When Pele visited Dunboyne

Brazilian football legend Pele, who died on Thursday last aged 82, visited Dunboyne AFC as part of a Football Association of Ireland Club of the Year presentation event on 26th November 2009. Reproduced here is John Donohoe's report for the Meath Chronicle

The US sportscaster Bob Costas once said there were three people in the world who can be recognised anywhere - the Pope, Muhammed Ali and Pele.

On Thursday last in Dunboyne, the scenes were reminiscent of the images of the Pope’s visit to Ireland thirty years previous. As the helicopter carrying the Brazilian footballing legend came into view in the skies over the village, master of ceremonies, 4FM radio sports reporter, Declan King whipped up the crowd waiting at Dunboyne AFC’s grounds on the Summerhill Road to welcome “the greatest footballer the world has ever seen.”

Like most pitches of all codes around the county at this time of year, a large sign at the side of the Dunboyne field declared that the pitch was closed. ‘Pitch not in use for matches or training - keep off please’ read the notice.

However, an exception was being made for the man who played in four world cups and holds a winner’s medal from three of them. Nobody was going to tell him he couldn’t walk across the grass at Summerhill Road when his helicopter descended on the pitch just before midday.

Entertaining the waiting crowd was a Rio-style samba band, Morro 16. Morro is the Brazilian for Hill, as the band’s first outing was on Hill 16 when attending a game in Croke Park. Also performing was Nayane, a Brazilian dancer, whose gyrating kept her warm on a cold November day in Meath.

Many of the hundreds of youngsters waiting - and the not so young - were bedecked in the Dunboyne soccer colours of green and yellow, not dissimilar to the Brazilian colours.

Pele, real name Edison Arantes do Nascimento, was visiting Dunboyne for two reasons. One was to present the local soccer club with its FAI/Aviva Club of the Year 2009 award. The second was to meet students of the local secondary school involved in his charity, Goals for Life.

Founded in 1970, when the Brazilian was winning his third and final world cup medal, Dunboyne AFC was originally called Leestown, after the fictitious village in RTE’s ‘The Riordans’, filmed at the nearby Flathouse. It has been based at Summerhill Road for about 15 years, having been without a permanent home before that. The club currently plays in the Leinster Senior League, following periods in the Athletic Union League and the Meath and District League, with juveniles in the Brenfer North Dublin League. Now, it has newly renovated grounds and facilities and over 600 members and 34 teams, including two ladies teams, and a weekly nursery for ‘tots’. It was these new facilities that Pele was coming to recognise and officially open.

Accompanied by John Delany, the chief executive of the FAI, and other officials, Pele alighted the helicopter to cheers from the waiting crowd. A carpet of artificial plastic grass led from pitch side across the Irish mud to the stage, with the legend signing autographs and shaking hands en route. The local Purcell Darcy School of Irish Dancing put on a display of the domestic tradition for the visitors.

Exactly 40 years ago, in November 1969, Pele scored his 1,000th goal in competition. He dedicated it to the ‘little children.’ His Goals for Life charity raises funds for Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin and Little Prince Hospital in Brazil, and he had flown to Dunboyne directly from Crumlin Hospital. The students of St Peter’s College, Dunboyne, were the first people outside of Brazil to get involved in the charity.

“I’m very excited to be here,” he told the gathering of over 1,000. “I start to cry when I see a welcome like this. I see the children of Brazil who made it possible.”

Admitting that his English was not good, he said that the future of the world was with the children. “We need to look after the children. Thank you so much.” And, again reminiscent of that papal visit, he told the young people that he loved them.

The formalities had yet to be dispensed with on the short visit. Club president Paddy Mulreid - involved in Dunboyne AFC for 38 of its 39 years - was invited to accept the club of the year award from the world legend, in a very special occasion for the officer and the club. Trustees Tommy Coogan, Ray King, Jake Robinson and Jimmy Maguire were invited on stage for a photo with Pele, followed by the committee, secretary Kevin Higgins, treasurer Pat Peters, commercial manager Gerry Mulvey, Leinster Senior League secretary John O’Reilly, coaching coordinator Colm Buckley, head coach Alan Kelly, and Eugene Dowling.

These were followed by the organising committee of the visit: Sean Henry, Roger Digan, Michael Rochford, Frank Brennan and Maura Hanley, and representatives of players and tots teams. Eugene Dowling presented Pele with a Goals for Life cheque and received a set of medals in return. Aoibheann Norman, Jimmy Norman and Colm Dowling were also invited on stage to give a gift to Pele. Aoibheann has spent many months in Crumlin Hospital, and Colm’s little brother, Adam, is also attending the hospital.

Pele signed a caricature for Niall O’Loughlin, to be raffled at a later date, and the Samba band and dancers were also invited up for photos. Former Meath footballer Ger Robinson looked on proudly as his father, club chairman Jake, helped Pele cut the ribbon for the official opening of the grounds.

By now, the small stage had a large crowd, and ‘clear the stage please’ became a familiar call from Declan King, as everyone wanted to meet, touch or shake hands with the soccer legend. Eventually, the stage was cleared for the next set of guests, the transition year students from St Peter’s College, who worked for ‘Goals for Life’, Pele’s primary reason for being in Ireland last week.

Student Pauric Gallagher explained that they got involved through teacher Denis Leonard and Don Mullan, the author and European ambassador for Pele’s charity. Preparation for the project had been going on for a while, but they started collecting about a month ago, including outside the Ireland-Italy soccer international at Croke Park.

A cheque for €2,500 was presented to Pele by Fintan Murray, Ellen Leonard and Darragh Lenihan. Gold medals were in turn presented by Pele to Gemma O’Connor, Jordan Ring and Claire Carton. These are a limited set of medals from the Brazilian mint, each unique to Pele’s 1,283 goals. Sinead Cornyn presented Pele with a painting of St Peter’s College she had painted. And principal Eamon Gaffney invited one student, Sergio Rocha, to make Pele feel at home by welcoming him in his own language.

It was a brief visit, and soon it was time to go. The last words went to Pele before he headed for the pitch and the helicopter awaiting to take him further afield.

“Bless you,” he said. “And keep the ball rolling.”