Former Celtic and Ireland ace helps grassroots Irish club celebrate anniversary
Darren O'Dea was in County Kildare to coach young players from Rathangan FC.
Former Ireland international Darren O'Dea was at Rathangan FC in Kildare, where Celtic held a day-long coaching session to help celebrate the grassroots club’s 30th anniversary.
The FAI Club Mark awarded side has a pool of over 450 players, from academy up to senior level, and is making huge strides in the women's game.
O'Dea's visit, along with Celtic’s International Soccer Academy Manager Jose Romero, gave local kids the chance to showcase their skills in front of the experienced coaches, while the club hosted a dinner that evening where the club's founders and key personnel from past and present were honoured.
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“To come down here and see the amount of work that gets down and the vast majority are volunteers is humbling and it’s a privilege to come over and experience it,” said the 20-time capped star.
“Obviously they are thankful for us being here, but really the privilege is the other way around.
“I think the connection with Ireland and Celtic is absolutely pivotal. It is a part of the culture and the history of the club.
“Coming over and showing support to a grassroots club shows that we always want to keep our connection with Ireland as strong as possible and always grow it.
“Hopefully that continues the connection with the Irish but also we are looking to grow it as much as we can in the future.”
Rathangan’s Craig Butler revealed how the club had grown in those 30 years - and their plans for the future.
“We have over 450 members, we have over 30 percent girls now, so it’s an unbelievable success story,” said Butler. “We want to continue that success and get to 50/50.
“The next stage of the club development is an all-weather astro. We have done the maths and that will give us an additional 47 percent playing time from October-time to March.
“We have trebled in size over the last 10 years and we think the next 10 years are going to be even more exciting.”
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