Ardagh NS girls will be competing in the SPAR Primary School 5s provincial finals. Photo: Michael Donnelly

Mayo students to contest SPAR FAI Primary School 5s provincial finals

SOLAR 21 Park in Milebush, Castlebar, will play host to the Connaught finals of the SPAR FAI Primary School 5s programme on Thursday.

The programme is the largest of its kind in Ireland, with 36,616 boys and girls from around the country vying for qualification to the national finals in the AVIVA Stadium on May 29.

Connaught schools have been to the fore in the competition, with just over 400 signing up to the 2019 edition of the programme. Last year, Belcarra NS (Mayo) and Galway’s Scoil Iosaif Naofa were runners-up in at the national finals in the Aviva Stadium.

Over 6,626 students across Connaught have taken part in qualification events for small, medium and large schools, but the provincial final will see just six schools progress to the national final.

The Mayo schools in contention are: Ardagh National School, Brackloon National School, Breaffy National School (Castlebar), Newport National School, Scoil Phadraig, Westport, and St. Joseph's Primary School, Ballinrobe.

Colin Donnelly, SPAR sales director, said: “The SPAR Primary 5s is a programme we are very proud of. It encourages children to get involved in sport and develop a love for football and physical activity, and perfectly complements our SPAR Better Choices message.

“SPAR local retailers across Connaught have been active in supporting the programme, and we look forward to seeing Connaught-based schools competing in the national finals.”

Follow the action on social media via #SPAR5s or at www.faischools.ie and www.spar.ie.