Opening Season Remarks from our Chairman Dara Marnell
We are delighted to welcome back all our returning players for the 2023/24 season and to extend a warm welcome to our new recruits of all ages.
The coming season promises to be very busy with over 500 players competing on more than 30 league teams as well as more than 100 children in our Academy. Last season we secured a League Title and a Cup, and we look forward to adding to that success this year. We are also looking forward to repeating the success of last May’s Dalkey United Champions League, which was our biggest yet, with almost 400 children playing in over 100 matches over the May bank holiday weekend.
Off the pitch we secured a valuable 3-year sponsorship deal with Sia Partners last season. The deal will provide much needed funds to help take the club forward and has already given us the opportunity to update our crest and playing strip.
As a club, our aim is to promote football for boys and girls of all ages from the Academy through to our Senior team. This would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of our Age Group Coordinators, Coaches and Team Managers and the group of volunteers who work behind the scenes. Thank You to you all. We can always use more volunteers. If you feel you could help around the club in any way, either coaching or administratively, please speak to one of our coaches or contact a member of the Committee.
Best of luck to all for the coming season.
New Child Welfare Officer and New Girls Football Coordinator
The Committee is pleased to announce that Clare Lord has agreed to be Dalkey United’s new Child Welfare Officer and Diane Woods will be our new Girls Football Coordinator. Clare in her role as Child Welfare Officer, will be working with the committee and team managers to ensure DUFC complies with its obligations in the area of child welfare and that training on the subject is rolled out to those in the club who need it. Diane in her role as Girls Football Co-ordinator will work with the Girls teams and managers to maximise the opportunity for girls to play for DUFC and to help the club attract and retain female players. These are two key roles within our club and the Committee would like to thank both Clare and Diane for agreeing to take them on.
Academy Starting on 9 September
Our Academy starts backup this Saturday at Castlepark at 9am for U5-U7 (2017, 2018, 2019) and 10am for U8 (2016) age groups. Please register ahead of time, join the ClubZap group, and share with your child’s friends. This is the foundation of our club and spaces fill up quickly.
Club Kit for 23/24
We encourage all match aged players to wear the official track suit tops to training and matches. These are available, in an extensive club shop, through our partners at Teamwear.
Training Schedules:
With daylight closing in on us, we’ve moved to our autumn schedules this week, which you can expect to stay consistent through December, and likely with only minimal changes through next April. As always, the age group coordinators and coaches will inform you of any changes.
