Football club waives fees for children living in direct provision

A Cork football club has waived registration fees for asylum seekers as a fundraising drive gets under way to cover the costs of providing sporting outlets for children living in direct provision.

Ashbourne House in Glounthaune is one of six direct provision centres in Cork, and 14 of the children currently residing at the centre are playing with local side Leeside AFC. It has voted to help the children to continue playing with the club in light of increasing fees for player registration.

While children from Ashbourne House have been playing with the Little Island club for the past four years, Leeside AFC secretary Barry Cotter explained that a problem arose this season when a number of the players graduated from the academy level for five to 10-year-olds to the Cork Schoolboys League, where there are higher registration costs due to insurance charges and affiliation fees.