next two years i.e.
extension of gym facilities. In later years,
the focus is on increasing pitch usage through drainage, development of all-weather
training area and a walking/running track around the 12 acres. This will allow for the expected growth in
membership.
Club Structure
To
facilitate the current development, in addition to the Senior committee which have
ultimate responsibility for the club’s operations; two small sub-committees were
established: one to manage the fund-raising required and the second to manage the
technical aspects surrounding the development (e.g. appointment of engineering consultant,
design issues, etc.) These sub-committees
comprise primarily of parents who have relevant skills together with one/two people from
the main committee. The sub committees have worked particularly well as they have a
definite focus and have also allowed the main committee to manage the overall running of
the club
Success
The
club will judge it’s success not on the number of trophies/cups it wins but on
it’s ability to cater for the demands of the growing community in a safe and
responsible manner. Sport has an important
role to play in society but it must be fun. The
club’s ethos is about providing “ A
Sporting Chance for All” |