Officials

The Academy

The Schoolboy/girl committee Strategy 21 document comprised of inputs from all schools age groups from U5 to U18. A consistent and recurring item covered all those children post Nippers that still required a certain amount of dedicated coaching. After many debates and discussions The Malahide United AFC Seasiders Academy was born in the season of 2007/08 to provide football in a non competitive environment. The key focus is on basic skills development.

Our Nippers Academy caters for U5, U6 and U7 footballers and now our Seasiders Academy focuses on those U8 , U9 and U10 that either have not yet found a position in one of our 48 schools teams or require more coaching.  

Our purpose is to provide concentrated coaching with a fun element every Saturday afternoon. Their is a school of opinion that putting young footballers into a league format does not result in the proper focus on developing Basic Skills. Indeed on the continent leagues do not exist until a much later stage. At present we have 50 young footballers Boys and Girls aged between the ages of 8 and 10 participating on a Saturday from 13.00 to 15.00. We have assembled a team of experienced coaches to assist these children in their footballing career.

For some it is an introduction to Malahide United and for others it is an alternative to the competitive league format. Over the season we will monitor the progress of the footballers and also where possible arrange some friendly matches when pitches/Teams and weather permits. The Saturday afternoon session always finishes with small sided games.

Remember the emphasis is not on matches but skills development. With 50 footballers it requires a bit of looking after and we are grateful to Marie Browne who has taken on the administration side of the academy. A big thank you to those Coaches who have given their time to support the Seasiders. Special thanks to the help given in the first half of the season to Ciaran Cleary, Stephen Feenan, Dara Browne and the parents who have stepped forward Peter Lyon, Paul Butler, Gill Penegor, Barry McLoughlin.

Thanks to Pat Hoban who has also volunteered to act along with myself as the Coaching Coordinator. The Seasiders is a new venture and can provide a facility for the Club into the future looking after the interests of a number of age groups. So far so good and we hope that the early successes can be continued into the second half of the season. Finally a big thank you to Richford Motor Company and Garret Molloy who have provided generous sponsorship for the Seasiders.

Ronnie Feeney

How to Join 

Click here to find out how to join the Nippers Academy and start your child's footballing career.

Getting involved with the nippers can also prove to be a great starting point for any parent wishing to get involved in coaching and are always welcome. Managing and/or coaching a team will bring many personal rewards and spending your Saturday or Sunday morning with your child during their match can only be good for you - as a parent. The club arranges FAI coaching courses for new and existing managers. Please click here and go to item 5.

If managing or coaching a team is not what you want, there are many more ways for you to volunteer your services and to get invloved. Please check here and go to item 6.