Football is coming home in Dunshaughlin to a new home – Dunshaughlin Youths Football Club are delighted to announce the official opening of their new playing facilities at The Willows which will also host Dunshaughlin Athletic Club in a major sporting boost for this thriving East Meath town.
FAI President Gerry McAnaney will join a host of special guests for the official launch on Saturday, 1st October at the new home ground, adjacent to The Willows residential development, which continues to be constructed by GEM Construction on a site adjacent to a new secondary school, primary school and creche facility to serve the expanding community.
Sited on land ceded to Dunshaughlin Youths FC by the late Tipperary businessman John O’Meara and Meath County Council in 1998, the playing facilities have been developed with the assistance of GEM Construction and will include four football pitches – 11-a-side and small-sided – and parking along with a floodlit 1km track, a grass running track and dressing-room and meeting facilities to be upgraded in the future.
Dunshaughlin Youths FC, founded in 1990, and their partners in Dunshaughlin Athletic Club are mainstays of the sporting scene in this rapidly growing commuter belt town. With over 30 teams now providing football for 400 plus players, DYFC competes in the Northeast Counties League, the North Dublin Schoolboys/Schoolgirls League and the United Churches Football League, Leinster Football League, and Amateur Football League.
Dunshaughlin Athletic Club was founded in 1979 by a group of young local athletes, most of whom are still heavily involved with the club. From small founding numbers, the club has grown to hundreds of adult and juvenile members taking part in track and field events. Every June the club hosts Ireland’s oldest 10k, the Michael Manning Memorial 10k. It is regarded as the best 10k in the country, drawing runners from all over Ireland and beyond with many present and former Olympians taking part.
The new facility boasts a 1km running track along with a 6 lane, 400m grass track. With next year’s plan to light up the 1km track, it will be a top class facility for the whole community, young and old to be a part of.
To mark the opening of their new facility, DYFC and Dunshaughlin Athletic Club invite all members of their local community and guests from near and far to an open day at The Willows location from 3pm and 6pm on Saturday, 1st October. Current and former footballers and athletes will be in attendance with fun and games for all the family and a range of football matches featuring DYFC youngsters and also an adult friendly match with coaches and players involved.
To celebrate their move to a new home and the ongoing support of GEM Construction, DYFC are also delighted to announce a new three-year sponsorship deal with the company which will see the GEM Construction logo on all club jerseys and on signage at the new ground.
