Aug 31 Wonderful weekend ends with Blades crowned champions
A wonderful two-day festival of football ensured Bridgewater Centre Park was the place to be this past weekend, as Arklow Town Football Club welcomed five other teams from five nations to Lamberton for the inaugural Children First International Tournament.

Sheffield United, now linked with Arklow Town, travelled over from England.  Indeed, the Blades travelled to Arklow with a highly talented squad of players for the Under 14 tournament.  North Dublin Schoolboy League brought their prospective Kennedy Cup squad, and facing an array of foreign opposition in competition over two days in Arklow were delighted to travel south.  Hanacka Slavia Kromeriz from the Czech Republic, Olympic Club Chateaudun from France and Klub Sportowy Piaseczno from Poland all travelled to Arklow to complete the sextet of teams competing.

Sheffield United’s class was evident from the very first game, as they proved too strong for NDSL.  The host club Arklow Town powered past Hanacka Slavia Kromeriz 4-1, with striker Shane Walker showcasing his talent with a wonderful re-taken free kick, high into the top left hand corner, after his initial effort found the bottom right corner. Olympic Club Chateaudun, after an opening defeat against Piaseczno, bounced back with a vital win over the hosts in the next game.  The Polish side came to the fore with a sterling effort against the fancied Sheffield United, with the English side needing a last minute goal to secure a victory.  Kromeriz too accounted for NDSL with defender Viktor Sevcik deployed in attack and netting twice in a 2-0 win over the young Dublin side.  The Czechs proved no match for Sheffield United in their next outing, with young Sheffield left back Tyler Williams starring for the Blades in a 4-0 win.  Arklow Town’s aspirations were hampered with a 2-1 defeat against Piaseczno while HS Kromeriz played themselves firmly into contention with a thumping 5-0 win over the French side, Chateaudun.

The all-Irish meeting of Arklow Town and NDSL saw the home side requiring a point to secure a place in the Plate Final and though dominating for long spells they were unable to break down a resolute Dublin defence.  However, a share of the spoils placed the home team into Sunday afternoon’s Plate Final.  A sizeable attendance sheltered in the main stand as heavy rain greeted the key meeting between Kromeriz and Piaseczno.  The Czechs, requiring a victory to advance to the final, could not break down a strong Polish side, and the club, from near Warsaw, advanced to the final to meet Sheffield United.  NDSL finished off a two-day programme in fine style, securing the Bowl title with a superb 1-0 over Olympic Club Chateaudun.

Arklow Town saved their best performance till last overcoming the ever improving Czechs from Kromeriz, winning the Plate Final 1-0 thanks to a deft finish from Craig Kinsella, his effort from outside the area eluding the reach of Czech keeper Milan Kuchar.

All in all, a wonderful tournament from start to finish, with the only grumble being an occasional heavy shower on Sunday.  However, quite fittingly, the sun shone brightly as Sheffield United were crowned inaugural champions of the Children First International Cup with a majestic display of football against KS Piaseczno.  The Polish team were unable to contain Sheffield’s passing game; the English side dominating from first whistle to last, with striker Jordan Hodder bagging a hat trick in United’s stunning 5-0 success.

Away from the football, the visiting teams were treated to a night of traditional Irish entertainment and food in Arus Lorcain (Parish Hall) on Saturday night.  The international flavour was enhanced with the fusion of Irish music and, shall we say, Afro-French percussion.  Tony Breslin, as ever, was on hand to keep the entertainment going in full swing, joining the 'musical ensemble'. 

With the tournament ending earlier in the day, all parties travelled then the short distance to the Arklow Bay Hotel, to bring to a close the weekend's festivities, as we celebrated the event with a "Celebration Of Arklow" Night.  Organiser Mark Canavan put together a fantastic line up, a wide variety of talent from within the town and opening with the arrival of the world champion St. Columcille Pipe Band it set the tone for a wonderful evening, thoroughly enjoyed by all.

So, as one curtain closes, another opens, and as all the travelling teams head home, we cast a long eye on meeting up again next year.  Indeed, some from Arklow Town Football Club are on record as saying they would walk five hundred miles, and then five hundred more...

Congratulations to all who helped in any way to make the inaugural Children First Tournament a resounding success.

Image Gallery recalling the weekend's football can be viewed here.

