Author: crusadersafc

Please observe all parking signs, and park inside the grounds.

A little over a year ago, as the summer of 2024 was about to bloom, a group of club members decided to formalise their volunteerism into what is affectionately (by some) now known as the “Sunday Club”. Meeting early on non-match day Sunday mornings, this rag-tag group of volunteers have utterly transformed the grounds at Whitfield Park from an overgrown and unwelcoming place to a venue which regularly attracts compliments from its many visitors.

With the help of Kieran Cheasty and his team at Butlerstown GAA, a lot of the heavy lifting was first realised and completed, including drainage works and grounds clearance and grading. Led by chairperson Michael “that tree needs to come down” McGrath, a substantial area was cleared of overgrowth, expanding the playing and training area considerably. This approach followed on to improvements elsewhere, including the toilet facilities and dressing rooms.

To date, the following areas have been either overhauled or improved:

• Main pitch
  • drainage added in areas formerly prone to flooding
  • goal posts realigned and reseated
  • new nets purchased and installed
  • surrounding area dewilded and cleared
  • ball stop net pole replaced
• Training pitch
  • country goal area cleared of overgrown trees
  • new ball stop net purchased and erected
  • seating added
  • trip hazards made safe
  • training goals rewelded and nets added
  • surrounding area cleared
• Car Park
  • parking area extended by +200%
  • signage erected and parking plan published for matchdays/training days
• Dressing Rooms
  • dressing rooms rewired and brought up to code
  • electricity supply reinstated
  • roof leaks fixed
  • roof strengthened
• Storage Rooms/Garage
  • Two skips and countless trailer loads of rubbish and no-longer-required equipment removed
  • Referee’s room revamped in preparation for a potential change of function
  • Store rooms and garage cleared and secured
• Toilets
  • new toilet block in place reusing legacy waste management function
  • gender-specific toilets now in place for the first time at Crusaders
• Sponsorship
  • Whitfield Park is now a testimony to the willingness of local business to be involved and supporting the club with dozens of advertising signs in place and more to come
  • these signs have not only signalled the intent of the club moving forward, they have also added a spark of colour to the area
• Partnership
  • Crusaders AFC is working with Butlerstown GAA to share resources and facilities on a long term basis, thus ensuring both clubs can deliver sport and fitness to their members. Our thanks to Kieran Cheasty, Francie Lonergan and all at Butlerstown GAA for their ongoing support and efforts.

There’s a lot more work to be done at Whitfield Park on many more Sunday mornings, and doubtless the Sunday Club will continue to ensure that our club members, players, spectators and others will have the best possible amenity available to them.

It is the desire of the committe to take what the Sunday Club have delivered to-date and improve upon this through a strategic plan, funded by grants from multiple sources which are now, for the first time in many years, a realistic aspiration for our club.

Our thanks again to all our sponsors. Whether supporting the club through a personal and often anonymous donation, through annual subscription to our pitchside advertising campaign, through the funding of much needed equipment for our teams (from jerseys to training equipment to matchballs) or through the provision of other products and services, without your ongoing and valued support, the Sunday Club simply couldn’t deliver on its commitment to improve the facility at Whitfield Park for future generations of Crusaders.

Azzurri Division 2B League

PORTLAW 1 – 0 CRUSADERS AFC

Our 2B squad travelled to Portlaw to face the high flying Tannery men, and gave as good as they got throughout. Comments from the home side afterwards indicated they felt they came away with more than they deserved, having underestimated the Crusaders side. In truth, the chance of the game fell to Cian O’Neill in the first half, connecting to Devin Enright’s cross with a bullet header and forcing a world class save from the home keeper who, with the help of the post and crossbar, kept them in the game. An opportunistic finish from Portlaw saw them take the lead early in the second half, very much against the run of play. The remainder of the game played out with a number of stoppages, a few knocks and fewer chances, with both sides cancelling out the other in terms of attacking, and the home side running down the clock. Many thanks to Portlaw for a great game, and we look forward to having them over to Whitfield later in the season.

Best for Crusaders were Jordan Daniels, Cian O’Neill, Paddy O’Neill and Tommy Smyth.

