Patrick Viera set to bring FA cup to Limerick city
Patrick Viera
ST GABRIEL’S in Dooradoyle are preparing to sing Blue Moon ahead of the visit of former Manchester City players Patrick Vieira and Paul Lake – together with the iconic FA Cup – to the school on Monday.
French legend Viera and Lake will be among a party of 10 coaching and administrative staff from the Premier League club to visit the city on Monday.
The group will visit St Gabriel’s as well as hosting coaching classes in Fairview Rangers and attending a private function in a city centre hotel for the official Manchester City Supporters Club in Limerick, all the while showing off the FA cup, which the team won last season.
“It is very exciting, the school here have been busy preparing and gearing up for it and preparing blue flags and banners and posters and learning the words of Blue Moon,” laughed St Gabriel’s vice principal Ann Bowes.
“It is a great opportunity for the school and we are delighted and honoured to welcome them and they will receive a very warm welcome from the students and staff of St Gabriel’s,” she added.
Sean Ryan of Lansdowne Park, whose son Darragh attends St Gabriel’s, said it was going to be a “major day” for the school.
“We are very excited over it, when I heard Viera was going I was amazed, he is a hero of mine, I have been supporting Arsenal for 40 years,” he laughed.
The visit was organised as part of the high-flying soccer club’s ‘City in the Community’ charitable organisation, who approached the local Man City supporters club with the proposal.
The highly qualified coaching staff will deliver two coaching schools to local children aged between six and 16 at Fairview Rangers soccer club in the Fairgreen.
Paul Lake and Viera, now a Football Development Executive with Man City, will present certificates to children at the end of the course.
Sam Windrim, PRO of the supporters club in Limerick, said the visit was “above and beyond the call of duty” for the former players and the club.
“They approached us with the idea for the visit and we are very lucky to get Patrick Viera, who will be bringing the FA cup as one of the players who won it last year,” said Mr Windrim.
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Monday 21 May 2012
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