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BEATTIE BEATS 'EMCongratulations go to Glenavon Groundsman Beattie Arlow who has won the Carnegie Premier League 'Groundsman of the Year' award. Beattie was presented with his award during the half time interval at the Irish Cup Final on Saturday. Now in it's third year, the award is organized by the IFA in association with the Institute of Groundsmanship. John McFarlane, Chairman of the Northern Ireland branch of the IOG, said “We are again delighted with the interest shown this year by all clubs large and small in this the competition’s third season. Grounds staff work tirelessly on pitches with little thanks, so again this competition has put them centre stage and gives them the recognition they deserve”. The individual Groundsman receives a trophy from the IOG with the winning club receiving products and services from the competition's sponsors: Barenbrug UK in association with local supplier JA Humphrey and Clive Richardson Ltd. in association with Horta Soils. FAIR PLAY AWARD
Glenavon Chaplain Rev William Orr recently presented his "Fair Play Award". Based on the criteria of Character, Attitude, Integrity, Encouragement, Fair Play, and Ambassador for the club, runners-up were Paul Carville and Tuda Murphy. The worthy winner however was Gerard McMahon.
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| Glenavon director Ian Irwin welcomes Willo McDonagh to Mourneview Park watched by manager Terry Cochrane. The midfielder has signed a pre-contract agreement with the club. |
The tough-tackling midfielder had spent two and a half years at The Oval after being signed by Roy Coyle before current Glens boss Alan McDonald allowed him to move on-loan to Armagh City in January this year. Dubliner McDonagh, a 6' 1" defensive midfielder who was capped at Under 18 level for the Republic, started his career at Bohemians before being signed by Roddy Collins at Carlisle United. He returned to Ireland to play for Shamrock Rovers before his move to the Belfast Glens in January 2006.
"The facilities at Mourneview Park are superb" he told glenavonfc.com today (Friday) "but what really swung it for me was the impressive plans that the Board have for the Club over the next two or three seasons."
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| Glenavon's Stevie McBride pictured with new signing Jay Magee |
Glenavon FC has completed the signing of Ex-Ards defender Jay Magee. The nineteen year old, who turns twenty next week, is 6’ 2” tall and can play anywhere in the back four, though his preferred position is centre back or right back. "I'm thrilled to have signed for Glenavon and I can't wait for the new season to start" Jay told glenavonfc.com on Wednesday evening at Mourneview Park. "I've watched the lads in the last three home games and, though the game against Crusaders was disappointing, I thought they played well against Linfield and they were unstoppable against Armagh on Saturday."
Belfast-born Magee is a nephew of Roy Coyle. "I spoke to my uncle about signing for Glenavon and he was very positive and he says Glenavon is one of the best Clubs in the country."
It's been a great first season for the Glenavon Academy with a number of its young stars clearly on the way up. Mark Haughey has recently broken into the first team and Philip McGrath has just completed a deal that sees him move to Oldham Athletic at the beginning of July.
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| Philip McGrath joins Oldham Athletic on July 1st |
Glenavon is currently dotting the i's and crossing the t's on an offer from Sunderland for exciting young midfield talent Liam Bagnall. Glenavon Chairman Adrian Teer expects this deal to go through once a few minor contract details are sorted out with Liam moving to the Stadium of Light on July 1st.
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| Liam Bagnall |
Watford, Glasgow Rangers and Aberdeen have all made official approaches for Sammy Stewart after the youngster turned in a string of impressive performances since breaking into the first team earlier in the season.
It's been a busy week or so for the various Supporters' Clubs and other groups who hold their Annual End of Season Dinners at this time of year during which each presents its Player of the Season awards. The 'official' Club award for Player of the Season is organized by the Fundraising Committee and is decided on by a vote by supporters using forms published in the Lurgan Mail. The award is presented each year by Mrs Sally Steele, mother of the late Alan Steele who was a founder member and secretary of the Fundraising committee until his tragic death at an early age.
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The votes confirmed that Tuda Murphy is the Club's winner of the Alan Steele trophy for Player of the Season 2007-2008 and Mrs Steele presented the popular big keeper with the award at the Fundraising Committee's Annual Buffet Lunch in the Bedeck suite prior to the final game of the Season on Saturday.
