Spar FAI Primary School 5s Programme open to schools nationwide
Over 35,000 primary school students expected to battle for Spar5s title
Print29 January 2019
The Spar FAI Primary School 5s Programme was officially launched this month by former Republic of Ireland International Keith Andrews and current Republic of Ireland Women’s International Megan Campbell. The fun five-a-side football programme has gone from strength to strength and now stands as the largest primary school programme of its kind in Ireland.
Open to boys and girls from 4th, 5th and 6th class, the emphasis is firmly placed on fun, inclusivity and fostering a passion for physical activity. Spar, in its fifth year as supporters of the FAI is looking to surpass 2018 participation figures, which saw a record 1,528 schools and 31,728 children don their sports kit to take to pitches and fields around the country.
Registration for the programme will close on 15 February, and county blitzes will kick off at the end of February. Winning schools progress from county level to regional then provincial finals, with a lucky 24 schools making it all the way to the National Finals, which will be held on the pristine pitch at the Aviva Stadium on 29 May.
An initiative organised by the Football Association of Ireland Schools (FAI Schools), Spar recently renewed its support of the FAI and the SPAR5s programme until 2021.
With Spar supporting the initiative since 2015, participation figures have grown year on year to become the largest primary school’s competition in the country. The number of schools signing up has jumped from 1,064 in 2015 to 1, 528 last year, benefitting thousands more children in the form of encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle. Particularly pleasing for Spar has been the increase in the number of girls putting boot to ball; 40% of participants are now female and Spar, as well as Republic of Ireland Women’s International Megan Campbell, is eager to see this number rise again in 2019.
“The Spar5s is a programme we are very proud of, that, as its essence, encourages children to get involved in sport and develop a love for football and physical activity and perfectly complements our Spar Better Choices message,” said Colin Donnelly, Spar sales director.
“Spar has 400 high quality, conveniently located outlets spread across the country who are equally as enthusiastic about this programme, which allows us to give back to our loyal customers and help support schools and communities across the country,” Donnelly added.
“The competition is growing at an incredible rate with the standard of football improving each year especially among our female students,” said Seán Carr, FAI schools chairman. “We are excited about our extended partnership with SPAR, who are an ideal sponsor for this competition and we look forward to working with them to increase our phenomenal participation rates again this season.”
Register for the Spar FAI Primary School 5s Programme by 15 February at www.fai.ie/primary5.
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