The FAI have announced that Wicklow's Blessington FC and Cavan club, Kingscourt Harps and have been awarded with the Aviva Club of the Month Awards for November and December respectively.

 

The Aviva Club of the Month Awards, which are now in their third year, are presented in association with the Irish Daily Star and Citywest Hotel and pay tribute to those who serve the game at Grassroots level.

Aviva Club of the Month winner for November is Blessington FC from Wicklow who were founded in 1968. Blessington F.C. has made huge strides from their humble beginnings which began in a farm field over 30 years ago. As the biggest club in Wicklow, the club has placed a heavy emphasis on the development of young players which caters for over 400 members which includes 20 teams and an academy for younger players. The club has already been recognised for their achievements when they scooped the South Dublin Football League club of the year in 2009.

Along with their outstanding achievements at nurturing talent from a young age and protecting the youth within the community from anti-social behavior, Blessington FC have introduced a number of innovative schemes as part of their fundraising initiatives to aid in the development of their grounds which include the opening of an impressive new facility at Cross Chapel which will include three full size pitches, six dressing rooms and a club room which will be used for club functions.

Picking up the Aviva Club of the Month award for December is Cavan club, Kingscourt Harps AFC. The club which was formed in 1998 has grown from strength to strength and over the last 12 years the committee at Kingscourt Harps has been instrumental in negotiating funding for the development of their facilities. Since 1999, the club has received over €200,000 from the National Lottery Sports Capital programme which has been key in the development of the club house and playing pitches. The ambitious club has impressive plans in place to develop their facility at the Nobber Road venue with an extension to their club rooms, the erection of a covered stand and an upgrade on their floodlighting.

The Cavan club has also been instrumental in their role in the community by facilitating every member of the community irrespective of their gender, colour, creed or nationality. The club's mission is to build a successful soccer club and encourage participation of all abilities and help them to develop as players and people both individually and collectively on and off the field.

Both clubs will receive a cash prize of €1,500 and will also go forward to compete for the title Aviva Club of the Year and a cash prize of €5000 which will be announced at the Pre-AGM Delegate Dinner in Wexford in August 2010.

The AVIVA Club of the Month Award will be presented in partnership with the Irish Daily Star and Citywest Hotel. The monthly winners will receive a plaque and a cash prize of €1,500 at a monthly presentation ceremony at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin where they will receive their award from FAI president, David Blood. The overall winner of the AVIVA Club of the Year will receive a prize of €5,000.

Speaking about the awards, Trevor Lowry of Aviva General Insurance said: "It's a great honour for Aviva to be involved in these awards and an inspiration to see the passion, commitment and effort of football clubs across the country. While there can only be one winner each month it's clear that the clubs are constantly learning from each other to build on the development in their own areas. The results are a success for football but also show the important role played by football clubs to keep community spirit alive and well."

The online application form is available from the FAI website, www.fai.ie/onlineforms and the closing date for the AVIVA Club of the Month Award for February is Friday, February 26th 2010.

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