DFC IN THE COMMUNITY: AUGUST ROUND-UP

A round-up of the club’s community activity during August.

Redeemer FC and Woodview Celtic
We would like to thank Redeemer and Woodview Celtic’s U10 boys teams for coming up to Oriel Park and entertaining the fans with their halftime mini-matches during the league games with Galway United and Shelbourne. They also acted as flag bearers to welcome the first team onto the pitch.

SOSAD collection
We welcomed SOSAD for a bucket collection in August. SOSAD have a service in Dundalk where they work to raise awareness and help prevent suicide in Ireland. If you need to speak with someone, SOSAD are there to support you. Contact their 24-hour helpline on 1800 901 909 or the local service on 042 932 7311.

Opening Training Day
It was fantastic to see such a large crowd, young and old, at the Open Training Day that was held at the start of August. The crowd enjoyed watching the players train and were able to get autographs and photos and have a chat and a laugh with all of the players. The highlight for most of the kids was getting out onto the pitch afterwards to have a kick about! We hope to have more Open Training Sessions soon.

Football Skills with Louth County Council
Dundalk FC, in partnership with Louth County Council’s Local Authority Integration team, developed a pilot Football Skills with Liam Burns programme for asylum seekers living in Dundalk. During the five-week programme, the participants learnt some football skills with the fifth week dedicated to a clean-up project where they volunteered and helped clean up Oriel Park.

Clan na Gael at Oriel Park
We welcomed the Clan na Gael U13 boys team, who won the Louth GAA Division One league final, and the U14 girls team, who won their Louth GAA E Championship, to Oriel Park for the home match against Galway United on August 2nd.

Community Climate Captains
We would like to thank everyone who participated in the Community Climate Captains survey and, in particular, our Community Sustainability Partner, Dundalk Credit Union, for their support and Dundalk FM for helping us spread the word. The survey is now being analysed and the findings will be released shortly.

Football for All Summer Camp
Twenty-three children participated in our second Football for All Camp for children aged 6-13 with additional needs. Great fun was had by all and we are already looking forward to our Football For All Summer Camp in 2025.

2024 Dundalk FC Summer Camps
We had four very successful summer camps this summer, with over 350 children in attendance. The highlight of each week came when all the players popped in to meet the kids, sign autographs and pose for pictures. Keep an eye out on our social media channels for news about our upcoming Halloween Camps.

Lily the Bin Campaign
We launched our Lily the Bin initiative with the help of Daryl Horgan and our Community Sustainability Partners Dundalk Credit Union. We are asking all Dundalk FC fans, or anyone visiting Oriel Park, to donate their return bottles and cans to help feed back into our community.

All Ireland Intercultural Football Cup
Oriel Park hosted the first All Ireland Intercultural Football Cup where seven nations from around the world took part. Palestine, Nigeria, Madagascar, Djibouti, Pakistan, an intercultural team and the overall winners of the cup, Somalia, all took part in the event which was organised by the South African Support Group, Future Stars Parent Group and Someli Irish Community Development Association.

Sables Nua in Zambia
Sables Nua is a school for street children, orphans and vulnerable children in the city of Kabwe in Zambia that is run by Pat Fanning and his wife Emer.
The school provides education, food, clothing, healthcare, accommodation, skills training and after-school activities for over 300 children from very deprived backgrounds.
Four years ago, two young pupils, Kapeya Jane Lutambo and Brian Tembo, suggested starting a football team for the kids and the teams have been running ever since and are very successful.
In recognition of their hard work, Pat brought the two young coaches to Ireland to allow them to learn more coaching skills and we were delighted to welcome Kapeya to Oriel Park to learn from tour women’s academy coaches for two weeks in August.

Disability Services Football Blitz
On August 27th, we held a Disability Services Football Blitz at Oriel Park in partnership with the FAI and our Community Partner Paypal. Up to 60 players from all across the North East region enjoyed a fun football morning with the games facilitated by FAI Development Officers and Paypal staff. Following the event, the players were treated to a well-deserved and delicious ice cream.
The Disability Services Football Blitz was part of the ongoing series of regular blitzes and football opportunities for people with disabilities.
The teams who took part were: Rehab Care Dundalk, New Visions Dundalk, Rehab Care Navan, St John of Gods, Gatehouse Drogheda, National Learning Network Monaghan, Errigal Truagh Monaghan, Steadfast House Monaghan, Drumlin House, Cavan and Shelbourne FC Football for All.

The Birches Alzheimer Day Centre
The Birches Alzheimer Day Centre raised a total of €1,030 from a collection that was held before the game with Shelbourne on August 30th. Before the game, a tribute took place to our former manager Jim McLaughlin, who was a member of The Birches family, for over a decade.

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