Ballymackey FC named FAI Club of the Year 2018

By Thomas Conway

 

The last decade has seen Ballymackey FC pour investment of roughly €550,000 into its newly modernised facilities in Ballinree, outside Nenagh.

To put things in perspective, that’s only €18,320 short of what Cristiano Ronaldo is now earning per week at Juventus. But much like Ronaldo to the Turin side, the money is worth every cent.

Last Friday, Ballymackey FC were announced as the 2018 FAI Club of the Year, selected by judges from a list of 8 nominees, many of them established football entities based in traditional strongholds of the game.

In a certain sense, their story draws parallels with Leicester City’s Premier League success in 2016. The scale might be different, but both clubs have risen to heights that would have been considered impossible just a few years ago. There isn’t just one Claudio Ranieri in Ballymackey though, the people spearheading the club’s rise are numerous and ever-increasing, but central to it were the five individuals who attended the awards ceremony in Cork on Friday night.

That team of George & Jennifer Haverty, Eddie Ryan, Ciarán Tinkler, and John Delaney, were so electrified when they heard the clubs name called out that the excitement rubbed off on one of the other nominees, Dublin’s Broadford Rovers, whom were equally delighted for the winners.

 

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