Location:

_DSC1825 as Smart Object-1 Peamount United FC, Newcastle, South Dublin.

Date:

5th-11th May, 2013

Participating Teams/Athletes:

Republic of Ireland, USA, Scotland and The Netherlands

About CSPI Sport:

CSPI is the National Governing Body in Ireland for people with Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy Sport Ireland was founded in 1978 to offer sporting and recreational opportunities to individuals with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities. They are also the governing body for football 7-aside and Boccia. They develop sports programmes in athletics, swimming, cycling, boccia and football 7-aside.

Event History:

This was the inaugural Dublin Gathering CP International Tournament, although the Republic of Ireland are no strangers to hosting International CP Tournaments having organized the CPISRA European Championships in UCD in 2006 and The St. Patrick’s Day Cup International Tournament in 2011, hosted by this years venue Peamount United FC.

Event Preparation:

This was a relatively small event with 4 international teams competing in 3 matches each against the other teams with a 3rd/4th place playoff and then a final for the two top teams. Admission to all games was free of charge and all were encouraged to come along, cheer on the ‘boys in green’ and welcome our visitors to South Dublin for what was an action packed week of top class CP football in the spirit of Gathering Ireland 2013.Peamount 1

The Tournament is supported by South Dublin County Council, South Dublin County Tourism Ltd, Fingal LEADER Partnership and Gathering Ireland. There was also huge support from the FAI and the Football for All programme manager Oisin Jordan. The Dublin Gathering International CP Tournament forms part of the overall strategy of getting Ireland’s global diaspora home (and contributing to the local economy) while enjoying a first class international tournament and experiencing the best of local hospitality and attractions at the same time.

The Dublin Gathering CP International Tournament was launched last October in South Dublin County Council, County Hall, Tallaght by Michael Ring TD the Irish Minister of State, at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. Peamount United Club shop was open for the tournament where hot, cold drinks and confectionary were sold.

Mileno Sports were organisers of the event with Managing Director, Philip Behan, being the manager of the event. The company was formed by Philip Behan and Terry Behan who with 20 years of combined experience and excellent relationships in the Sports Business, branding and sponsorship worlds have created an exciting proposition for clients worldwide.

The Event:

Peamount 5

Venue

Peamount United FC, Newcastle, South Dublin

Spectators/Attendees.

4 International teams: Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands, USA. Admission to all games was free of charge and the public were encouraged to come along. The event mainly saw Irish supporters attending the with each match seeing close to 150-200 people spectating. A strong family support was also present at all matches.

What next for CSPI in 2013?

Boccia-European Championships in Portugal from the 15th-23rd of June, Cheshire International 26th-28th July, National Boccia League-16 teams-runs from June-September, National Boccia Championships-October 2013.

Football-Intercontinental Cup in Barcelona from the 26th July-10th of August, Home Nations Development Championship from the 5th-8th of September.

….and for the Irish CP FootballTeam?

As Republic of Ireland came out victorious at the end of this tournament, they will look to win tournaments of a higher stature from now on like the Paralympics, World championships, World cup and European championships.

How the event went:

After many months of planning and preparation, Republic of Ireland were victorious after a 4-2 win on penalties against The Netherlands at Peamount United FC on Saturday 12thof May. The teams could not be separated following a 3-3 draw after extra time and the responsibility fell to Republic of Ireland’s Gary Messett to take the decisive penalty to send the home crowd into raptures and keep the trophy in Dublin for another year. The trophy was presented by Gino Kenny, Deputy Mayor of South Dublin County Council

_dsc1799Mr Kenny said ‘It has always been a very successful event for us and helps us to showcase the sport of CP football. The younger players are given the chance to see CP Football being played at its highest level and helps to encourage new players to get started. The team itself are extremely dedicated to the programme and their commitment see’s them put in 100% all of the time. They are strongly supported by Manager Mick Doyle and HP Programme Manager Paul Carrin.’

A BIG thanks must go to the FAI (Football Association of Ireland) and the Irish Sports Council for the funding that they invest in the programme and the event.

For more information please contact the office of CPSI at: info@cpsi.ie or 01 6251160