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| Andrew Irwin, joint managing director of Bedeck, and Adrian Teer, Glenavon chairman, sign a new three year sponsorship deal while Eamonn Murray and Sammy Stewart display the new home and away jerseys. |
"Bedeck will also have the exclusive rights to all Glenavon kit advertising as a result of the sponsorship. At Board level we are very excited with this deal. It's a considerable coup for a club finishing 12th in the league to land a major sponsorship like this with a local company. We had a sponsorship with Broomhill for ten years up to 2003 and it worked very well. We had tremendous success out on the pitch to coincide with that and, God willing we'll replicate the whole thing again. It's a three year agreement and hopefully, at the end of the three years, they'll be knocking on our door to renew the deal!"
Carnegie Reserve League
Lisburn Junior League (Under 16) Mid Ulster Junior League
The Jackpot was not won |
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Bedeck of
Magheralin is the Club's
main sponsor for the next three seasons: 2008/09, 2009/10 and
2010/11 Bedeck is one of the UK's leading bed, bath and home accessory companies. We offer products both under our own Bedeck brand and also Sanderson and Designers Guild, which we produce under licence. Our products and brands are available throughout the UK in leading home retailers, Bedeck shop-in-shops, the Bedeck Home flagship store in Belfast and of course online. |
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| Tuda Murphy is presented with the Glenavon William Walker Supporters' Club Player of the Year award by Stephen McBride. Looking on are Vice chairman Norman Wallace and Chairman Chris Gilkinson. |
Glenavon Chairman Adrian Teer's speech at the William Walker Club Dinner reviewed the season just finished which included his return at the head of a brand new Board of Directors. He outlined the many changes brought in by the Board that have already begun to bear fruit and explained how he saw the Club progressing in the next couple of seasons.
"This season we finished three places and five points better off than last and the inauguration of the Glenavon Aces and the impressive success of the Glenavon Academy is providing a continuity throughout the Club. The Reserves have a new management team, the Under 18s have been brought under the Senior banner and Billy Sinclair is heading up a revamped Scouting network which includes Billy Nixon, Eric Bowyer and Geoff Ferris.
"Off the pitch we have a comprehensive and progressive business plan in place and this was the only plan to score full marks in the recent applications for Domestic Club Licences.
"We have had to make some tough decisions but the efforts of the Board have seen a 35% increase in the income from pitch-side signage, the average Lottery income has risen from £550 per week to over £900. The Christmas draw for the Renault Clio was another outstanding success with the income far exceeding our predictions and the income from the up-coming Golf Classic is already well above our expectations. These efforts have contributed to our being able to substantially reduce the Club's overdraft which stood at almost £100,000 when we took over.
"The Board was delighted to agree a major five figure sponsorship deal with local firm Bedeck that takes us through to the 2010/11 season.
"Looking ahead to the Invitational League, I'd like to thank Harry Cherry and Eric Taylor for the tremendous work they did in putting together our application and in making sure it was lodged on time! I am hopeful that we will hear good news come May 8th when the make-up of the new league is announced. As far as I am aware, the format of the League will be modelled on the SPL with each team playing each other three times before the League splits into the top and bottom six, each team then playing the others in their section once more, giving a total of 38 games, eight more than the present system.
"The league next season is sure to be more competitive so we are determined to build a squad that is able to compete and we are working hard to add further quality players to the likes of Molloy, Dickson and Turkington who we brought in in January.
"We are hoping to get the go ahead to start the development of the new stand at the Hospital end of the ground and the plans will include a Function Room which is a facility that the Club is badly lacking at the present. The IFA has agreed to upgrade the Mourneview Park lights to the UEFA 2 standard.
"Finally, thank you all for your support this season. The hard work and financial assistance of supporters clubs like the William Walker is much appreciated and a vital ingredient in helping move the Club forward."
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| The Glenavon William Walker Supporters' Club made a donation to the parent club at it's recent annual dinner. Adrian Teer receives a cheque from Norman Wallace and Chris Gilkinson. |
Following the final game of the season, the Glenavon Directors held a reception in the Boardroom to thank the players, stewards and everyone else who helps ensure Glenavon FC keeps running smoothly every week. Vice-Chairman Hubert Watson thanked Chairman Adrian Teer for his hard work and leadership of the Board before outlining the Board's vision for the next two seasons "We expect to finish in the top six next season and the following season, which will be 50 years since Glenavon last won the League championship, we really do intend to be challenging. Outside this football Club, those statements may seem very naive but we think it's possible.
