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THE Kerry U14 Kennedy Cup winning team received the highest honour the Kerry County Council can bestow, when they received a civic reception in the Council buildings in Rathass.
Last June, Kerry sent waves through Irish football when they pulled off a shock by beating the Dublin Schooboys League 1-0 in the Kennedy Cup final held in the University of Limerick.
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Members of the Kerry U14 team that won the Kennedy Cup, at a civic reception held in their honour with the Mayor of Kerry Pat McCarthy, other Councillors and team back room staff on Monday. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
The Dublin team are the superstars of the competition, so it was a win that put Kerry soccer on the map and just desserts for years of incredible work by a dedicated band of players and coaches the length and breath of the county.
“To all the players and trainers well done. We in Kerry County Council are very proud of you and the people of Kerry are very proud of you,” said Mayor of Kerry Pat McCarthy.
Speaking on behalf of the team was Padraig Hartnett of the Kerry District League.
“It’s a huge achievement and we thank the council for giving us this civic reception,” he said.
“We’ve been close a few times. There has been some very good players and squads that have come close getting to a couple of finals, but we never made the breakthrough until this year. When we beat Galway in the quarter final people began to stand up and take notice,” said Padraig.
A number of players from the team have been tipped to wear the Irish jersey in the coming months. It was a fantastic year for underage soccer in the county with the Kerry U15 also capturing the Galway Cup.
Only last week, Park FC players Michael Slattery and Sean Carmody took part in trials at Aberdeen.
The coaching staff at the Scottish club were said to be impressed with their technical ability and fitness levels. It was the first trial for these players at that level.
The Tralee contingent at the Kerry Kennedy Cup winning team’s civic reception held in Kerry County Council chambers, from left: Christopher Kane, David Rogers, Sebastion Vasiu, Mayor of Kerry Pat McCarthy, Paddy O’Rourke and James Sheehan. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
