Our Youth teams have had another very successful season in 2015. We were represented in five county finals and six semi finals from Under 14 to Minor.
The Youth season commenced with Registration Day in February. This is always a great opportunity to introduce our younger Academy players and their parents to our coaches and lay out our plans for the season ahead.
Gaelic Start had another fantastic year. We welcomed many new faces – both kids and coaches – to our Saturday morning sessions. As any parent or coach will attest too, there is no better sight than to see dozens of our youngest Sarsfields enjoying fun games and activities every weekend. These sessions lay a great foundation for their future football development at higher age levels.
Our Under 8’s, Under 10’s and Under 12’s all began their Go Games seasons in early March. Once again our Boys and Girls enjoyed their coaching and blitzes throughout the year. Our key aim at these younger age groups is to develop strong basic football skills among all participants while also teaching basic teamwork and match awareness. Even at this young age, these Boys and Girls represent their Club with pride. We look forward to seeing these teams develop in the future up through our Senior Youth and Adult teams.
Our Minor Boys were the first team to commence this season. The Boys put in a great effort throughout the season culminating in a place in the League Final. While they did not clinch the title, there were many memorable games throughout the season. One highlight was the League Semi Final against Stewartstown. While the opposition were slight favourites going into the game Drumragh lead from start to finish despite a late – and somewhat hectic – comeback from Stewartstown. The Boys have much to look forward too in the years ahead.
Our Minor Girls commenced their season slightly later in the year. This group of Girls have been a constant source of success since their Under 14 days and this year was no different. The Girls played in both the League and Championship final; winning the Championship against Badoney. This match was one of the best games of football played this season with only a late goal seperating the teams at the final whistle. It’s fair to say that the last ten minutes were heartpounding!
This year our Under 14 Boys played in Grade 2 producing some fantastic displays of football. The Boys reached the Championship Semi Final before losing to Cookstown. The game was a showcase of talent and a truly fantastic display of the sport. The Boys won 10 of their 13 games during the season and achieved a victory over every team they played with the exception of Cookstown.
Our Under 14 Girls also had a great season. They won the Grade 3 League, defeating championship winners Fintona by 1-10 to 1-3. The Girls had been beaten by Fintona in the Championship Semi Final but proved that they would not be beaten again in the League Final. The Girls won 7 of their 10 games throughout the season, putting in some exceptional performances.
Our Under 15 team performed well in the Og Sport competition. Once again the Boys travelled to Greencastle to play Badoney and the hosts in the group stage. The Boys won both their games to make it to the County Finals in Garvaghey. The Boys came up against Eglish in the Semi Final and were just narrowly beaten.
Our Under 16’s were the last group to commence competitive football this year. The Boys represented the Club with great pride and skill winning the majority of their games. The Boys reached the Championship Final and League Semi Final. Unfortunately a very strong Eglish team proved to be their undoing in both games. Despite going several goals down in the opening half of the Final, they showed true heart and determination to keep fighting until the final whistle. The Boys can be very proud of their season with highlights including a great double win over Beragh in the League and Championship.
Our Under 16 Girls played in Grade 2 for the first time this year. This group of Girls once again exceeded expectations and finished second in their League; winning six games and losing two. The Girls faced Glenelly in the Semi Final however came up just short in this game. This year proved to be a great opportunity to help develop the Girls abilities and they will now play Grade 2 Minor football next season.
Overall it was a fantastic season for our youth teams. We want to offer our thanks to all the coaches, players and parents who committed so much time throughout the year.
We look forward to the coming season and the coming years in which we hope to see our teams continuing to develop and progress.
