Mark McGoldrick may not be on the pitch kicking points or making tackles but he is still a vital component in the St. Michael’s MacRory Cup squad.
Medical issues mean that Mark is unable to play the sport that he loves but that does not mean that he does not have a role to play within the game and this year he has been asked by Dom Corrigan to come on board as part of his MacRory Cup management team.
Mark looks after the statistical side of things for the squad and he states that it is great to be involved with the squad.
“I have had a few medical problems in my time which has caused me to have bad bone density and left me unable to play sport but Dom has got me helping out with this and it is great to be involved,” he said.
“Before, I could never really get involved in sport but a couple of years ago Mr Donnelly here in the school started getting me involved in the same role with the Rannafast Cup squad and I did that for two years and now I’m with Dom with the MacRory. Even though you can’t play you still feel part of a team and that is great, I really enjoy being involved,” he commented.
The Year 13 pupil enjoys all sport but his big passion is gaelic football.
“My family is from Tyrone so I’m a big Tyrone fan, I would never miss a Tyrone match and I also follow Derrygonnelly,” he explained.
So what does his role entail then with the MacRory Cup squad?
“I go to the matches and keep the statistics. It would be mostly based on our team and the statistics from that but sometimes it is picking out the other teams weaknesses.
“I would generally look at the amount of possessions lost, the scores for each team, the amount of tackles and break balls.
“I would go to Dom at half time and he would take it and give the boys a breakdown of what has happened during that half and how they could improve and then during the match he goes throughout it again. 
“After the match we would have a review of the statistics and talk to the boys and pick out areas where they could improve for the next day. You have to really concentrate all the time on the game to make sure you don’t miss anything but I love it,” he said.
And Dom Corrigan is delighted to have Mark involved.
“He is a shining example to everybody in not only our group but our school and we’re delighted that he is an important part of our team. Mark’s a great example to all young men that even if you are not playing sport you can still participate and be involved in it.
“The role he has is a vital one and he does it very well.  He will come to me after 15 minutes with an overview of what is happening and then at half time his stats are important. He then goes away at the end of a match and does a whole summary,” added Dom.