How a Mayo man's football passion took him to Orono in the US
WHEN you mention the name 'McDonnell' amongst the soccer community in Mayo, one family springs to mind, writes NIGEL NAUGHTON.
It was in 1975 when Peter McDonnell, his father Peter, and a host of others, founded Killala AFC, a club that is currently thriving, boasting some of the finest facilities in the county and which is about to embark on the start of their Premier Division journey for the 2020 season, having secured promotion back to the second tier in Mayo football before the Covid-19 crisis put a temporary suspension to things.
The love of football was not lost on Peter's three children, with Ciara, Mark and Peter J. all becoming fascinated with the sport from a very early age.
Indeed, the sport has become young Peter J.'s life as he embarked on a coaching journey that has taken him from Killala to Massachusetts, Castlebar to New Jersey, and to his current location of Orono, a small town in central Maine known for its lumber industry and paper mills in the past, its university, harsh winters, clear waters and rich hunting heritage.
It is here where Peter currently serves as director of coaching for Seacoast United, Maine, as well as being assistant women's soccer coach at NCAA Division One, University of Maine.
However, like the sporting industry in his native Mayo, his work has altered drastically due to Covid-19.
"It has sadly turned everything on its head. We were in the middle of our spring season with the women's college program, ready to play our first games, and similarly with the youth club, we were training inside all winter and ready to play games and move everything outside, then one day the plug was pulled on everything.
It was all really abrupt and now we are trying to keep in touch with individual players and teams via Zoom meetings.
Moving everything online has taken the personality away from football for now, but we are having to adapt and engage players in different ways," said McDonnell of their current situation.
The Killala native, who holds the coveted UEFA A Licence and a commerce degree from NUIG, can't help but compare the reactions to Covid-19 from both sides of the Atlantic, with the response from the US dividing opinion, to put it mildly.
"I think Ireland has done a stellar job. They haven't seemed to be reactive at all, which is something I can't say about the US.
"The system here is incredibly fragmented, meaning anything that Trump and the federal government puts forward can't really come into effect locally for months, as each individual state holds the power to affect their own.
"Some states have done a great job, but some have been honestly clueless, which you can see by just looking at the way the country is being affected. I don't think I have to go into too much depth about how Donald (Trump) has dealt with it, but I for one have stopped watching him," added McDonnell.
While the current climate is having an extremely negative impact on how McDonnell can impact and engage with his players, it is not his solitary concern.
Having completed his commerce degree in NUIG, curiosity and a desire to continually educate himself got the better of him, as he began a Masters in Kinesiology and Physical Education at the local University of Maine, the school where he also coaches at.
SCHOOL CLOSING
"The school closing has been the toughest part really for me, because I was loving the hands on learning through peers and professors at UMaine. We are now all on Zoom classes and written assignments, so it's back to self learning, so that is disappointing.
"Again, I have had to adapt and it's grand that I can complete everything online, but I would rather be in the mix with people who are smarter than me, asking them questions and learning from them in person," declared McDonnell.
Adaptation is nothing new for Peter, having lived and navigated numerous different cities, clubs and environments, with this latest challenge of reeducating himself certainly taking him out of his comfort zone.
"Curiosity is key for me. I've always been interested in the human body side of high performance. We all know that hard work, strength, power, speed and healthy nutrition is required to be the best, but I wanted to know how to practically and knowledgeably make it happen for teams.
"When I met with the head professor in the department, I found out he was the head strength coach for the NY Islanders NHL team, and he offered me a job as his graduate assistant, meaning I would get paid for learning from him - to a Mayo man, that was a no-brainer.
“I actually called my mother before taking the position and told her I was going back to school for my Masters and she thought it was a joke, as I painfully got through commerce in Galway years ago, but every path is different.
"The staff have taken the time to sit down with me and explain it in a way I can relate back to football, which for me is such an easy way to learn. I never in a 100 years thought I could be back doing a science-based Masters, but relating everything back to the game has been the perfect way to take everything on board," McDonnell said enthusiastically.
Despite the apparent glamour that a life in full-time football in the US can bring, there are certain aspects of the game from home that Peter longs for, with the culture of the game at 'home' still so different to the environment that he currently resides in.
"Ya, to be honest I really miss it. Killala seem to have way more success without me, so that might tell a great story, but it has been very difficult to be away.
"I used to log in regularly on Facebook to watch Kenny Gannon's live feeds of whoever Westport were playing and I have always kept in touch with any old friends and foes back there.
"There is something about picking up the jerseys from the cleaners and filling 7-Up bottles with water for the players that holds that romanticism of the game for me.
"It's totally absent in the US and we turn players into little professionals way too early. I certainly miss playing for your town, your community and representing everything that's important to you as a family, and area and an individual."
However, Peter can rest easy knowing the impact that he has had on the game in both Killala and across the province, despite spending over 10 years - with the exception of a brief period back in Mayo - away from home.
He takes great pride in the strides that many young players in his own club are making, while also watching from afar players that he was involved at in their tender years now making the grade in professional football.
"It's been great to see players such as John Mahon, Liam Kerrigan, Darren Collins and Mark Byrne, to name but a few, progressing on to the first team ranks in the League of Ireland.
"I would have worked alongside the great work of Paul Byrne when those boys were in the FAI Emerging Talent Programme, so it's nice to see them advance.
"I have a place in my heart for Rovers, being brought up to The Showgrounds by dad years ago for games, and that type of football affection is why I still love the game," concluded McDonnell.