FORMER Antrim footballer Anto Finnegan says that the guidance he received from sports coaches and teachers as a young boy helped shape his sporting career.
A sufferer of the life-limiting Motor Neurone Disease, the west Belfast man's inspiring speech on the importance of sport in a young person's life left an indelible mark on his audience.
Speaking at last week's Irish News Club, School and Volunteer awards at the Wellington Park Hotel, Finnegan captivated the crowd.
The former Saffron player grew up in the Lenadoon estate in the heart of west Belfast. He recalled his first year PE teacher catching him by the ear and ordering him into the office after Finnegan had playing in an inter-class Gaelic football tournament.
He'd had a plaster removed from his leg just a week earlier and had been told not to play sport for six months, of which his mother had informed teachers at the school.
“I tried to scare the teacher by saying I was telling my parents about him pulling my ear, only to be shot down again when he informed me he had direct instructions from them to stop me playing sport by any means necessary.
“I then had the indignation of him phoning my mum and informing her. My mum politely thanked him and I knew my goose was definitely cooked.
“Although a teacher wouldn't be allowed to grab a student today, I suppose you could say it was a great example of how parenting and schooling worked together for a positive experience. I didn't try to play any more until my six months were up,” recalled Finnegan.
The St. Paul’s man spoke of the positive influences and examples set by those who work with local children in a sporting sense, both through schools and clubs.
“On a personal note, teachers and volunteers just like you have helped shape me into the person I am today. I had never met a person from a different religious background until a group of like-minded community volunteers got together and organised and funded a cross-community trip to America.
“I was 12. It helped me realise that all kids from Belfast were the same and if they were all the same in Belfast, they must be the same everywhere, regardless of religion or colour. A valuable lesson for a 12-year-old.
“You have helped equip me with the tools and techniques to deal with life's successes and challenges, in work, home and sport. Schools and volunteers: your fingerprints are all over everything that is wonderful about this city, this country.”
Last November, Finnegan hosted ‘Game for Anto’ at Kingspan Stadium in a bid to raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease Research.
A crowd of 6,200 turned up at the Ravenhill venue to see an Ulster select take on Dublin in a challenge game. At last week’s event, Finnegan spoke of the positive experience of organising the event.
“When we organised the 'Game for Anto' game, the organising committee was almost entirely made up of people I had met through playing sport, made possible by volunteers like you.
“They are the most unlikely group of people, from all walks of life, who over years of training together, winning together and losing together have become close friends, prepared to give up their time freely to help others.
“They have taken the examples of the positive influences they were fortunate to have learned from and are practically applying them.
“They are active in the schools they work in and the communities they live in, working to guide and inspire the next generation to be the best that they can be. They are living proof that the work you do and the roles you play make a tangible, positive difference in society.”
