Futnet on the British Isles – Part 3
Third and last installment of the series talks about the meeting and a joint training of the EFTA General Secretary and the English delegates with the representatives of the Irish Futnet Association.
Zuzana Viňanská, EFTA General Secretary:
“On Friday afternoon we said goodbye to Iris and Štefan at the Shankill Leisure Centre and got on the train to Dublin which is about two hours from Belfast. In Dublin we had to take another train since our final destination was a small university town called Maynooth, about 30 min from the Irish capital. This is where the Irish Futnet Association was set up about a year ago by young students whose first contact with our sport was perhaps almost by coincidence, but which since then – at least from what I have seen and understood – has grown into a bit of a love affair. Though it has not always been a bed of roses and the guys have had to work very hard to promote this sport that was unheard of in Ireland, at least not at a competitive level. I had been following their activities (radio interviews, newspaper articles, participation in Northern Ireland Futnet League) with great interest through social sites already for quite some time before my visit and I had also been in contact with their president Jamie Mulrooney, so I was really looking forward to meeting them personally.
And I think that I can also speak on behalf of my English colleagues, Jarek and Tomasz, that it was a very enjoyable meeting in a friendly atmosphere which will surely lead to a strong futnet partnership between the two nations and hopefully more and more futnet events on the British Isles.
Jamie told us that he and his squad are planning to take part in a Christmas tournament in Slovakia (Trnava) since their Slovak coach Juraj comes from that town. In their words, Juraj was just what they needed. Thanks to his coaching experience, they have made huge improvements in technical ability, flexibility, positioning, and all-round knowledge of the game. It was a pity that Juraj could not come to our meeting due to his commitments, but I am sure that there will be a chance to meet him soon.
Next day, Saturday morning, we joined the lads for their training in the university sports centre. Unfortunately, I could not play because I had twisted my ankle just a few days before the visit and Tomasz did not feel up for it, either, but Jarek, the president of the English association, gave it a go and I think he did very well. I must say I was impressed with the performance of the Irish squad, they showed a very good knowledge of the game, knew how to position themselves correctly, were able to smash and block, even receive a service without a bounce or do a smashed service. I had seen them playing in some videos from about a year ago and it is as if it was a completely different team. They have made an amazing progress and that is a result of no coincidence or some kind of luck, but of long hours of hard training mixed with the right coaching tips from Juraj. I think it is a wonderful encouragement to all those who start with futnet to see that if you work hard and have a good coach, you can improve very quickly.
On our way back to Dublin, after we left Jamie and his squad, I was speaking to Tomasz and Jarek about our trip and they felt extremely uplifted by our meetings in Ireland and Northern Ireland and motivated to intensify their futnet efforts back home and definitely plan some joint events with other nations on the British Isles. So I guess one could say that my mission was accomplished!”