 We'll be looking at the battle in the men's and indeed in the women's and we'll be looking forward to underage aesthetics uneven ages under 9 11 13 15 17 and Another episode another day and hopefully we get together something like today, but yes the finger the story got off to a very very positive Championship start today and those novice Results again, just individually. We had fear economy him to a carnal individual. She's a new champion women's champion and Ushing toy of Finn Valley a student at the ATU is the men's champion Many thanks to Patsy McGonagall for that roundup Island sport is brought to you by Michael Murphy sports and leisure letter Kenny Cross the finish line and style with trainers from Michael Murphy sports dot e the young bakers No way to see. Oh, yeah, but he didn't make a song and dance about it Although to see one thing worth making noise about is that anything baked is better with Brennan's today's bread today Our US health assessed income taxpayer the October 31st pay-and-file deadline is approaching fast The quickest and easiest way to find your return and pay your tax is by using Ross revenues online service It also gives you until November 16th Register for Ross today at revenue dot ie don't miss the deadline pay-and-file on time Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first Joe Dolan Bond or music festival a spectacular Christmas party night at the Alina Marms Hotel on Friday December the 16th with the sensational Joe Dolan show Remembering Joe featuring five vocalists with the Dolan family and the original Joe Dolan band Cabaret dinner and accommodation if required now booking at the Alina Marms are online at showtours dot ie Revive the 90s in Bondoran on December the 16th at the Alinham Thinking of changing your car for a new car get ahead of the queue. It's time to order your new 2023 Kia today with an award-winning range of vehicles your next car will be a Kia We are sure of it visit letter Kenny or Malin or iMotors dot ie Highland Sports has brought to you by Michael Murphy Sports and leisure letter Kenny find everything you need to kick off your fitness journey at Michael Murphy Sports dot ie Welcome back earlier this week Desi Kelly was presented with an honorary life Membership by the Football Association of Ireland the presentation was made to the letter Kenny man prior to Tuesday's Nation League match between the Republic and Armenia at the Viva Stadium And he's the first Dunigal man to be given the honor FAI president Jerry McEnany and former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Paki boner made the presentation Well desi's award had been announced at the summer annual general meeting of the FAI Desi's been involved with his native letter Kenny rovers since first joining the Lekview Park Club in 1962 and he served and being a leading figure with the Dunigal Junior League the Ulster senior league the Dunigal youth league and the Dunigal school boys league as well as the Ulster FA and the Dunigal women's league And he's been a member of the FAI senior and junior councils not to mention being on several subcommittees at National level mr. Football desi Kelly firstly hearty congratulations a Wonderful honor for you and no doubt. You must be very proud to have received it Thank you very much for inviting in It is a great honor Especially being the first Dunigal person to be awarded a life membership from the football association of Ireland And I'm very pleased with that. I'm very pleased to get honored for your service Absolutely now, let's let's just find out a little bit more about desi Kelly and a lot of people who are involved in the game We'll certainly know you and particularly in recent years or a whole variety of Administrative duties and my goodness. You've you've been at some games over the years, but what about your old your own? Career and your own early days and growing up and your interest in the sport What are your earliest memories from being a soccer person? well, I suppose the commencement of the Dunigal league in 1971 was a great occasion because Dick Duffy being my brother-in-law Dick pioneered it and It took off it started before that but it didn't take off but when Dick Got his teeth and it it certainly took off in a very big way and for people like myself That was only young at the time we played a bit of summer cup football Which is the whole goal that time and the summer cup teams that time by teams like? Keldum Taggers, Leic, Kenny Crusaders, Swally Rovers, Fnatic United They're all packed teams Rathmont Celtic been another one to even St. Catharines They're packed teams. There's no room for the ordinary What we call stupid footballer, so We just had a gather together as neighbors and school people that went to different schools and picked their own teams and entered all the summer cups has gone Swally, Leic, Kenny, Convoy the name but a few and We've got a game, but we weren't in for the phone of it, you know So they didn't get a chance to develop coaching was out the wonder at that time and just a bit into context And a lot of people take it for granted now, but prior to the early 70s. There was no organized League soccer in Donegal. There were these summer cup competitions great crowds great interest People traveling big distances to take part in them We now take it for granted that you go out you play for a club. There's there's league games