Letterkenny Rovers FC ‘amazed’ by turnout at inspiring fundraiser

Letterkenny Rovers FC were “amazed” by the turnout at their charity coffee morning. 

John Keys, the Disability and Inclusion Officer (DIO) for Letterkenny Rovers FC, put together the event to mark World Autism Awareness Day at the Station House Hotel, assisted by Joanne, Kerry, and Jackie Wade. 

“I’m amazed at the community turnout since the event was put together rather quickly” The DIO told DonegalLive.

He further highlighted that being backed by the Donegal Sports Partnership, the Football Association of Ireland, and Donegal Horizons has really helped.  

The ‘Football for All’ programme is an initiative aimed at kids with additional needs. It was started up by Donagh McMorrow, who built it up to what it is today. 

Letterkenny Rovers FC believes that sports should be more inclusive and that the programme provides “a safe place for these kids to come.” 

John, who helped develop the ‘Football for All’ initiative, now strives to continue providing sports to individuals who have additional needs while building community relations. 

“We have the guts of 500 players registered at the club,” he said. “We have nearly 50 volunteers, but we need more volunteers. You have to look past the crest and the jersey,” 

“So we are limited to what we actually can provide because we can only take so many kids at a time for safety, and then you run into facilities and different things. So, as a club on the field, we have fantastic facilities. We have two great pitches down there, the AstroTurf and the grass pitch.

“Off the field, we would need to improve the toilets, the changing rooms, even if we're really lucky to have a community centre, because there's so much more we could do for the community if we had a proper facility. 

“That all comes with funding, and we know that the world is changing and funds aren't there, but if there was something there that we could work towards with councils, government officials, Sports Partnership, FAI, all the different groups. If we could have a magic pot and create that centre in Letterkenny within the club, because football is much more than the club.”

The Letterkenny Autism Family Support Group finds it fantastic that the coffee morning was set up, not just for the support group, but for autism in general. They say that it is a great way to spread awareness and put it out there. 

Donegal Horizons has also shown approval for the event, saying, “It’s nice to be invited and to be supported by all these people.”

Danny O’Carroll, known for being Buster Brady on Mrs Brown’s Boys, also dropped in to give his backing. He said that a cause like this is something that he’ll “support every day of the week”. 

The actor believes that awareness days such as World Autism Awareness Day are still very important today, since “not a lot of people realise and recognise those experiences.”

Lorcan Roarty, who has been with ‘Football for All’ from the beginning, finds the programme very enjoyable. He says, “it means a lot because I really enjoy playing football.” Lorcan feels part of the team and has made a lot of very good friends during his time with Letterkenny Rovers FC.  

Margaret Roarty, Lorcan’s mother, believes it is great for her son as he has three brothers who also played football, and Lorcan could not keep up with his peers. ‘Football for All’ gave Lorcan the chance to play football with his own team that rivals his brothers. 

“He’s so excited to go every day,” she said. “There are days we can’t tell him before he goes to school because he’s so excited to play football in the evening. Lorcan made friends where he wouldn’t have friends. He just fits in and found people exactly like him. It’s just brilliant.”

Letterkenny Rovers FC would like to extend their gratitude to Brian Gallagher and the staff at the Station House Hotel for providing a venue.