Santa arrives at Kilbogget

The excitement was barely containable as our cubs and kittens finished their Saturday morning football for the Christmas break, knowing that a very special visitor was soon to arrive.

A fully arched rainbow had appeared which some of the youngsters said was a sure sign Santa was on his way. Doubting coaches said ‘surely not’, shaking their heads in disbelief. But the children knew best…

In spite of gale force winds, Santa expertly navigated his sleigh, landing carefully in the distance on Pitch 7, guided in by members of the Irish Coast Guard who then escorted him to the astro. As Santa made his grand entrance onto the pitch, the children’s faces were alight with smiles and laughter.

With a massive bag of presents in store, Santa laughed and smiled, greeting each young player individually, asking about their favourite football teams and their wishes for Christmas. The air was filled with fun as Santa shared stories from the North Pole and even offered a few football tips he claimed to have learned from the elves.

Santa thanked Davy Stone and all the volunteer coaches who make Saturday mornings a time to look forward to every week for our young players, and all of the parents and guardians for encouraging their children through football.

Then, all too soon, it was time for Santa to head home. As he prepared to leave, he reminded the children about the importance of teamwork, practice, having fun and more important than anything else… kindness.

Santa also said he knows that sometimes not everyone can be happy at Christmas and that they are always remembered very specially in his thoughts.

He told everyone to be sure to leave out some carrots for Rudolf and a glass of milk, or perhaps something a little stronger, for himself.

With a final “Ho, Ho, Ho!” he took the short trip back towards Rudolf and his troop of reindeer. In a flash of magic he took to the air, looped a loop straight through the rainbow and was gone, soon to return on Christmas Eve. As the children waved goodbye, they knew that this wasn’t just any ordinary day, but one filled with the spirit of Christmas to come.

Happy Christmas everyone!