Ardmore has provided football and numerous activities for the children of Bray for the last 35 years. The club now has over 400 members, boys and girls, from 4 years of age upwards and is running out of road in terms of providing facilities for these children.
“This situation has gone on for far too long. Ardmore Rovers Football Club is one of the biggest clubs in Bray. It has members from every part of community and it is essential that we all find a way to get a facility they can call home. The volunteers and parents that are running the club can not put up with the lack of facilities anymore it must be a priority to do whatever is necessary over the next years to make this happen,” commented Wicklow County Councillor Mick Glynn.
Currently the club are training and playing matches around 6 different venues and a large proportion of their time is taken up trying to juggle the facilities around availability. The lack of playing pitches has hampered the growth and stability of the club that has had such an impact on the community for decades.
“Over the life time of the club we have been desperately trying to find the means to getting a home ground for our club. The lack of a home ground and club house for Ardmore has diluted and fragmented the clubs identity and our efforts to develop quality recreational facilities for the children of Bray and its environs. It is also a huge drain on our limited resources. The club costs in the region of €60,000 a year to run and a sizable portion of this is spent in the fees and costs associated with hiring and managing soccer pitches,” commented Chairperson of Ardmore Rovers John Treanor.
Wicklow County Councillor Mick Glynn commented “Having seen the amazing work that the committee and volunteers at Ardmore Rovers do with these children, this needs to be a priority. This club needs a home to call their own, somewhere that can provide stability for the children and a place where they can capture their history. Clubs, like Ardmore Rovers, provide the foundations of our community.”
“Ardmore Rovers motto ‘Success Through Participation for All’ is a fine example of how these children are gaining new skills whilst learning life lessons on how to treat others around them. I fully support their need for a home and will work hard on having this become a reality,” concluded Wicklow County Councillor Mick Glynn
