Special needs schools from all over Northern Ireland are set to compete in the Lisburn-based Ballymacash Sports Academy's football tournament this week.
Teams from schools in Belfast, Lisburn, Strabane, Omagh, Downpatrick and Portadown will compete for the Bluebell and Parkview trophies and the event kicks off on May 16 and 17.
Ballymacash Sports Academy is a recently formed co-operative which has huge plans not only to develop the sports ground and clubhouse in Lisburn but also to increase the accessibility of sport for all.
The Academy, Northern Ireland’s first sporting community benefit society – a type of co-operative - was set up to give local people a chance to become members and to be involved in the future of the facility.
They have ambitious plans for a £1.5m community sports academy which will include a new clubhouse, gym, a 250 seat stand and a cryospa.
“Neil Woolsey from Ballymacash Sports Academy said: “Last year we had 12 schools with 140 children involved. The demand is even greater this year so we have decided to run it for an extra day.
“The aim of our academy is ‘sport for all’ and this is the type of community event we intend to hold more of in the future.”
Eight junior schools will compete for the Bluebell Cup on May 16, while the senior schools will take part in the Parkview Cup on May 17. Both days will include a visit from ‘Footie’, the Northern Ireland football team mascot and also a barbecue for hungry players and supporters.
The idea for the tournament came about when James Curran, principal of Parkview Special School in Lisburn visited the Bluebell Ground, home of Ballymacash Rangers FC and location for the new community-owned Sports Academy.
The Parkview principal was so impressed by the facilities that he came up with the idea of holding an NI-wide tournament for special schools.
He said: “Ballymacash has been very supportive, raising thousands of pounds for the school.
“We had our first tournament last year and Ballymacash provided the referees, trophies and the catering.
“Last year we ran it in the week of the floods but the sun shone on the day and it was a great event. We had lots of supporters and it created such a buzz.
“One of the referees said that Premiership footballers could learn a lot from the manners and sportsmanship exhibited by our young players.”
While last year’s event was funded solely by Ballymacash Rangers FC, this year, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council have provided some funding to grow the tournament.
For more information visit Ballymacash Sports Academy Facebook and Twitter pages and the new website www.ballymacashsportsacademy.org
