Kelly steps away from Oldchurch
ONE OF Alpine Oldchurch FC’s greatest servants Brendan Kelly is stepping away from the club after 33 years of service.
Involved with the Clondalkin outfit as a player in its first year back in 1985 when it was known as Oldchurch United, Kelly has since served in every capacity with the club.
“I’ve marked pitches, put up nets, served as chairman, secretary and treasurer, but I feel it’s now time to step away,” Kelly told The Echo.
“We’ve had some great moments down through the years, like doing the league and cup double when we were in Premier Saturday.
“One of the other highlights for me was when we won our first cup, the Jim Murphy Cup. We were in Division Two and we went all the way up to Major Saturday, winning leagues and cups along the way.
“At one point we had ten teams – two senior and eight schoolboy, but today we’ve just got the one senior team.
“It’s hard for clubs, especially with big expenses like insurance. When you have a team, you’re trying to survive on a shoestring.
The younger lads will step up
“I’ll be stepping away now, but hopefully some of the younger lads will step up to the plate,” he added.
Amalgamating with the neighbouring Alpine Express in recent years, the club gained another great servant in Charlie McGroarty whom Kelly hopes will be ably assisted in his absence.
TAGS Sport
