Dressed to chill

Unappealing weekend weather didn’t stop the fonaCAB Development League continuing to go from strength to strength as boys and girls of all ages displayed their skills at Solitude and beyond.

Every weekend, the home of Cliftonville FC plays host to a string of teams contesting games in a fun and simplified environment, with more than 600 players braving the cold to put on a show on Saturday morning.

In recent years, thousands of youngsters representing hundreds of sides from near and far have played their part in our expansive initiative, which has welcomed line-ups from Glentoran, Bloomfield, St Malachy’s, Shankill Juniors, Linfield, Belfast Celtic, Willowbank, Sandy Row, Larne, Bangor, Greenisland, Albert Foundry and, of course, Cliftonville among many others.

Our continued thanks go to all of the coaches and dedicated staff who are committed to overseeing the event each week, as well as to the parents and guardians of the many children who love honing their talents on the Solitude pitch.

It goes without saying that we are likewise grateful to fonaCAB for their continued support of the scheme and, indeed, to the youngsters who have helped make the Development League the resounding success it has become.