P&O Irishsea back Moyola Park youth trip to Hibs
Thursday, 18 September 2008
Moyola youth player Kyle Bradley gets in some practice before setting off to play Hibernian. Also pictured are Edel McMahon, Danny Devlin, Robin Martin and Barry Devlin.
P&O Irish Sea have supported Moyola Park Youth Football club, Castledawson, this year by sponsoring the costs of return cross channel travel to take part in youth football activities at Hibernian FC Youth Academy, Edinburgh.
30 of the club's youth football players from under 14 and under 16 squads, alongside 10 coaches, were kindly invited by Mr. Bill Hendry, Director of Youth Football at Hibernian FC, to spend the last weekend in August meeting and competing against their well renowned, historical, youth sides.
A series of youth matches were played on Saturday 30th August at Hibs Training Academy, which had been purpose built to house Scottish Premiership side, ladies and youth football training a short journey away from the club grounds on Easter Road.
Although Moyola Park Youth conceded their matches they were congratulated by Hibs Youth Coaches on the standard of play their players demonstrated and the good sportsmanship shown on and off the field. This is a tremendous compliment for Moyola Park Youth given Hibs FC Youth have home grown youth players signed from all ends of Scotland and the North of England.
Whilst there, Hibernian FC presented Moyola Park Youth players and coaches with complimentary tickets for their home Scottish Premiership League match against Motherwell that Saturday afternoon.
"Local lad done good", Hibs and Northern Ireland forward and on this occasion man of the match, Dean Shiels, asked to meet all the Moyola Park players and coaches after the match where he mingled, gave some advice and took part in a photo shoot. He presented Robin Martin, Moyola Park Coach, with the Hibs jersey he had worn during this match.
The Moyola Park lads and lasses said: "This just topped off this fantastic experience and memorable occasion. We all will remember this trip for many years to come."
The club also paid tribute to their main sponsor: "Many thanks to P&O Irishsea, our main sponsor, who believed in the true personal, social, community and sporting value this trip would offer the young people involved in both Northern Ireland and Scotland. This ferry service is more than physically a craft which facilitates travel between these two countries, it invests in the building of Scottish/ Northern Irish relationships between today's and future generations of these two lands".
