Page 14 - Lansdowne Yearbook 2020-21 Master Digital Edition

A MESSAGE FROM
THE LANSDOWNE FC PRESIDENT

Colin Goode

I am delighted and honoured to be elected
President of Lansdowne FC for the upcoming
2020/21 season and welcome all members
and visitors to our fine clubhouse and home in
Lansdowne Road. I hope to rep-resent Lansdowne
FC as well as our distinguished Past Presidents
ha ve done since 1872. Although I only have to
go back to last season and hope to emulate my
predecessor 2019/20 President Derry Shaw whose
term was unfortunately cut short as rugby and
indeed the world came to grips with the Covid -19
Pandemic. Unfortunately, as much as we thought
then Covid would a temporary problem for us it
has continued into this season and has become
part of our new reality going forward.
and it was fitting that he has now been confirmed
It is an absolute credit and a source of pride as an Honorary Life Member at our AGM in May.
to myself and all of our members that when Led by Mr Lansdowne our ever present Director
the world was at its lowest Lansdowne FC was of Senior Rugby, Stephen Rooney, Coaches Mark
at its brightest and we as a club stepped up McHugh & Ben Armstrong along with Scott Deasy
to the mark and raised money for vital PPE for and Philip Horan and the legend that is Paddy
Frontline staff both within our area and around Gore, all stepped up and guided our seniors to
the country. Lansdowne is not just an area club a great second half of last season and into the
we are proud to have members all over the play offs of the Energeia All Ireland League and
country and indeed all over the globe. It is these a place in the Bateman Cup Final. Unfortunately,
members who continue to enable us to support the season was cut short and the Bateman was
very deserving charities by raising and donating deemed shared by both ourselves and Cork Con
substantial amounts every year for very worthy who we were on course to meet again in the
causes such as Pieta House, The Peter McVerry AIL Semi Finals. The backbone of the club is our
Trust, IRFU Charitable Trust and our Frontline Under 20s with our senior side regularly fielding
workers amongst the many we have supported 75 to 80% of players that have come through
in the past and will continue to support in the our hugely successful 20s system and indeed
future. On behalf of our members I wish to thank we had several current under 20s in the senior
everyone involved but in particular Doug Leddin team. Declan Fassbender will not like me saying
& Derry Shaw for their great work in securing and it, but his record speaks for itself, he has become
distributing PPE to those in need. and is the most suc-cessful under 20s coach in
Ireland and is ably assisted by Ben Armstrong and
We also had to endure losing our long time Director of Under 20s Rugby Mark MacMahon.
Senior Head Coach Mike Ruddock to the Ospreys They continued their unbeaten season of 2018 to
in December last year. Mike left with all of our just one league defeat last year and retained the
best wishes and was a great addition to the club JP Fanagan Premier 1 League Trophy and were

14 YEARBOOK 2020-2021