Salthill Fives set for 40th birthday celebrations

40 not out – an average enough score in cricket, but not a bad innings for a soccer tournament, not to mention it being half a lifetime for anyone who has ever played in it.

The 2016 version of the Salthill Fives celebrates its 40th birthday this year, and has become something of an institution in Galway over the Whit weekend. This year’;s event is once again being sopnsored by Carlsberg, and Pete Kelly of the organising committee says that great tournaments do not happen by accident, great tournaments are unsustainable without resilient and quality sponsors.

“At Salthill Devon we are grateful for have the continued support of Carlsberg. Including the previous sponsorship stints of Harp Lager and Budweiser, we have now been partners with the Diageo group for well over 20 years,” he said.

One man was synonymous with the Fives for over 35 years: Brendan ‘Shaughs’ O’Shaughnessy was everything from organiser to chief cook and bottle washer, being the man who came up with the idea of the Fives, and he has watched it grow from tis infancy to adulthood with pride.

There will be two full days of football on three pitches. There will be the main competition, an Over 35’s section and a women’s section, which last year was a great success on its restoration to the festival of football that is The Fives.

“As we say at Salthill Devon If Carlsberg did football tournaments . . . wait, this is it!” says Kelly.

The Salthill Fives format has remained virtually the same since day one, a knock-out format, which has seen teams come from as far away as Boston, only to play just 10 minutes and then be knocked out.

However as the tournament evolves there is a ‘second chance’ available this year in the main tournament, where first round loser will enter into a Plate competition.

During its tenure the Fives has witnessed many changes in Irish soccer. Some years back when the League of Ireland was played through the Winter, teams from clubs such as Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers and Derry City were regular attendees, and one of the great attractions for teams entering was the possibility of getting to play the professionals.

Today, with League of Ireland being played in the same calendar year, there are virtually no League players taking part. However, what the tournament is seeing is the star players from the U-19s and up and coming players strutting their stuff in the final rounds. A case in point is recent winners featuring Colm Horgan and Alex Byrne, now starring for Galway United.

The cream of soccer players in Galway and much further afield have starred in the Fives – many have come to relish the opportunity each year and they hold a winners medal amongst their prize possessions. It was not until 2003 that a team actually retained their title, and no team has done so since.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.