THIS is a year that will live long in the memory of everyone associated with the West Cork Schoolboys and Schoolgirls League and the West Cork Academy – and their standout teams, players, mentors and referees were honoured at an awards ceremony held in the Celtic Ross Hotel, Rosscarbery.
A large attendance witnessed 15 awards being handed out to the West Cork region’s brightest prospects from an unforgettable 2022/23 season.
WCSSL committee members David Hall, Declan Deasy and Danny Logan addressed the attendees and presented the awards on an evening where special guests included Michael Collins TD and Andrew Healy, a representative from league sponsor SuperValu.
One of the evening’s biggest rounds of applause was reserved for the WCSSL Team of the Year, Sullane U12 schoolgirls. The Ballyvourney club’s dominance of their domestic age-grade and terrific run in the U12 Schoolgirls National Cup made Sullane popular winners.
Club of the Year went to Castlelack FC for their on and off field efforts in promoting soccer. The club’s magnificent Brinny home ground was also lauded ahead of Castlelack’s Jack Allen receiving the U12 Schoolboys Player of the Year award.
The U12 Schoolgirls Player of the Year accolade was shared by two of the region’s brightest prospects, Clonakilty AFC’s Alice Kelly and Skibbereen AFC’s Maggie Hallihan. Castlelack’s Gearoid O’Keefe won the U13 Schoolboys Player of the Year and Dunmanway Town’s Luke Holland the U14 Schoolboys’ equivalent.
Kate Collins of Drinagh Rangers was a deserving U14 Schoolgirls Player of the Year winner, as was the U15 Schoolboys recipient, Dunmanway Town’s Conor Vassallo. Ardfield’s Dylan O’Neill took home the U16 Schoolboys Player of the Year trophy.
The awards evening moved on to honour the league’s top goal scorer from the past 12 months – Sullane’s Aisling Kelleher was awarded the 2023/23 WCSSL Golden Boot trophy following a memorable individual campaign.
The WCSSL Coach of the Year award was shared between two worthy recipients. Dunmanway Town’s Finbarr O’Connell and Clonakilty AFC’s Declan Rice were each presented with trophies to acknowledge their sterling work coaching underage teams.
Referees Sean Doyle and Paul McDermott received plaques for their services to the WCSSL over the previous season. A special merit award, for his 11-year commitment to the WCSSL Committee and also to his club, Ardfield FC, was presented to Hugh O’Reilly.
One of the standout moments of the evening was the presentation of a signed Atletico Madrid jersey to the West Cork Academy’s Ronan Hayes. The Ardfield player enjoyed a terrific year representing the region’s academy team at SFAI inter-league level before playing a prominent role in the recent Surf International Cup in Spain. Hayes and his team-mates came up against Valencia, Houston (USA) and Atletico during a productive week.
The last award of the evening was a poignant moment for the WCSSL Committee and those in attendance. The late Martin Briscoe was a stalwart of Bunratty United, the WCSSL and West Cork League for many years. In honour of Martin’s dedication to soccer in the West Cork area, a perpetual trophy, named in his honour, was presented to the (overall) 2022/23 Player of the Year – that distinction went to Dunmanway Town’s Conor Vallasso, a most worthy recipient.