Azzurri 4th Division League

CRUSADERS AFC 1 – 4 KILMACOW

On a near-perfect surface, diagonally striped by Francie earlier in the day and manicured over the weekend by Willie Power and his team of landscape experts (sponsored by Geoff’s – “the alternative venue”), our 4th division entertained a strong Kilmacow side yesterday evening. With Paul Lawrence still making his way back from Bilbao (and still living in the Fergie-era), and Peter, Norman and Duckie unavailable, the elders still managed to give a good account of themselves on the night. A case of one side took their chances, and the other didn’t it seems, we finally got on the scoresheet after 55′ thanks to Patrick Egan, but after several chances had gone abegging earlier in the game, this was a case of “what might have been”. Thanks to Kilmacow for a good game, and we hope you found your way home from Butlerstown safely. ☺️

Best for the home side were Patrick Heffernan (a welcome returnee after injury), Niall Kelly (slowly regaining his prime fitness levels, Domino’s have sent a search party), Shane Hunt (on another night, could have had 2 or 3) and John Rockett 🟨.

A busy evening at Crusaders this evening, with our 2B team on their travels to Portlaw and our 4th division veterans at home entertaining Kilmacow. Kick off @ Whitfield Park is 6:45pm.

Note: Please follow the signs for parking at Whitfield Park. Despite the recent rain, the ground is still very hard, meaning there’s plenty space for everybody inside the grounds.

Our 2B team are back in action tonight, the first of two games this week. This evening we travel to Portlaw for a 6:45pm start.

Note: With roadworks ongoing on the approach road to Portlaw until 7pm, you may be diverted or delayed with a Stop/Go system, so leave sufficient time to get there. Eircode for Portlaw AFC is X91 KH66.

With the summer (whisper it!) here, and the weather looking up, there’s going to be many more of us out in Whitfield Park each week, between training and games. This has, in the past, led to congestion in the car park, overflowing onto the road.

It’s always best if we can avoid parking outside the grounds, as it keeps the roadway clear, and doesn’t impose on our neighbours either side.

We recently erected signage outlining where is best to park during dry weather. These signs give a reminder to park on the grass leading to the pitch FIRST when the ground is hard/weather is dry upon arrival at Whitfield Park. This helps ensure not only that we can manage the traffic volume, but also that we can ensure access to the playing fields in the unlikely event of an emergency.

In the diagram below, you can see the best place to park, ensuring nobody is blocked in and maximising the space available. Please use the grass parking area first when possible, with later arrivals using the space closer to the dressing rooms/toilets.

Azzurri 4^th Division | 27th April 2025

After some touch & go games this season, succumbing by the odd goal on more than one occasion, Johno’s boys left the dressing room on Sunday morning, taking to the field with a steely determination that they would do themselves justice.  With a number of enforced changes, the lineout saw David Power resume his deputy goalie duties, Gary Kent saw his first start of the season and Butlerstown’s own Paul Kelly got his first start this century.  John Rockett was awarded the captaincy for the game as a result of truly outstanding leadership in recent games.

Unfortunately, with only 5 minutes on the clock, Dunmore managed to get past the Crusaders defence and score.  What followed was the football equivalent of some deeply profound soul searching, as the men in blue and red dug deep in an effort to recover something from the game. 

At the back, Paul O’Neill and Peter O’Byrne were immense, shutting out the Dunmore attack completely from the 6^th minute onwards.  Kent lent much to the attacking efforts and PK rolled back the years, to a simpler time of landlines, Opel Cadets and the Irish punt, marauding forward up the right flank.  In the immediate aftermath, Johno was overheard proclaiming that PK would be the first name on his team sheet next time around! 

In the middle, Austin was once again omnipresent, as was captain Rockett.  Barney and Hunty kept the Dunmore defence on their toes from both wings, and Mark and Patrick fabricated chance after chance, but ultimately to no avail as the shooting boots had been left at home on the day.  Sprung from the bench, Brian and Deano freshened the legs up top, and forced Dunmore to reach deep and empty their own bench in a desperate effort to retain their lead. 

Also watching from the sidelines, the injured Niall Kelly (“hurt feelings and still a bit tired”), Trevor (“retired boi”) and Duckie (“retired if she asks”) all stated they wanted to be on the field more than anything, but had earlier decided to maintain their current recovery trajectories.  In sharp contrast, Willie Power has made enquiries into signing for the 2^nd half of the season, stating “I could still do a job”.  Watch this space! 

Final score 1-0 to Dunmore East.