We have nothing but admiration for the young men of ABCDE FC, who played a game in honour of Abayomi Adefabi, their 16-year-old team-mate who drowned last week.
If you want an example of just what a simple thing like sport can mean for families, communities and young men then this tale from Kildare is perfect.
Gerard Dunleavy organises the Celbridge Community Soccer Cup and he was in touch with us to pass on this tragic, and courageous, story.
On July 10, 16-year-old Abbey Adefabi drowned in the Liffey. The talented footballer played for ABCDE FC in the tournament and he had been due to play in the semi-finals on Saturday. Gerard, understandably, called off the game, thinking that the team would not be in a fit state, or wish to, play the game against Dinks Park Rangers.
Gerard tells us that Abbey’s team-mates insisted the game was played in Abbey’s honour, contacting the organisers by phone, text and Facebook demanding that they wanted to play ‘for Abbey’.
The organisers hesitatingly agreed and the game was moved to Ballyoulster AFC, Abbey’s football club. Five hundred people turned up for the game and before kick-off both teams and managers paid tribute to Abbey in the centre circle before a minute’s silence, and a minute’s applause, was held for the absent player.
The heroic ABCDE team before the game
ABCDE FC’s average age is just 17 so they showed remarkable strength and courage to not only play the game, but to win it 4-2, with goals by Dylan Kavanagh, Seadna McGrillen, Sven Beta, as well as an own goal. After the game ABCDE coach Mark Crickley expressed his sadness about Abbey’s death and his pride in his team for what they did that day. Abbey’s parents were given a framed jersey from Abbey’s old club, Springmakealy, signed by all his friends.
One of Abbey’s team-mates, Niall Ruddy, also spoke after the game to Gerard and he said what the game meant to the grieving team.
“Basically it meant to me that I could honour Abbey in a way that he would have been proud of, and as Mark said in his speech there was 12 of us out on that pitch. We showed great character playing so soon after the trauma that struck the team, I just feel it was tough but necessary as he would have wanted us to play and I feel we did our team mate proud”.
ABCDE will play in the final on July 27 but that team of young men will never have a tougher, or more inspiring, game than the one they played last Saturday. Our hats are off to them.
