The management committee of the Sligo-Leitrim District Soccer League was this week re-elected for the 2017-2018 season.
John Loftus, who replaced the long-serving Martin Kane as vice-chairman of the league in October of last year, will remain as vice-chairman, with Joe Cleary once again elected chairman at the annual general meeting in the Southern Hotel on Tuesday night.
Robert Kennedy and Teresa McCabe will remain as joint-treasurers, while Noel Kennedy remains the league secretary and administrator.
The first meeting for clubs ahead of the 2017-2018 season will take place on Thursday, July 27, and the league will kick-off on the last weekend in August.
President Ray Mac Sharry
Joe Cleary Chairman & Registrar E-mail clearylandscapes@hotmail.com
John Loftus Vice Chairman E – mail: loftusfamily@gmail.com
Teresa McCabe Joint Treasurer e-mail teresamccabe51@yahoo.com
Robert Kennedy PRO & Joint Treasurer E-mail: rdkennedy@eircom.net
Noel M Kennedy Secretary / Administrator Office 07191 44404 noelmkennedysligo@gmail.com
Chairman’s Address to Clubs AGM 23rd May 2017.
Welcome:
On behalf of the league management committee it once again gives me great pleasure to welcome our affiliates and Guests here to our Annual General Meeting. The league continues to be successful and this highlights the efforts by the clubs who continue to endeavour to provide quality football for their players. All our clubs are well administered and grounds are kept in as good as condition as possible. The clubs again enjoyed the benefit of quality breaks in all-local domestic competitions. The all-weather facilities at Cleveragh and the IT Sligo and Astro at Sligo Rovers have been of great benefit to many of the clubs that availed of them.
Carbury FC started of their winning campaign on the 21st August 2016 by lifting the Frank Kennedy Memorial Cup against newly promoted Ballymote Celtic in a great curtain raiser to the new season. I now extend congratulations to Carbury FC on winning the Great Southern Hotel Sligo Super League and Runners up Boyle Celtic.
Congratulations to Ballygawley Celtic on lifting the Andrew Mullen Sligo Pallets Premier Title and runners up to be decided on the 4th June between MCR FC and Arrow Harps.
Congratulations to Real Tubber on lifting the Cleary Landscapes and Pitch Maintenance Division Title and Runners Up Gurteen Celtic again great to see the game at such a high level in South Sligo.
Congratulation’s to Merville United on winning The Robert Cawley Memorial Cup and Runners Up MCR FC in a great final played at the Ray Mac Sharry Complex on Sunday the 7th May.
The Radisson Blu Sligo W B Yeats Cup Semi Final will be contested for tomorrow night 24th May between Ballisodare United and Manor Rangers with the winners meeting Carbury FC on the 3rd June in the Final.
The North-West Hospice Shield Final takes place next Saturday night with a great game in store between MCR FC and Real Tubber KO here at 7.30pm in the Ray Mac Sharry Park.
The North-West Hospice Cup Final takes place of Saturday night 10th June with the final game of the season between Manor Rangers and Ballisodare United KO here at 7.45pm at the Showgrounds Sligo.
Committee
I would like now to acknowledge here tonight and thank each of my fellow committee members for their service throughout the season Ms Teresa Mc Cabe Robert Kennedy John Loftus and our secretary Noel M Kennedy. I would also like to acknowledge the service ice given to the league by Martin Kane who resigned from the football administration of things on the 17th October 2016.
Clubs:
In thanking my own committee, I also acknowledge and thank all the clubs, their Committees Managers Players Sponsors and supporters for their efforts and support throughout a difficult season
Referees.
The Sligo Branch of the Irish Soccer Referees Society has played a major role in bringing this season to a successful conclusion. Their hard-working secretary Seamus Devaney and his officers have pulled out all the stops once again in our League and Cup fixtures. Paul Deering our FAI Referees assessor has insured that the level of standards set over the years are adhered too and I thanks Paul for his dedicated service both as a referee and now the officially appointed FAI Irish Soccer Referees Society Assessor. Congratulations also to Paul Kilcoyne on his appoint as Referee to the FAI Junior Cup Final at the Aviva Stadium Dublin.
