It is not often the Mayo soccer fraternity comes together in support of a single cause.
But, barring a few exceptions, that's exactly what happened in Castlebar on Sunday when almost 500 members of football clubs and organisations throughout the county gathered for the

inaugural Johnny Giles 'Walk of Dreams'.

The main objective of the exercise was to help hard-pressed clubs raise money for projects and a figure is unlikely to be put for another few weeks on the exact amount collected.

 

But newly-elected Taoiseach Enda Kenny put his finger on it when he said after leading the walk that it was more about nurturing a spirit of togetherness than collecting funds.

His views were echoed by former Irish international star Ray Houghton who spoke about building a future for the many young children who participated in the walk.
It's a message that has to be taken on board by a sport that is frequently torn apart by its own internal wrangling.

The point was pertinently made by Pat Duffy, the chief organiser of the Mayo 'Walk of Dreams', when he addressed a gathering of clubs in the county a number of weeks ago.
He highlighted the fact that different sectors within football were all too inclined to knock one another rather than work for the overall good.
Evidence was provided by the chairman of the Connaught FA, Michael Rowland, when he compared his attempts at establishing an intermediate league in the province to 'drawing blood from a stone'.
It was a shocking indictment but, sadly, an accurate one.

While the game has progressed a great deal over the past 20 years, so much more could have been achieved if people had been working together rather than against one other. 

 Essentially the game should only be about young players and making them better. And if the pathways are not there for them it will not happen, despite the outstanding work being carried out in academies at club, county and provincial levels.
The sense of community displayed by the success of the 'Walk of Dream' project in Mayo offered some degree of hope than things may change for the better with a more co-ordinated approach by all strands of the game.

The Mayo Football Partnership did make a number of breakthroughs during its early years and it needs to start setting a fresh agenda now.

If nothing else, the 'Walk of Dreams' has presented Mayo soccer with an opportunity to reassess its position and decide where it intends to go because, in some respects, it is now, regrettably, at a standstill.

 

( 1 Vote )