there So that was quite a change and that was actually after Finn Harps had become members of the League of Ireland and Prior to that, of course swilly rovers the FAI junior cup It's something you've always been associated with strongly down through the years and I suppose Swilly's breakthrough was a factor in promoting soccer here in the county. Well, that's right enough, you know surely with the kingpins of summer cup football Prior to the Donegal League and They took it into the Donegal League with the men they even even had at the first final played the first game in the first final like we park in 1972 but Before that like if you're interested in football, we were very lucky as kids I Thinked off we always run the youth football. He was a great man for youths all around the county and we were very lucky to be entered in the Casual area cup and the remelting cup which is all under 18 at that time and We were very fortunate Well, I was in two winning teams, but there were a couple more before me times that like a God rest your Joe Winston Ducky Mcgrann and John Blake people like that that played before my time a couple of years and They won a couple of remelting cups to you. Which is a big thing that was one way Joe Duffy very famous Donegal referee and He called it the Swally Rovers minor cup and It was a great occasion for us to live with it You know a 16 year old to go to a mountain to play football And what many people may not realize, you know There was hundreds and sometimes thousands of people at these summer cup games and then as the league developed Desi, you know, it started off small beginnings teams have come and gone in the Donegal League But it grew into a number of divisions. There was Saturday football There was Sunday football and all parts of the county There were teams in places like Carrick and parts of the county that would never have had football But for the Donegal League being there and really establishing things only only for that like Football would have been very scarce And then other leagues developed over the years was the Ulster senior league again great success I suppose fan it in the early days You were involved there with it the youth league which was the feeder league and that was very important getting it established, wasn't it? the Ulster senior league it was but It was a good thing and a bad thing It was it was great to see the better teams Getting together and forming an Ulster senior league because we started off with something like 12 teams in it It went up to 14 with a max Unfortunately, it's down 95 but When it was pioneered at the time The right thought wasn't put on yet because plan B never was put on that's why there's only five teams on it It was grand took off everybody want on it, but when them areas then They had People disappearing from their teams and from our communities and I couldn't feel what are they going to do? Obviously with their all orders for them nothing. Yeah, and then there was like a junior and they were there were there were always Always a dislike between junior and intermediate and that problem of whether there should be automatic promotion and relegation involving the Inno Show and League as well and Well, things have moved on and we are where we are. I mentioned there the Donegal youth league Yeah, also the school boys league has been set up and so when we're talking about all these leagues One of the things that you would have seen over the years as well is the huge change in terms of facilities at clubs I mean young fellas now don't realize just Years ago that I mean to say facilities were basic is an understatement Certainly is but in fairness to all the clubs that entered the Donegal league And the initial stages they all prepared themselves their first option was let's have a good pitch Let's have dressing rooms and you don't need much more for starting with and everybody put on the effort costs a lot of clubs a lot of money to get where they are today, but it's well worth it and It's just sad to see the demise now of what's in your league football Now does he a lot of people know you as an administrator and I Suppose down through the years you've spent thousands of hours in what used to be smoke filled rooms not so much now but Behind the organization of any league of any structure There's a huge amount of hard work a huge amount of voluntary work and you and your fellow officers Sometimes do you feel that you know the guys out playing don't really see or maybe are appreciative enough of just what it takes to run an organization No, they're nobody realizes it because they're running their own clubs and they're doing the best they can and doing wonderful work But they never think further on and themselves and their own clubs and that's what one of the major problems You really have to get into the league When I moved on to Donic Hall league in 1989. I found it was a major change from being another country over second they did only go League strategy and then when it took over then the senior league Secretariat in those three face a secretariat and Psycho did only go to sleep. You know, you realize there's a lot of work on that, but I was so dedicated to Association football I was prepared to give it the time and I've continued continuing that even to the very day if you look at this week alone Money to see where and the football meeting. So it