“Football brings everyone together,” says Conor O’Grady, the head of academy at Sligo Rovers Football Club and part-time coach at one of Ireland’s two open prisons.
Over the past month, on an AstroTurf pitch overlooking Cavan’s share of Lough MacNean, O’Grady has been putting on weekly training sessions for prisoners at Loughan House. It is building up to a showpiece finale: a match played at Rovers’ home stadium, the Showgrounds.
“No matter what your background is or where you are, everyone who plays football has that genuine love,” O’Grady adds. “The majority of these lads have a real affection for football. You come down here and you’re back to being an 11 or 12-year-old or whatever again.”
There are no security checks as you drive into Co Cavan’s Loughan House, an open prison holding up to 153 men who face minimal restrictions on movement and activities.
Visitors, often locals from the nearby village of Blacklion, are welcome to use the coffee shop, car wash and polytunnels, all of which are manned by prisoners. Many of the men in the centre have spent time in closed prisons and are coming to the end of their sentences. This is a place to readjust and regain some independence.
“Anyone can make a mistake and end up in prison,” says governor Mark Lydon. “I could have a 19 or 20-year-old. Our job is to try to give people the skills, the ability, the knowledge and the confidence that when they’re released, they can go into their community, get a job and start to live their life again. Hopefully, people leave here and they’ve got a chance.”
Lee*, a prisoner, has always been involved in football – at schoolboys’ level with Shelbourne and Bohemians, and as a coach with local sides as the years went on. He was one of the representatives for Loughan House at Sligo Rovers’ integration tournament a few weeks ago, which featured a host of teams from marginalised communities. The prisoners won out handily, sparking this series of training sessions.
“Some days in here can be long,” Lee says. “Some days can be good and on your good days, it’s all right. When you have something to look forward to each week, it makes things a lot easier. When things are competitive and they’re done in the right way, it’s really good football-wise. There’s people going to the gym that normally wouldn’t go to the gym because they want to get fit for games that are coming up.
“There’s no tension in an open jail,” he adds. “Everybody is getting ready to either get out or they’re going to work. There’s a lot of positivity. In a main jail, it’s a lot different to that.”
David*, a team-mate of Lee’s in that integration tournament, also has a history of being involved with team sports and coaching. He describes himself as the elder statesman in a very strong squad. The coaches from Sligo Rovers agree that the standard of football among the prisoners is very high.
Sport and exercise are central to a more autonomous lifestyle in Loughan House, but so too are the many opportunities prisoners are afforded to re-socialise and reskill in advance of release. There are accredited courses and workshops in construction, motor mechanics, cleaning and laundry. Educational units teach soft skills such as art, languages and maths.
“You can see it even when the guys land here,” David says. “It takes a few weeks to adjust to that bit of extra freedom. Having that responsibility for yourself. To be back in when you need to be and you’re not in behind the door which is the hardest part, as you can imagine, of prison.”
Jamie Murphy has been Sligo Rovers’ football and social responsibility officer for about a year. As one of only two fully fan-owned clubs in the top tier of the League of Ireland, community programmes are central to its model. Murphy has been crucial in establishing refugee football, disability teams, a Down syndrome (DS) team and walking football for older people. A women’s social football programme has just begun and is already at full capacity.
“A big part of the work we do is trying to make sure we create as many playing and non-playing opportunities for as many communities as we can, with a particular focus on groups that might be marginalised or have experienced exclusion of some type,” Murphy says. “This is right in with what we’re trying to do.”
Attendances and interest around the League of Ireland have skyrocketed in recent years and a number of people are engaging with domestic club football here for the first time. Social inclusion initiatives can act as catalysts for communities to rally around their local clubs, both for those that are directly involved and for people who hear about positive work being done.
“The first thing Jamie set up was the DS team,” Conor O’Grady says. “I spoke to a couple of parents [of players on the team], and they had never been inside the Showgrounds. They had no reason really for going to the Showgrounds, and now they don’t miss a game. As well as all these things being community-based, we’re actually bringing in new supporters to the club and we’re engaging with a lot of different people from different backgrounds.”
There is an educational element to the project at Loughan House, with the programme also featuring a workshop on sport and disability. Murphy’s work tends to take a long-term view, offering placements or work experience beyond participation in an initial course. Players from Rovers’ refugee groups have regularly gone on to become volunteers or stewards at the club.
“Football sometimes is the hook that we use,” Murphy says. “It’s much bigger than football ... We’re chatting to the players the last few weeks and we’re finding out a bit about their background and what they’ve done in life. How much they have to contribute to society when they leave Loughan House.
“They’ve played at good levels in different sports. They’ve done coaching. They’ve achieved in different areas, and they have something positive to contribute once they leave. That’s what this programme is about as well – trying to encourage them to do that.”
*The identity of the prisoners has been protected
