Friday 26th February 2010 sees the start of a new Friday Night Late Night Soccer League in Balbriggan. Open to boys and girls aged 13-15 and 16-19, the games will take place at the all-weather pitch in Glebe North on Fridays from 9pm to 11pm and the League will run for 6-8 weeks.

The Late Night League (LNL) is the brainchild of the Football Association of Ireland, and follows from a successful pilot scheme in Ballymun. The League is run in conjunction with local authorities, youth groups and Community Garda policing units, and aims to provide a safe, fun and healthy social alternative to teenagers for Friday nights. The FAI LNL will run across Dublin and it is intended to have a Dublin Finals night in April.

The LNL is fully supported by Community Garda policing units who are working with FAI Community Development officers to ensure the programme is a success. Speaking about the initiative, Inspector in charge of Community Policing at Balbriggan Garda Station, Declan Yeates said “Balbriggan Gardai willingly support this community based initiative and encourage all young people to engage in outdoor sporting activities” .

Paul Keogh FAI/Fingal County Council Development officer added “The joint partnership between Fingal County Council’s sports division and the FAI and the local community Gardai in Balbriggan has meant this programme has come to fruition. The benefits of such a programme are obvious to all and will hopefully give the youth of Fingal something to look forward to on a Friday night. It is also supported by Balbriggan Youth Service Foroige which we are delighted about.”

Niall McGuirk, Senior Sports Officer in Fingal County Council commented that “the pleasing part is that the programme has a sporting and a social inclusion aspect and that an initiative such as the LNL can help with diversity and often integration in the communities and has the full support of Fingal County Council.”

For further information on the Late Night League initiative, or any football programmes, please contact your local FAI Development Officer:

Balbriggan/Skerries & Area - Paul Keogh - T: 086-0444435   E: paul.keogh@fai.ie
Swords & Area - Mick Pender - T: 087-1273258   E: mick.pender@fai.ie
Dublin 15 & Area - Martin Doyle - T: 086-7700772   E: martin.doyle@fai.ie
Howth/Malahide/Baldoyle & Area - Denis Hyland - T: 087-1273242   E: denis.hyland@fai.ie