continues. It's non-stop really, you know And don't you go as is a hotbed of soccer as we all know and if it wasn't for all these various organizations You know, let's not forget as we've mentioned We've we've various leagues from used to school boys level Junior intermediate Finharps at a senior level many counties in Ireland don't have that So, you know, and it's it's partly due to people like yourself that we are such a strong county for soccer Well, I was very fortunate to in 1976 when the formed It only got school boys league It was like to go to let it can end this thing that day to get it started again take off We've been the pioneer of it with father Makatir and Myself acted a secretary and treasurer and PRO and we got to go on a local way But then this time of dawn with teams moved in like with the like a Lagging came in like a democca man and spread out a good bit then from a local land if you look now like you like a ballerina and Alastair and They were they won't her tell it in so did she at all took to go over got a grip on it and everybody Wanted to be involved in soccer football, you know like clubs. I suppose You know leagues have their ups and downs and we have good periods and bad periods and Looking forward now at the at the moment. There's been a lot of investment in grounds There's a lot of investment in coaching the structures are completely different to what they were before You must be quite optimistic about the way the game is going Certainly, I'm there's a lot of talent around the hold on a car school boys league and every area And we're very fortunate. We have interleague teams and we're able to pick the best and no people Go to slag or overs fun harps and they're a study, but they're there in my name. Oh, you know You can only take so many But that's it's great to see the talent that's around there the school boys leagues and Even of recent times he's some boys went to Italy to play a young fella that was our under eight Player of the year some years ago. We know to use an easy. That's the kind of progress They're making and the talent among young boys now is what was wonderful to see them especially in the coaching end where we Finished off a national turf budget like few parking with slots now for all our teams which was 11 of them and You see the interest in coaching and these people give them their time admire them coaches to do every team and come there for their One hour two hours per week Do their coaching and the young boys are just mad for run run about we even have the young boys on the rates On a Sunday morning from 10 to 11 and you get as many as 50 or 60 every Sunday morning Just learning the game, but there'll be talent coming out of that just not to Future internationals we're running up against the clock. There's a few more things. I'm gonna bring in the Dunigal women's league The women's league in Dunigal is kind of common gone and it's coming back up again And there's a big interest again now in women's soccer and of course Dunigal has had a number of International players as well and again. This is an area with considerable potential So you're speaking a man that's out to the chair man of the Dunigal women's league and that has Taken off in a big way. We had 20 teams in under 12 section this year alone Not a dog with 14 and 16 and seniors, you know, that's terrific. It's we I'd say counting we most had At all different age groups, maybe the best part of 20 years Captain international level The only problem for us now that Dunigal women's league is fun helps her a lot two teams. How? coming into Their girls Academy Personally, I don't agree with it But like we'll have to play along with it But there are a couple of important meetings come up now within the next day three weeks Sort out what's what now so and Then teams come in and take over players. That's one of the big questions has to be raised and finally desi In terms of personal highlights down through the years and you've followed I suppose particularly in the FAI junior cup circuit There's been great moments for clubs from Dunigal Aaron more United and Lifford Celtic and St. Catharines and many more anything in particular Stand out for you on the junior cup front because it is such a remarkable competition one of the biggest in Europe It's a fantastic company because you're in all Ireland set up or 26 going to set up but unfortunately a lot of the leads Don't address it as such and sad because It's great for making friends Making new teams seeing different ideas seeing different grounds How does coaches work all that kind of stuff? I've been very fortunate I've been chairman of the FAI junior council on two different occasions eight years apart And I could see the value of it But in our county now they're not pushing it as much as whenever I was there To me the FAI cup or junior cup was a priority That's of course falling the success of Fertile Rovers and from the harps we want it well, and but it's Dying down a bit and I think the legislature should Raise their own clubs to be a part of the FAI junior cup Well, we'll watch this space desi and hopefully there'll be another Dunigal name in the future on the FAI junior cup desi kelly many. Thanks for coming into studio desi has been made an honorary life Member of the football association of Ireland and well deserved. Thank you There's never been a better time to go full-ledal. Let's hear