Liverpool's Academy has just signed an agreement of co-operation with the Irish club St Kevins Boys FC. Football director and St Kevins, Ken Donohoe, talks about his club.

About St Kevins Boys Football Club
St Kevins Boys Football Club was founded in 1959. Since its formation the Club has grown from providing football for 1 team to looking after in excess of 40 teams, consisting of all ages and standards. This season the Club has 40 Teams, 600 Players, 82 Managers and organises its own Saturday Mini Leagues, Summer Leagues and provides regular Coaching seminars and other topical workshops for interested managers.

As the Club membership has grown over the years, so too have the facilities. The Club owns its own Clubhouse, All Weather Training facilities and enclosed ground, adjacent to the Clubhouse.

The Club continues to upgrade and enhance all facilities for members. Particular thanks must go to all the members and friends who participate in our Klotto Draw each week, our annual bumper Christmas draw and our Golf Classic. Without their support, we would not survive financially. Fundraising plays a major role within our Club, whether its for the Club Development or assisting teams finance trips abroad.

The Club has its own Coaching Academy under the direction of SKB Director of Football, Ken Donohoe and is continually endeavouring to uplift the standards of play within the Club.

Like most other schoolboy clubs, St Kevins is managed on a voluntary basis, with managers, coaches and committee members all contributing to the cause free.

The Club plays its home DDSL schoolboy fixtures in Ellenfield Park,Whitehall, the AUL Complex and the College of Surgeons, Cloghran, while the 7-a-side games are played at Ellenfield Park and Coolgreena Close.

Among the club's most famous exports are Damian Duff, Liam Brady, Ian Harte, Stephen Carr and Alan Maybury. No doubt we will have many more players competing for international honours, at both junior and senior level. We must not forget club stalwarts like junior international players such as Anto Wilkins, John Ryan, Phil Long, Austin Hannon, Keith Maher, Philip Lennon, Johnny Carroll ,Stephen Higgins and Conor Dillon who have contributed to the success of the club at junior level.

Last season seven of our Schoolboy players left to sign for UK Clubs: Anthony Bolger to Aberdeen, Cian Bolger (not related) to Leicester City, Robert Brady to Manchester United, Jeffrey Hendrick to Derby County, Ethan Mannion to West Bromwich Albion, Jean Biansumba to Nottingham Forest and Eoin Wearen to West Ham United. While Conor Murphy is expected to join Hull City in the near future. Another two players who left us three years ago are both beginning to play regularly in the lower divisions in England – Renee Gilmartin (goalkeeper) at Walsall and Karl Moore who is on loan at Millwall from Manchester City.

Currently all our Premier teams are in the top two of their Leagues at their respective age groups from under 11 to under 17 inclusive and are in the last 32 of their respective National Cup competitions.
In 2009 St Kevins Boys will celebrate their 50th Anniversary and indeed the Club has come a long way since it’s foundation in 1959 to provide organized football for boys in the Whitehall area. This season the Club has forty teams playing League football weekly catering for over 800 boys with another 120 players involved each Saturday in our mini coaching leagues.

The facilities that St Kevins Boys have to offer any schoolboy player determined to make a career in the game both on and off the pitch in terms of coaching and facilities are second to none and provides them with an ideal grounding in preparation for a possible move into a career in football.

SKB Academy has impacted significantly over the years since it’s inception in 1999 on the standard of club players and on the image of St Kevins Boys Club as a serious and well managed base for young players to commence their football education in pursuit of personal and professional excellence.

The Club’s mini-league programme, which runs from September to May each season, is also regarded as one of the best in Dublin. Taking in youngsters as young as five, it helps develop basic skills in an instructive but fun way on Saturday afternoons.

About Ken Donohoe
I am Football Director of St Kevins Boys and have been since 2000, this position oversees the entire football programme within the Club and the responsibilities include: the appointment of a Club coach and daily consultation with him on coaching schedules, programmes, and feedback on all related issues. The appointment of managers/coaches for all our teams and putting in place a training schedule for them. The football Director is an elected position on an annual basis via all the members of the Club which enables me to sit on the six man executive Committee which is ultimately the decision making body of the Club. I am a UEFA B licence holder.

For further details contact: St Kevins Boys Club Office at 01-8374411 or e-mail info@skbfc.com