The Ryan McBride Foundation 5k run
On what was a bright and sunny Sunday morning runners, joggers and walkers from the football community lined up at the start line in Crumlin to complete a 5k run in aid of The Ryan McBride Foundation.
Registration had begun at Lansdowne Rugby Club from 9.30am and there was a buzz of anticipation in the air for what lay ahead and for the cause that everyone had gathered for. The tragic passing of Ryan McBride earlier in the year had united the community in grief and the crowd that had gathered on this day to raise money for The Foundation showed the esteem that Ryan had been held in throughtout the football family.
Current and former players along with supporters and people from numerous clubs mingled together before and after the race in the very relaxed setting of the Lansdowne clubhouse. The McBride family and members of The Foundation along with current Derry City manager Kenny Shiels took part in the run. At the competitve end of the run, Fintan Kerins from Home Farm was first past the post but everyone finished safely and grabbed some well earned refreshments afterwards before heading to the Aviva Stadium for the 2 Cup Finals.
Stephen McGuinness, PFA Ireland General Secretary was thrilled with how the day turned out. “We’d like to thank everyone who turned up today for this run and for the monies raised and donated over the last few weeks. It’s been uplifting to see the work that The Foundation has been doing in the aftermath of Ryan’s tragic death and we know the funds raised are hugely appreciated and will be well utilised by The Foundation. It’s also great to see the social element of today with lots of current and former players mixing with each other and swapping stories of their playing careers. We still have some more fundraising to do at our Awards night on the 18th November and we look forward to that now.”
The board of The Ryan McBride Foundation commented, “We were delighted to be the PFA Ireland’s chosen charity for its annual Cup Final morning run. It was heart-warming for us and for Ryan’s family to see how many of Ryan’s fellow professionals from across the League of Ireland and the football fraternity raised funds and took part in the run. We would like to thank Stephen, Ollie and Simone for organising this fantastic event and also everyone who took part and those who donated money. The funds raised will go towards future programs that we have coming up which are aimed at supporting and inspiring young people to emulate Ryan’s success and to fulfil their aims/goals through hard work, a positive attitude and determination. We look forward to working with the PFA Ireland and Ryan’s fellow professionals moving forward.”
More information on The Ryan McBride Foundation can be found on their website at https://mcbride5foundation.com/