LEINSTER POWERCHAIR FOOTBALL BLITZ

Leinster Powerchair Football Blitz, Saturday 13th June 2009

Dlr Leisure Services Loughlinstown was the venue for the Inaugural Leinster Powerchair Football Blitz, organised by the FAI's Football for All programme and the Leinster Network of Sports Inclusion Disability Officers.

The five teams represented every corner of Leinster, including such counties as Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Kildare, Fingal, Offaly and Westmeath. The format of the day was a round robin league with each team playing each other team, and the two top-scoring teams contesting in a final.

The five teams were:

• Midlands United (players from Offaly and Westmeath)
• Dún Laoghaire
• Rathdown
• Kildare
• Sporting Fingal (this team is affiliated to the League of Ireland First Division side)

The standard of play was exceptionally high, considering some of the players had never contested in a competitive match before that day! In the end, though, only two teams could enter the final stages, and they were Midlands United and Kildare.

A very close game was played in which Midlands United became the overall winners, narrowly beating Kildare 3-2. Captain Stephen Deverey collected the trophy for Midlands United.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown player Keith Hayes received the coveted Player of the Tournament award, and is pictured below received his trophy from Oisín Jordan, Football for All Co-ordinator, FAI.