Aug 28 Visiting teams treated to a clash of the ash
Teams from Sheffield United, Olympic Club Chateaudun and Klub Sportowy Piaseczno were treated to a first ever viewing of Ireland's national game with an exhibition game of hurling played at the Arklow Rock Parnells GAA ground.  The home team faced Eire Og, much to the bemusement of some players and team mentors alike.  Plenty of "oooh's" and "aahhh's" as hurlers clashed across the park, with some team managers appreciating the skill and movement of the players.  After the game, the teams gathered in the clubhouse, for food and entertainment - and our thanks oncemore to the Arklow Rock Parnells GAA club for proving to be accommodating hosts.

Images from the evening at Arklow Rock Parnells GAA:

Aug 13 Town set to host inaugural Children First International Tournament
The inaugural Children First International Tournament will be hosted by Arklow Town Football Club (Juniors), and held at the club's Bridgewater Centre Park home on the weekend of August 29 and 30.  The tournament sees six teams from five different nations competing.  However, the aim of the tournament is to bring different communities from different countries together via the medium of sport - and celebrating our friendship together.

Visiting Arklow are some old friends as well as some new ones. We are delighted to welcome OC Chateaudun from France; KS Piaseczno from Poland; HS Kromeriz from the Czech Republic and from closer to home the NDSL (North Dublin Schoolboy/girl League). Also making a debut at Lamberton are our friends from Sheffield United - now co-operative partners with Arklow Town Football Club (Juniors). We look forward to welcoming all to Arklow for an enjoyable weekend of football and fun.

Six teams, five nations - the competing teams are as follows:

Arklow Town FC (Ireland)
Olympic Club de Chateaudun (France)
Sheffield United (England)
NDSL (North Dublin Schoolboy/Girl League) (Ireland)
Hanacka Slavia Kromeriz (Czech Republic)
Klub Sportowy Piaseczno (Poland)

Fixtures - Saturday August 29

Pitch 1 Sheffield United  v North Dublin Schoolboy/girl League   10.30am
Referee:  Mr. Joe Boland
Pitch 2 Olympic Club Chateaudun v Klub Sportowy Piaseczno   10.30am
Referee:  Mr. Michael Kennedy
Pitch 1 Arklow Town v Hanacka Slavia Kromeriz   11.20am
Referee:  Mr. Seamus Ferguson
Pitch 1 Klub Sportowy Piaseczno v Sheffield United   12.10pm
Referee:  Mr. Michael Kennedy
Pitch 2 Hanacka Slavia Kromeriz v North Dublin Schoolboy/girl League   12.10pm
Referee  Mr. Paddy O’Toole

Lunch

Pitch 1 Arklow Town v Olympic Club Chateaudun   2.00pm
Referee:  Mr. Paddy O’Toole
Pitch 2 Sheffield United v Hanacka Slavia Kromeriz   2.00pm
Referee:  Mr. Joe Boland
Pitch 1 North Dublin Schoolboy/girl League v Olympic Club Chateaudun   2.50pm
Referee:  Mr. Michael Kennedy
Pitch 2 Klub Sportowy Piaseczno v Arklow Town   2.50pm
Referee:  Mr. Seamus Ferguson
Pitch 1 Arklow Town v Sheffield United   3.40pm
Referee:  Mr. Joe Boland
Pitch 2 North Dublin Schoolboy/girl League v Klub Sportowy Piaseczno   3.40pm
Referee:  Mr. Paddy O’Toole


Fixtures - Sunday August 30

Pitch 2 Sheffield United  v Olympic Club Chateaudun   10.30am
Referee:  Mr. Seamus Ferguson
Pitch 2 North Dublin Schoolboy/girl League  v Arklow Town   11.20am
Referee:  Mr. Paddy O’Toole
Pitch 2 Klub Sportowy Piaseczno v Hanacka Slavia Kromeriz   12.10pm
Referee:  Mr. Seamus Ferguson

Lunch

Pitch 1 Bowl Final (5th v 6th)   2.00pm
Referee:  Mr. Michael Kennedy
Pitch 1 Plate Final (3rd v 4th)   3.00pm
Referee:  Mr. Paddy O’Toole
Pitch 1 Cup Final (1st v 2nd)   4.00pm
Referee:  Mr. Seamus Ferguson


Presentation of Trophies   5.00pm