Unite Champions Cup sponsor, Unite the Union, today launched a major STEM education initiative in partnership with League of Ireland champions Shamrock Rovers and Spheros Sports.
The initiative will introduce students from schools in Tallaght and Clondalkin to soccer and STEM through hands-on soccer-based coding and maths games.
By combining sport with exciting interactive and engaging programming activities children will develop 21st Century hi-tech skills.
The educational resource being launched today comprises six 10 x 6 metre floor mats designed as football pitches, together with 15 interactive robots programmed by the participants to perform tasks, such as playing football.
This develops skills in sport, maths, computer programming and coding.
Five local teachers have been trained up to roll out this STEM education in the local community.
The programme will begin this September in schools across Tallaght and Clondalkin.
Attending today’s launch was Shamrock Rovers head coach Stephen Bradley, from Jobstown, and midfielder Aidomo Emakhu from Clondalkin.
Shamrock Rovers Academy Director Shane Robinson was also present to interact with the students from St Thomas’s National School Tallaght and St Bernadette’s National School, Clondalkin.
Commenting, Unite’s Community Coordinator Rhona McCord said:
“Unite is very pleased to sponsor this initiative with Shamrock Rovers and Spheros Sports as part of our community work associated with the Unite Champions Cup competition. As a trade union we believe that people are our most important resource and the most positive investment we can make is in people and their communities.
“With a programmes of this kind we see quickly how creative people are when they have the right tools and when they work together. We believe that this resource will positively transform the way children learn. The programme will provide educational STEM resource to schools in the Tallaght/Clondalkin community. It is exciting, ground breaking and inclusive and it promotes our Champions Cup theme of ‘Diversity, Equality, Community’”.
Shamrock Rovers F.C.’s Community Officer Tony O’Neill added:
“Community is at the heart of Shamrock Rovers Football Club and the club is continuously engaged in supporting and building relationships with the local community.
“Our schools programme has enabled hundreds of children from schools in the area to engage in physical wellbeing workshops, delivered by our community and academy coaches.
“I look forward to working alongside our team of volunteers implementing this engaging and inclusive project, providing coding classes for children in our partner schools. We are proud to work with Unite on this initiative.”