On January 12, nearly 200 players and supporters braved a wet afternoon at the Oscar Traynor Coaching and Development Centre in Dublin, to be part of the inaugural SmartPly Builders Providers 5-a-side Football Championship and Challenge Cup.

The 16 teams for the one-day tournament were drawn from builders’ providers PH Ross, McMahon’s, Heiton’s, TJ O’Mahoney’s, Goodwin’s and Clondalkin Providers, with Chadwick’s, Brooks, and Noyeks fielding more than one team. The SmartPly factory, parent company Coillte and the Irish Amateur Football League (AFL) also took part.

Last year, Waterford-based SmartPly OSB took over sponsorship of the Irish Amateur Football League (AFL). Guiness had sponsored the league for the past 15 years. SmartPly’s three-year contract with the AFL will encourage football at grass roots level as well as raising the profile and awareness of the wood-based panel products industry in Ireland.

The results were:

SmartPly Championship Trophy
Winner: McMahon’s, Blanchardstown – 1
Runner-up: Brooks Team 2, Balbriggan/Naas Road – 0

SmartPly Challenge Cup
Winner: TJ O’Mahoney’s, Ballymount – 4
Runner-up: Brooks Team 1, Balbriggan/Finglas – 1