Last week the players in the Premier League in England came together to form #playerstogether, a contribution fund which will see them donate part of their wages to help the NHS.

Now the Ballinamallard United players and coaching staff are doing their bit to make a difference in their community during this difficult time. The riches of the Premier League are a long way from the NIFL Championship but instead of giving money, the Mallards are giving up their time to check in on volunteers and supporters of the club to make sure they are alright.

“There has been all sorts of dialogue across the water and the Premiership players have created a contribution fund which is to be applauded,” said Ballinamallard manager Harry McConkey.

“From a local point of view we don’t have that economic power but what we are doing ourselves, as a small club in comparison to those in England, is effectively making sure that the people who have given so much to the club and are around the club, are alright.

“These people, supporters and voluntary workers, are people you can’t survive without, and the players and coaching staff have been making calls to them on a one to one basis to have a chat and let them know that we are there for them.

“We want to make sure that our players don’t forget about our supporters and volunteers who have been with us through thick and thin, maybe some of them are not in the best of health and some are more vulnerable to being lonely and isolated. That’s the level that our players are at, it’s not a money thing but it is making sure that the people who help us are alright and I know from the feedback from players who have been in touch with supporters that they have mutually benefitted from it,” he added.

Communication is crucial at this time and that is also the case for McConkey and his players with the manager taking advantage of modern technology to make sure he stays in touch with everybody.

“Good communication and feedback are both crucial elements for us all at this time.

“I have been someone who has been dragged into the age of social media and technology and I have to say quite reluctantly so but at this moment in time I have found it has been invaluable. We always have our WhatsApp chats but now they have become of even greater importance.

“Also, my staff and I set a time for video chats and we have just been making a point when we have been reviewing things that it is lovely to see each others faces and get the sense from that of how we are all feeling.

“I’m now at a stage where I will start doing that with the players. I had been making calls with them to hear their voices and vice versa but now I think we can move on to the next stage and keep in touch that way.

“There is the element that you have to support them in every way that you can and the great advances in technology has allowed us to do that and it is something that we must be grateful for too,” he commented.

In a statement last week, the NI Football League said that they remain committed at this stage to completing the current NI Football League season at Premiership, Championship and Premier Intermediate League level, although they acknowledge that it is impossible at this point to commit to a date for a resumption. McConkey feels that is the right decision to give the league a chance of finishing but accepts that it might get to a point where that is not possible.

“I think it is a time for steady heads and to stay calm where possible. The horrible thing is that you can’t see a clear end line here, when you don’t have that it is extremely difficult to plan ahead. I feel we simply must review our training and preparation on a day to day, week to week basis.

“They (NIFL) are holding on to that hope that we will be able to resume and finish but yet again it is something that can change and I’m fully aware of that too and there could come a point that they have to make a different judgement on it . But at the moment I think they are right, there is not a lot to be gained by going into the other too early and dismissing the season completely,” he said.

 

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