Community remembers life of young football fan

LEE LUCCHESI, who was laid out last night in the kit of his beloved Liverpool, lived for football and to die on a football field was tragic, his great grandfather said last night.

Friends and classmates of the Co Louth boy who died in a freak accident on Sunday were asked to remember him as he lived, as a star footballer for the school team, a model pupil and a talented teller of jokes.

The 10-year-old's great grandfather Alvaro Lucchesi spoke of how his close-knit family have been left devastated by Lee's death. He died after goalposts fell on his head.

"It's a very, very tough time, unbelievably tough. Lee lived for football it was his life and to die on a football field, that is tragic," said Alvaro. "We will come together because we are very close family but this will be a very hard few days for us."

Lee's body was brought from Navan Hospital last night and laid out in his mother Carla's house. The Lucchesi family, of Italian extraction, have lived for many years in Dundalk. One of Alvaro's sons, also Alvaro, is a well-known actor who starred in a number of films, including Angela's Ashes. Lee also had a two-year-old brother.

Fellow pupils at St Joseph's in Dundalk were attempting to come to terms with the loss of the young boy.

Gerry Murphy, headmaster of St Joseph's, said the children had been drawing pictures to help them understand his death of a "good kid, full stop".

"A lot of the pictures were of crosses with his name written on them, but I said they should try to remember what kind of a boy he was, what kind of things they knew him for," Mr Murphy said.

"He was a great footballer and played for the school team. It's an awful tragedy. He was a wonderful kid, and an exemplary pupil. He was good at telling jokes and was a very good footballer. He was a good kid, full stop."

As Mr Murphy organised a special assembly in honour of the dead boy, he first spoke to his classmates devastated by the tragedy.

"In every class in the school there was a boy or girl who knew him or lived on the same street. I've been here for 25 years and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of pupils who have died during that time," he said.

Lee Lucchesi was playing with a group of children as he waited to watch his father play for Woodview Celtic of Dundalk away to Navan Town. According to witnesses, Lee and his friends were on a training pitch when the accident happened.

Lee was swinging on the crossbar of the moveable goals when they started to fall over. As Lee jumped down and moved away, he was struck on the head by the crossbar.

He was taken to hospital in Navan, Co Meath, with serious head injuries but died a short time later. Both his father, who was playing football, and stepfather David Myles were present when the accident happened.

"It is a terrible thing for everyone in the community to have to deal with," Mr Murphy said. "In time his friends will come to accept it, but it is hard for parents to ever come to terms with the death of a child."

Derek McCabe, secretary of Woodview Celtic, said the team was devastated. "Everybody is in shock today. We have never had anything like this happen before. It was a terrible freak accident. Lee came to every game. He never missed one. He could play football well himself."

Mr McCabe said messages of support were pouring in from the football league. He said Lee's father, who was captain of the team, was extremely distressed and was being comforted.