Niall Quinn to join Ó Ríordáin for Public Meeting on Future of Irish Football
Former Irish soccer international Niall Quinn will join a panel of speakers at a public meeting tonight aimed at assessing how politics can help the development of football in Ireland.
The event takes place in The Beachcomber, Killester at 8pm tonight, Monday February 4th.
Senator Aodhán Ó Riordáin and Labour’s Sport Spokesperson Cllr Mark Wall are determined to provide political backing for the changes that Niall Quinn sees as necessary for a brighter future for the beautiful game here.
Sen. Ó Ríordáin said:
“This meeting is the first attempt to get a cross-party discussion going on how the political system can be of benefit to Irish football. Football is an incredibly important game – it touches the Irish spirit in a way that is unique, and it is loved by many of our more disadvantaged communities.
“It is also true to say that the game has had a very troubled history in this country. It is time now for different and more constructive thinking into how we can work collectively to improve the health of the game.
The meeting tonight will also be addressed by:
- Emmet Malone – Irish Times Soccer Correspondent.
- Ethel Buckley – Deputy General Secretary and organiser of the Irish Women’s Team ‘Respect’ protest.
- Neil Cotter – Author of ‘Dublin: The Chaos Years’.
“We hope to be in a position to bring a policy paper to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport with a view to getting cross-party political support for a way forward”