An Cosantóir the official magazine of the Irish Defence Forces and Reserve Defence Forces.
Issue link: https://digital.jmpublishing.ie/i/672007
An Cosantóir May 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 28 | by LT MARGARET HOGAN, A COY, 12 INF BN T his May will see the Irish Defence Forces soccer team com- pete in their 6th CISM International soccer competition since 2006. Having qualified for the World Military Games in 2007 the Defence Forces have gone on to compete in Euro- pean Championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014 and have finished in third place on those three occasions. the Defence Forces will host Group one of the European Championships in May 2016 and attempt to qualify for next year's second ever CISM World Soccer Championships in oman. 1 Cn Cois will host the three del- egations and the games will be played in the Galway area. the Defence Forces and Football Association of Ireland share a long standing association. the awarding of International Caps by the Football Association of Ireland instils a sense of great pride for both the players and their families and is worthy recognition of their achievements. the support received from the FAI and the Irish soccer community along the way has been enormous, but, while qualification for the finals would mark another water- shed for Defence Forces soccer, the link between the Defence Forces and soccer in Ireland dates back many years. Organised sports in the Defence Forces have their roots in 1923, during the closing days of the civil war, with the formation of the Army Athletic Association (AAA). However, soccer wasn't given official recognition until the emergency when, due to the huge numbers serving in the Defence Forces, "foreign games" were finally authorised. It is said that competitive soccer started in the Defence Forces in 1940 when the first official match took place between the Curragh Command and the mighty Shamrock Rovers. In 1941 Mrs M. Cunningham, director of Shamrock Rovers, presented the Defence Forces with its first ever soccer trophy, the Cunningham Cup, for which the Curragh and Eastern Com- mands played on an annual basis. Later In 1961 this became an inter-unit competition and to this day it is the premier inter-unit soccer competition in the Defence Forces. dERmOt EARLY And GEORGE bESt, 1986 A significant event in Defence Forces soccer occurred on 28th April 1986 with the hosting of the Shay Brennan testimonial match. Thousands of spectators turned out in the esplanade, Collins Bks, to see a De- fence Forces selection take on a Liam Tuohy celebrity eleven. Players such as George Best, Paddy Crerand, Johnny Giles, Liam Tuohy, Tony Ward, Mick Martin, Dermot Earley and many more graced the Dublin Bks venue to celebrate the glittering career of the former Manchester United stalwart. On hearing of the level of support that the Defence Forces had given to Shay's testimonial year, Manchester United officially invited the Defence Forces to tour the UK. The tour which included amongst others matches against Liverpool reserves, Manchester City and a 'strength- ened' Manchester United reserves, won the Defence Forces many friends and admirers and raised the profile of Defence Forces soccer at that time. Over the years Defence Forces personnel have of- ficiated at all levels of the game, both at home and abroad. The most famous of