AFTER being crowned McDonald’s IFA accredited club of the year for 2019, St Malachy’s OB Youth Football Club have just celebrated their fifth birthday and plan to build on their staggering success over the next five years.
In 2015, a group of wide-eyed north Belfast natives decided to start a youth football team which has now mushroomed into 30 teams and over 300 children playing in various development leagues each week.
Despite the success, club chairman Gary Vernon is keen for the club not to rest on its laurels.
After setting up a dedicated girls section two seasons ago they hope to make in-roads in establishing a 'football for all' disability team in the not too distant future.
While offering a great environment for north Belfast children to learn the game, the ‘Wee Macs’, as they are affectionately known, really left their mark on the local community during the lockdown months – to such an extent they emerged stronger than ever.
The club ran numerous art, writing and football skills competitions in the early months of lockdown and organised Zoom quizzes for charity and collected for local foodbanks.
It was during those darks months that St Malachy’s added a mental health dimension to its club structures where they signpost mental well-being services.
The communitarian aspect of the club was never more evident when during April and May, club coaches Sean Davey and Gareth Devlin ran Zoom training sessions for its members.
Reflecting on the last five years, Gary said: “We saw a niche for starting the club back in 2015. We ran a summer camp in St Malachy’s College where we had 30 or 40 kids who turned up.
“So we then decided to enter three teams into the IFA Development Programme the following September and we’re now up to 30 teams, and around 330 players playing every week.
“We thought if we get this right we could have something good.”
He added: “To be awarded the club of the year in 2019 was a great feat. For the IFA to recognise us after five years is a testament to the committee, the coaches, parents and players and how they conduct themselves. We could sit back and take the praise for it but I think it’s really down to everybody.”
Five St Malachy's players graduated to the IFA's prestigious Player Development Programme last season.
Earlier this week the adult ladies team made their competitive debut while the girls section has made tremendous strides in such a short space of time.
“We started our girls section a couple of years ago and that was a big achievement because I don’t think there are any other junior teams in this part of the city that has a thriving girls section,” said the chairman.
“Down the line we’d like to introduce Disability football to the club. We have members who feel passionate about this area. We need to get it right, but it’s something we’d love to do in the not too distant future."
The global pandemic put the brakes on their cross-community endeavours with Albert Foundry and their creative communities extra-curricular project between the clubs, a pilot scheme introduced by Belfast’s City Council before lockdown.
“The proudest aspect, for me, is seeing the local community buying into what the club is doing and making sure the kids are playing every week and that they’re enjoying themselves, and bringing that community feeling to the club," said Gary.
“We’re not just a football club, we try and do different things for the kids and make it a bit more fun. And I think for the most part everyone has bought into it and that’s why we’re able to retain numbers.”