Youth Committee:
I also would like to acknowledge the work been carried out by the Youth Committee and I wish them well in the coming season.
Oscar Traynor:
I would like to acknowledge and thank Manager John Loftus his Staff Lee Marshall, Michael Mc Tiernan, Glen Shannon Physio and players for their efforts and also a big thank you to the clubs that supported and provided players for the Oscar Traynor squad.
In closing on behalf of the committee I wish each and every one of you an enjoyable break and look forward to working with all in the 2017/2018 season.
Joe Cleary
Chairman
23rd May 2017.
League address by Secretary Noel Kennedy to Clubs AGM 23rd May 2017
Welcome:
On behalf of the league it gives me great pleasure to welcome our affiliates and Guests here tonight.
May I firstly concur with all the sentiments as expressed by my chairman Joe Cleary and indeed congratulate all the winners in the respective Leagues & Cups.
In welcoming all our affiliates may I also express our sincere thanks to the members of the Sligo branch of the Irish Soccer Referees Society their Secretary Seamus Devaney his chairman John Barry and treasurer Ronnie Melly I thank them and all their members for their great efforts throughout the season. I acknowledge and thank the FAI Referee Observer for Sligo; Paul Deering I wish Paul well in his endeavours May I also take this opportunity to congratulate Paul Kilcoyne on his appoint as referee of the FAI Junior Cup Final this season what a great honour for Paul, his family, the Branch and the League.
Thanks, and appreciation to Eamon & Mark Cunningham and Staff at Ej’s Menswear Grattan Street Sligo for their superb sponsorship. The league also wish Mark Health and Happiness in his new Role as a Husband.
The league is indebted to the accounting firm of David Cummins Accountants 1 Markievicz Road Sligo and we are delighted to have David with us tonight and also acknowledge his great support of the league and his generosity in training facilities for our Oscar Traynor representative side.
Committee
I would here tonight to thank each of the committee for their service throughout the season Chairman, registrar and head groundsman Joe Cleary Teresa McCabe Robert Kennedy and John Loftus without these dedicated people it would be impossible to run the league efficiently. I also acknowledged the work and dedication of Martin Kane who retired from the committee and Connacht Football Association on the 17th October 2016.
Clubs:
I wish to thanks to Each and Every one of You because I know how hard you work for this game of ours. The level of professionalism and the courtesy extended to me personally by all the club this season was again outstanding. It is indeed a pleasure to serve and work with such people and I acknowledge the wonderful work done by the officers and committees of all our clubs.
We also have to acknowledge the massive effort put in by some clubs who for various reasons had to surrender membership of the league I hope that will soon be back with us.
Oscar Traynor:
The league competed in the Oscar Traynor competition this season and sincere thanks goes to John Loftus manager assistant Lee Marshall Michael Mc Tiernan Glen Shannon Physio’s and the dedicated players that wore the shirt. The league was delighted with the support from Seamus Devaney Paul Deering and their colleagues who assisted in every way possible with fixtures. I thank all the players who rallied and supported the representative squad each and every one of them were excellent. Last year at this AGM I asked all club managers to review the level of fitness of their players. We had no representation in the latter stages of any provincial or national competition last season. The old cliché that the tables don’t lie was particular poignant in this regard. The league has an abundance of talented players but this needs to be fined tuned. This I feel was answered in spades and in particular by Boyle Celtic who reached the Semi Finals on the FAI Junior Cup and Connacht Cup as well as making the 1st Rounds of the FAI Senior Cup. We had Conor Griffin Calry Bohs representing us in the Regions Cup with distinction and lifting the Sligo Champions Sports award for his endeavours. We now have Conor along with Niall Brennan and Danny Browne of Boyle Celtic in the final panel of Thirty for Regions Cup in Turkey this July we wish each of them every success and trust they make the last twenty.
We also have Manor Rangers and Boyle Celtic in the running for the FAI club of the year so again many positives from this season.
Sligo Rovers FC:
Thanks also to the Sligo Rovers; Secretary Brendan Lacken Chairman and committee for their support and a particular thank you to John Russell RDO who does a superb job and is available to clubs for coaching advise. John has taken some time out and we wish him well and Ryan Casey who will be filling in for John is well known to us all and we welcome him here.
