Supporters ready for the Euros

MEMBERS of a Northside football club will proudly take their place among the Green Army travelling to France for the European Championships this weekend. 

St Ita’s AFC, from the Donabate/Portrane area, have a branch in the Republic of Ireland Soccer Supporters’ Club (RISCC).  

The club will have members at the group stage games against Sweden, Belgium and Italy, and will also be holding events locally for those not travelling. 

On June 12, the day before the Sweden game in the Stade de France, St Ita’s are sending eight supporters to Paris before flying to Bordeaux after the first match and setting up base there for six nights.

Joining these lucky fans will be supporters from the club who will travel for individual games so each match will have strong representation from St Ita’s.

For those unfortunate not to be able to make the trip, St Ita’s will be hosting functions during the games including watching the matches at Keeling’s of Donabate.

Joe McKenna, secretary of both St Ita’s Football Club and their Republic of Ireland Supporters’ branch, says there is a buzzing atmosphere around the area with only days to go before the competition kicks off.

“Some of us would have been in Bosnia for that game (play-off first leg). Qualifying twice in a row: we are getting a bit used to it,” he quips.

“A lot of us would have been over in Poland (for Euro 2012) the last time, and we remember Poland because we hadn’t been there in a while (at a major championships). We are really looking forward to it this time around, bringing the excitement to France.”

McKenna attended that special night in the Aviva Stadium last November when Ireland secured their spot on the plane to France by beating Bosnia 2-0 in the second leg.

“It was electrifying, one of the best atmospheres we have had in the Aviva for a long, long time,” he recalls.  

“The day leading up to the game was buzzing with everybody excited, and then to get the result which brought us through, made it even better.” 

McKenna, a diehard supporter of the national team, has already made preparations with the branch for the World Cup qualifying campaign, which begins after the Euros, a plan he has kept relatively quiet. He even had the away trip to Moldova later in the year organised before he sorted out his French adventure. 

The majority of St Ita’s AFC members are optimistic about their team reaching the knockout stages. According to McKenna, the general consensus in the area is that Ireland will get out of the group, in one of the top third place positions, but will struggle to get past the last 16 stage. 

McKenna predicts a draw with Sweden, a 1-0 defeat to Belgium and a victory over the Italians.

REPORT: Brein McGinn