Football Focus - Sean McCaffrey Foundation event report

The mythical Helen of Troy and earthy Sean McCaffrey are two personalities who it would be fair to say wouldn’t be a natural pairing in many settings - be it in person or a piece of writing. However, it was in the confines of the Garage Theatre in Monaghan Town last Tuesday night, on a stage which has hosted many a drama over the years - tragic or otherwise - where the two worlds of Greek tragedy and a Monaghan football manager collided to produce a evening where mental health, football journeys and hopes and dreams were on the menu for discussion.

While Queen Helen was known as 'the face who launched a thousand ships', Oriel's McCaffrey could very well be known as 'the man who launched a thousand careers'. Beginning with local side Oriel Celtic, Sean McCaffrey carved out a reputation as an innovative coach who inspired his players and provided them with quality opposition to aid their development. 

He progressed to Underage international management and laid the foundation for much of the unprecedented international success. Even though Helen’s journey to Troy (in modern day Turkey) wasn’t a journey she wanted to take, it was the achievement in negotiating a qualifying route to Turkey for the under-17 European Championships which was one of Seán's greatest achievements. 

The esteem in which he was held could be seen in the tributes to his career played at the start of the night with personalities ranging from local Monaghan referee Seamie Finnegan to current Republic of Ireland international John Egan, including current Dundee United central defender Mark Connolly from Clones and another ex-Wolves player, currently at Dundalk FC, Aaron McCarey of Scotstown - both former underage internationals under Seán McCaffrey.

The night continued with a presentation from Dundalk based speaker Derek Pepper who works for Shine Mental Health - the talk focused on recognising and dealing with mental ill health as well as providing useful information on the promotion of positive mental health.

Given the large number of underage footballers and their parents present in the audience on the night it was something which chief organiser of the night, current Dundalk FC Academy coach and FAI- ETB Dundalk Co-ordinator Paul Smyth, another of McCaffrey's protégés, felt was very important to outline as young people early on their football journey.

Following a quick interlude, a couple of interviews, conducted by Dundalk based Monaghan native Tom O Connor  with players at the opposite end of their own footballing journeys were next on the agenda.

Former Ireland international Keith Fahey, the last Irishman to have won both the English League Cup, with Birmingham City in 2011, and the FAI Cup, with St Patrick’s Athletic in 2014, spoke candidly about his career and many of the struggles he endured throughout a distinguished career both in England and Ireland.

Discussing his career in front of a live audience for the first time ever, the ex Arsenal and Aston Villa midfielder talked about the challenges he faced both growing up and when he returned to the League of Ireland, recalling a number of episodes which helped shape his career.

Local man Jonathan Douglas, discussed his League of Ireland career with Monaghan United before spending time in the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers, captaining Leeds United and almost taking Brentford to the top flight. The importance of family, a focus on teamwork and working hard were strong traits which shone through in the second conversation. 

While the myth of Helen and the Trojan War was a tragedy from which many stories have been created, the tragedy of the passing of Seán McCaffrey, in 2017, has led to something tangible being formed which aimed to build upon the great work in local player development he himself had started many many years ago.

The Sean McCaffrey Foundation was set up to help develop the careers of local soccer players in the area, while also to provide financial assistance to local animal charities and the Cavan Renal Dialysis Unit. There are a number of events in the pipeline, including a Golf Classic.

For more information see: http://seanmccaffreyfoundation.com/.