Youth Committee:
The league also acknowledges the work been done at Youth level by the management committee and their affiliates in particular Paul Hynes secretary, Benny Mc Laughlin Terry Hayes Michael Mulvaney Stephen Mc Coy John Healy to mention but a few for their great work and support.
I would like to thank personally the CEO of the Football Association of Ireland John Delaney and all his staff for the great support within the game
League Sponsors:
The league would like to acknowledge the League sponsors for their valued support this season; special thanks go to the following:
Kevin & Catherine Mc Glynn Great Southern Hotel Sligo Super League
Andrew Mullen Sligo Pallets Premier League.
Joe Cleary and Family Cleary Landscapes & Pitch Maintenance Division One.
Cups: The Robert Cawley Memorial Cup many thanks to our sponsors The Cawley Family and Michael & Marie O Donnell of Winterwood Furniture & Fitted Kitchens for their sponsorship.
Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa Ballincar Sligo sponsors Seamus Preston and all his staff at the Radisson Blu for the W B Yeats Cup.
North West Hospice Shield & Cup: Bernadette Mc Garvey and all the brilliant Staff at and volunteers at North West Hospice.
Eamon & Mark Cunningham Ej’s Menswear sponsor of our Leading Scorer Awards Super League (25) Leading Dylan Edwards Carbury FC & Seamus Ryder Premier League (27) Daniel Willis Arrow Harps, Cleary Landscapes & Pitch Maintenance Division: (10) Stephen Feeney Dromore Villa
The leading scorers will each receive a suit from Eamonn Cunningham and his Staff at Ej’s menswear and I congratulate the recipients of these great prizes well earned.
Media Coverage:
All our games over the season receives excellent coverage in the Media to all involved at Darragh Cox and all at Ocean FM Emma Gallagher Carl Brennan & all the staff at the Sligo Champion, Liam Maloney Michael Mc Gurn & Staff at the Sligo Weekender, John Connolly at The Leitrim Observer. Eamon Scott Evening Herald we thank you all for your coverage of our affiliates that is vital not only to the clubs and our players but also our sponsors I would hope that for next season the league would continue to receive this excellent coverage and to continue to include League Tables and Photo’s.
Special Thanks.
To Joe Keyes our solicitor of Kilfeather Keyes High Street Sligo who looked after the legal end of matters for us Joe is great friend and supporter of the Junior League.
Special Thanks to my friends behind the scenes at Mac Sharry Park Tommy Logan and Family who look after all our Heating and Water problems Ivor Parke Decorators who insures the place is kept in the best of order as well as the many others who assist us in so many ways.
Next season we hope to bring on FAI Live net for registrations this will enhance the present method and all leagues will have to use this system within the next 2 seasons so we are hopefully ahead in this department.
Important Dates:
Connacht Cup & Shield:
The CFA T P Brennan Cup & Shield will be played on Sunday next 28th May at Eamon Deacy Park Galway. Three Galway Clubs and Ballinasloe Town will contest the games.
Thursday 22ndJune Connacht Football Association AGM Saturday
July Football Association of Ireland Kilkenny
1st Meeting of clubs 2016/2017 Season Thursday 27th July 2017 at 8pm Venue Great Southern Hotel Sligo Registration forms on the Night:
Kick –Off New Season Weekend of the 26th – 27th August 2017.
Frank Kennedy Memorial Cup Saturday 19th August Ballygawley Celtic v Carbury FC
E j’s Appreciation Awards to club Members for services to their clubs.
*Stephen Healy Ballisodare United
*Richard Kennedy Boyle Celtic
*Michael O Connor Ballygawley Celtic
*Gerard Henry Real Tubber FC.
Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen my apologies if I omitted anything or one it is totally unintentional and on behalf of my Chairman Joe Cleary Teresa Mc Cabe fellow officers John Loftus Robert Kennedy and I myself I wish you all a most enjoyable summer break and I hope we can collectively come back refreshed to continue to improve this great game that gives so much pleasure to so many.
Noel M Kennedy
Secretary
23th May 2017.
