There is something special happening down in the Kingdom. The Kerry District League U-17 side have qualified for the semi-finals of the Mark Farren Cup for the first-time since their inception into the league and have shown huge signs of progress i
There is something special happening down in the Kingdom.
The Kerry District League U-17 side have qualified for the semi-finals of the Mark Farren Cup for the first-time since their inception into the league and have shown huge signs of progress in the 2019 league season.
Based in Mounthawk Park, Tralee, where last year's Victory Shield was hosted, Kerry DL have benefited from the progression of the U-15s but also the invaluable experience of new coach Billy Dennehy.
The former Shamrock Rovers, St. Patrick's Athletic and Cork City winger retired from football this season after a fantastic career which saw him lift back-to-back league titles with Shamrock Rovers. He also starred in their memorable European campaign in 2011, scoring against PAOK at Tallaght Stadium.
Tralee-native Dennehy has now returned home to help pass on his wisdom to the elite young talent in Kerry in the hope of producing more SSE Airtricity League footballers from the Kingdom.
"There is a lot going on here in Kerry. You can see the work being put in behind the scenes and the facilities down here are unbelievable," said the 32-year old.
"The current structure which is in place in the under-age leagues is fantastic. If these players can continue to play in the league into the U-19s, they'll have had a lot of competitive games under their belt.
"They'll be so much more developed than the likes of myself. I came from a league that wasn't that competitive, depending on the odd national cup game and there was only one or two of them each season. These boys are getting 25 to 30 top quality matches a season, that will stand the players in massive stead for the future.
FAI TV was at Mounthawk Park for their Mark Farren Cup quarter-final tie against Galway United. Kerry triumphed with an emphatic performance to secure a 4-1 win, with goals from Daniel Okwute, Cian Brosnan and a brace from Colin Walsh.
Kerry DL will now host Cork City in the semi-final of the competitive on Wednesday, August 28 at Mounthawk Park, with kick-off at 7.30pm.
After a football career which took him far away from home, Dennehy is enjoying life back in Tralee and is excited about the development of football in Kerry.
"We've got four teams now competing at League of Ireland level which is fantastic. When I was asked to get involved to help out on the pitch, I felt it was the right thing to do," continued Dennehy.