"It's all going to be down to who wants to make it happen. The Board want to make it happen and the Board will provide the necessary funding to make Glenavon FC successful. We want to attract the best players to Mourneview Park. We brought in four or five players in January and we intend to go out now for another five, six or seven to strengthen the squad because we need to have a team out there that wants to play for Glenavon, that wants to compete and it's not all about money. It's about having the heart, having the desire and having the passion.
"The Academy is the long-term future of the football Club but we have a short-term goal and that is to be in the top six. Where we are in that top six we don't know but certainly we will be very, very disappointed if we are not in that top six come next season and then to be really challenging for the League title the following year. It would be brilliant after 50 years to bring the League title back to Mourneview Park. The supporters are hungry for it. We haven't delivered much to them in 20 years so its time we really did come together to deliver over the next two seasons."
Its looking like a clean sweep for Player of the Season as the hard-working Glenavon Stewards have voted Tuda Murphy as their recipient to add to the popular big keeper's success in the Victoria, Triangle and Club Player of the Season awards.
Sammy Stewart scooped the Stewards' Young Player of the Season Award.
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| Deputy Chief Steward Mervyn McKinley presents Tuda Murphy with the Stewards' Player of the Year award. |
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| Andy Duke presents Sammy Stewart with the Glenavon Stewards' Young Player of the Year trophy. |
This committee, formed by ordinary Glenavon supporters, raises money for the team budget by 100 Club membership, shirt sponsorship and by arranging various events during the year. Click here for more details.
Click here to download a Direct Debit form which you can print out and complete.
For further information please contact Craig Collen (07900 360 655), Tommy Fisher (07876 103 158), Jim Logan (07748 654 996) or speak to any other Committee member.
The Glenavon Academy is grateful to the following companies for their generous sponsorship:
Mivan : The Outlet : The Beautiful Game : The Nike Factory Store : Shoefair : Game on : Lindsay Ford
Following a hugely successful first season for the Glenavon Academy and the successful launch of the Glenavon Aces, the Academy, in line with its 3 year development plan, is seeking experienced Academy level coaches with the ability to deliver it’s new and innovative coach education programme covering teams from under 11 to under 17 age groups.
Lead Coach Criteria
Uefa ‘B’ Licence (or have the ability and drive to attain one
within an agreed timescale). Player focused. Be able to work as
part of a team. Good communication skills.
Assistant Coach Criteria
Uefa ‘C’ Licence (or have the ability and drive to attain one
within an agreed timescale). Player focused. Be able to work as
part of a team. Good communication skills.
Please note that all coaches will require a valid child protection certificate, be able to provide references and undergo a police check in line with the Glenavon Child Protection Policy and Procedures.
If you are interested please send your football CV to academy@glenavonfc.com or by post to Allison Wylie (Academy Secretary) c/o Glenavon Football Club, Mourneview Park, Lurgan, BT66 8EW.
The Season gets under way soon for the Glenavon Ladies team. Training continues on Sunday at the Clonmeen pitch, Drumgor Road in Craigavon. Training will take place there every Sunday from 2-4pm and on Tuesdays from 7-9pm, at a cost of £2 for both sessions. Gerard McMahon will be taking the Sunday sessions.
New players are wanted, including recruits for the Under 15 league starting in a month.
The Glenavon Ladies are on the look out for a new manager. The Club, which is run on a non-profit basis, currently has about 30 ladies ages 13 to 30+. The manager's position will be a volunteer role with possible travelling expenses but anyone willing to help out with the Ladies team, in any way at all, is very welcome.
Glenavon ladies is also looking for kit sponsors for new home and away kits. If you can help in any way speak to Fiona Gallagher.
Please contact Fiona on 07756404130 for further details.
Glenavon fully supports the UEFA ten-point plan which can be read in full here with more details on the UEFA website.
Glenavon issues the following statement in every match day programme and on the pa system at home games:
"Glenavon Football & Athletic Club Ltd is an equal opportunities club and will not tolerate any form of sectarianism or racially offensive behaviour or chanting. As part of our ongoing commitment to the I.F.A.'s Football For All campaign, Kick It Out, and to equality, anyone caught making racist or sectarian comments may be arrested, prosecuted and banned from the club.
If you hear any abuse of this nature, please report it to your nearest steward or call the help line number 0800 169 9414.
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