Bohemian FC is delighted to confirm that the club has secured funding from the SSE Airtricity Generation Green Community Fund for a new project that puts our young players first.
The core aim of the Bohemian FC academy is to facilitate the development of young footballers and to provide a pathway to bring as many through to the first-team set-up and beyond, as possible.
But Bohemian FC also recognises the importance of providing pathways and options in life for those who do not go on to our first team, and this exciting new project will do just that, helping build sustainable careers beyond football.
The club is setting up a Green Trade Ready Pre-Apprenticeship Programme, designed around young players’ lives and schedules, which will give them the skills they require to take up apprenticeships in fields like renewable energy and green construction – industries that badly need workers and offer solid careers. We will also be helping our players to find apprenticeships.
The €250,000 grant will also allow us to expand our Spark Skills programme, which many of you will know already offers practical community classes in areas such as solar power, bike repair, and energy efficiency. Over 140 people have already completed our eight-week programme and now we’ll be able to add wind energy and green building to that mix.
We are also launching Care and Repair Teams – volunteers trained through Spark Skills who will help members of the community with basic home energy fixes that save on bills.
This is about backing our own and doing something useful – something that really matters – for our young players, our members, and our community.