Thomastown United make their Mark on soccer

Kilkenny & District League club Thomastown United are the latest to receive the FAI Club Mark Entry Level award following a great effort from the club's officials and volunteers.

Thomastown United is one of Kilkenny's biggest football clubs, having been founded in 1968. The club currently has over 400 players throughout their club in the underage and senior level.

Continually looking to develop their facilities at United Park having officially opened in 2001, the club now has four pitches on-site, including floodlit all-weather training areas and changing rooms.

Thomastown are continually looking to improve and once the full all-weather pitch and sand-based pitches are completed, it will enable the club to move to an FAI standard for Regional Centre of Excellence status.

They've also enjoyed regional success on the pitch having won the Premier Division title in 2015 and the McCalmont Cup in 2016. They have seen former player Ellen Molloy progress to the Ireland WNT, and Colm Whelan progress to the Ireland under-21 side.

"I'm delighted to see Thomastown United claim their FAI Club Mark award and it's been overdue with the amount of great work going on behind the scenes," said FAI Development Officer Will Kinsella.

"We've seen the recent success stories such as Ellen Molloy and Colm Whelan which helps garner interest in the club but the club is much more than that with over 400 players taking part each week.

"It is a club at the centre of the community with fantastic facilities and 18 underage teams with a brilliant Academy every Saturday morning for Under-6s. The work the club is and continues to achieve is fantastic and the club officials and volunteers have always been a pleasure to work with."