The Sligo Rovers Halloween Camp concluded last week and rounded off a magnificent year of kids camps for the club, with close to 1,500 children attending throughout 2017. Our camps, which have grown in popularity year on year, are viewed as an affordable safe environment for children, which helps make new friends while also improving their football skills.
This year also witnessed the introduction of an optional breakfast club from 8.30am each morning. This involved the children coming to The Showgrounds before the camp commenced, having their breakfast with members of the first team while also learning about nutrition, along with a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities. This initiative proved hugely popular with close to 200 children enrolling in the breakfast club since its foundation in July of this year.
Speaking on the success of the camps throughout 2017, co-ordinator Shane Crossan added the following ” I am overwhelmed with the success of this year’s camps. I cannot thank the coaches, parents and of course the kids enough for their support and dedication to all of our camps throughout the year. To see children coming back week after week is personally very rewarding, as that shows how much they enjoy their time here in the club”.
First team manager Gerard Lyttle also spoke on the success of the camps in 2017 and stated “When I first arrived to The Showgrounds back in April, I was really taken aback by the amount of children in the ground smiling, laughing and playing football. It was in the middle of Easter camp at that stage and to see such a professional set up for children within the club was very encouraging to see. Both the Summer and Halloween Camps were equally as popular and huge credit must go to everyone involved”
Chairman Martin Heraghty summed up the success of the camps in 2017 by adding the following“We are delighted with the increasing popularity of the camps. We see the Showgrounds as a focal point for football in the community and the various camps certainly help achieve this goal. The camps provide a terrific opportunity for outdoor activity for children of various ages during holiday times and of course introduce new generations to “The Rovers”.
We would like to once again thank everyone who contributed to the success of the Easter, Summer and Halloween camps in 2017. We will be back again in 2018 for plenty more of fun, football and laughter. Until then, we would like to wish all of our participants from this year the best of luck in school and we will see you back in 2018.
Meanwhile, Sligo Rovers Last Man Standing competition has concluded.
The rules of the competition were quite simple, with all entrants picking one team per week to win their respective match in the English Premiership. However, you were not permitted to pick the same team twice.
The eventual winner, Diarmuid Feeney from Grange, collected his prize today in the Showgrounds of €1,000. First team manager, Gerard Lyttle presented him with the cheque earlier today. His winning selection was Liverpool, after they defeated Huddersfield 3-0 on Saturday October 28th. Diarmuid spoke to the club after collecting his prize and said the following ” I have always been an avid Sligo Rovers supporter and when asked, I was more than happy to spend €20 to enter the competition. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be the winner. I’m in a state of shock. I cannot wait for the 2018 season to kick-off and I am confident of a strong season under the leadership of Gerard Lyttle”
There was also a runners up prize of €300 won by Alan Jinks, who lost out on the top prize after selecting Crystal Palace to beat west Ham on the same weekend. The game eventually finished 2-2.
The final prize of €200 was awarded to Niall O’ Brien who finished in a very respectable third place.
Due to the success of the competition in its maiden year, the club is very much looking forward to running a Last Man Standing competition again next year.
