The Irish Minifootball Association is delighted to announce that Mark O’Sullivan has been officially appointed as the manager of the Irish Minifootball team.
Mark impressed everyone connected with the Irish Minifootball Association with his commitment in the miniEURO 2013 event, in which Ireland competed for the first time back in October.
Mark will be assisted by his coach, Robbie Mulligan, who also performed those duties in Crete.
Irish Minifootball Association President Declan Ford commented on the appointment and said: “We are thrilled to have both Mark and Robbie on board. The pair were fantastic in Crete – as were the whole team – and the fact they have agreed to take us forward into 2014 and hopefully beyond is a tremendous boost for us.”
Mr. Ford also confirmed that Ireland will be participating in miniEURO2014, and were delighted to do so.
The venue for the tournament has not been decided yet, with a number of countries in the frame and bidding to be the host nation. The location will be chosen after an Executive meeting of the EMF board to be held in Poland in January. Wherever it is, though, Declan has vowed that the team will be ready. “What we did in Crete was fantastic,” he said. “We gained some fantastic experience and that can only stand us in excellent stead for the future. In 2014 we want to perform even better and with Mark and Robbie at the heart of all our planning we are certain we can do this.”
And the new boss is getting straight to work with a series of scouting missions this week.
Mark was joined by his Assistant Robbie Mulligan at tournaments all across Dublin last weekend in a bid to scout for potential players for the Irish National team.
The pair were be at events in Tallaght and Coolock initially as they look to widen their net.
Irish Minifootball Association President, Declan Ford said that these scouting assignments would become regular features as the duo got to work on hatching the plans that will take the Irish Minifootball team forward. “Both the Management team and The Executive believe that it is vital to make sure that only the very best players are selected to represent the country. We are absolutely determined to make Ireland a potent force on the international stage.”
Mr. Ford, was quick to stress, however, that this showed in any way that the IMA were unhappy with the players that represented Ireland in miniEURO 2013. “On the contrary,” he said. “What we want to do is help the group that performed so admirably a few months ago by supplementing them with some more excellent players.
“We know the quality is out there, and both Mark and Robbie are keen to find it.”
