Michael McIvor manages St Vincent's in Sheffield.
By Cian O’Connell
It is all happening in Sheffield. Michael McIvor wouldn’t have it any other way. St Vincent’s, founded in 2017, are beginning to acquire momentum.
At adult level St Vincent’s continue to make an impact in Yorkshire. An underage structure is being developed, too, which is vital for the future.
Former Wexford footballer Niall Murphy is an influential figure in St Vincent’s, who were formed at a meeting in The Grapes Bar seven years ago. “The first few years were a bit of a struggle, and then we had Covid,” McIvor explains.
“It was a bit of a struggle initially because Sheffield isn't a big city for Irish immigrants, at the age of playing football. We tap into the students, we don't get an awful lot, but we rent a pitch from the University of Sheffield.”
These are encouraging days for Vincent’s. “In terms of the club itself we are going from strength to strength,” McIvor adds. “Niall Murphy, the chairman, and myself, we put everything we can into it. Sometimes, it is more of a full-time job.
"I manage the men’s and the ladies’ teams, I coach them, and I'm club secretary. I love my sport, I played a lot growing up.”
Silverware has been acquired with a comprehensive games programme provided by Yorkshire GAA. “We had seven teams in Yorkshire, but we are down to six because one of the clubs was really struggling,” McIvor says.
“You have home and away fixtures in the league, so you've 12 fixtures and you also have junior and senior championship. So, you have a minimum of 15 games a year, maybe 18, depending on how it goes.
“We are lucky because our players are very, very keen. We go on pre-season trips back home, we have all our fixtures in Yorkshire, we play in sevens competitions. They are massively driven. We train from the second or third week in January.”
The Irish community in Sheffield is tight knit. McIvor is immersed in Gaelic games activity. “We've no Irish centre like Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool,” McIvor says.
“The Sheffield Irish Centre has been closed for a very, very long time. So, I actually run the local Irish pub, The Grapes, and that is how I bumped into other people.
St Vincent's successful Ladies Football team.
“It is how we got going. We had a meeting in 2017, we had maybe 30 people show up. It all dropped away because everyone is keen until you've jobs given out, so people fall away.
“Now, if you go in there at the weekend, even when there is a league game on GAAGO or whatever, we'd have 30, 40 or 50 people watching from the club. It is tight knit.
“In terms of numbers we work off a panel of 28 to 30 men, maybe 23 or 24 played at home to a good standard, and you've four or five lads, who haven't played before.”
St Vincent’s are inclusive, always willing to welcome new players. “We've had players from all over,” McIvor says. “We've two lads, who start every single game with no Irish heritage whatsoever. They just gave it a go and love it.
“The ladies team has a panel of about 20 with a lot of international players - Canadians, Americans, Brazilians. Generally, those international players might come from the university, rugby clubs or other sporting clubs, who have made friends with people in our club. It is really good to see the GAA grow in that way, amongst other communities.”
One of the most encouraging aspects for McIvor is how the club has improved both on and off the field of play. “Everyone on the committee has a role and are very committed, everyone plays a part, and that makes things run a whole lot smoother,” he says.
“For the first or five years we didn't have that, Niall and myself were doing a bit of everything. We were maybe doing everything okay, but not everything brilliantly.”
McIvor combines work and sport. The accomplished Sheffield band, The Arctic Monkeys, played an early gig in The Grapes bar. “They played their first gig there,” he says. “So, you get people coming in from all over the world to see where they played their first gig. I wasn't there at the time, I've only been here 13 years, that was in around 2006.”
Other famous figures regularly visit The Grapes. Republic of Ireland soccer internationals, present and past, monitor St Vincent’s fortunes with real interest too. “The soccer lads John Egan, Enda Stevens, Stephen Quinn, and Alan Quinn, going back a few years, they all frequent the pub,” McIvor says.
“They are just like normal lads back home; it is like going into a local for them back home in west Kerry or Cork. They are just like another person to us. Everyone sits down to watch football together.
“There is a promo video I did with John Egan for Sky Sports and BT Sports probably five years ago. John came to the pitch with Sky and BT, he did a bit of an interview, and he had three or four shots at goal. His father was obviously the great John Egan, so that was the link in there.
Michael McIvor pictured with Republic of Ireland international John Egan.
“Enda comes to quite a few games, Stephen Quinn, too. I've been friendly with Stephen for a long time, I've known him 18 years or so. He supports us and he brings a few lads.”
Different projects and initiatives are being implemented by McIvor. Establishing a vibrant underage set-up is crucial for long term sustainability. “We've just got that going this year - our youth set-up,” McIvor replies. “We started a summer camp, it will be our sixth week, this Saturday. That runs until the kids go back to school.
“You don't have a lot of Irish at the age of playing, but you have some a bit older with kids and grandkids. You've a huge number in Leeds and Huddersfield. We tried it a few times at the very start, but it just didn't pick up any traction.
“Now, we are properly set-up, we've 13 players who are now coaches, have done DBS checks, everything like that. We did a six-week programme with kids from all backgrounds. The programme was for six to 11-year-olds.”
Further plans are in place before Christmas. “In September, one of the ladies players and myself, we've got our coaching qualifications, and we will do some work in secondary and primary schools,” McIvor adds.
“We are in three schools for the first term, that will be an hour a week for six weeks. We will go to another three schools after that to spend six weeks there. It is all geared towards next summer.
“You look at JFK in Leeds, they just won in the ABCs, they are the best U15 team in Britain. They've been at for 20 years, it is a long road. Lads, like myself, that is where our thoughts are towards developing a youth system. We have to invest in that for years to come.”
This weekend St Vincent’s hosts a seven-a-side tournament with teams traveling from across the United Kingdom and Ireland to participate. “Austin Stacks are coming from Kerry, Colmcilles from Cardiff, we've teams from all over England - Warwickshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Scotland, and Hertfordshire, they are coming from everywhere,” McIvor says.
“It is a Bank Holiday weekend here in England. We planned it from scratch, the referees, fixtures, catering vans, insurance, bar licences, everything. There is a lot to it, but it is rewarding when you see that in 2020 we won every trophy in Yorkshire, mens and ladies.
“We are hoping to replicate that again this year, we are looking very strong. We just won the league, that is three back-to-back, and we've only been going seven years.”
McIvor and Murphy simply had a dream, that is now turning into reality. Undoubtedly, it can be demanding, but there is fun and football on the journey.