Leo Gray recently met Rovers Football and Social Responsibility Officer, Jamie Murphy

Sligo Rovers – the community club. The football industry has been contaminated by so much empty rhetoric in recent years that it’s easy to be dismissive of some of the over-hyped virtues attached to the once beautiful game. But in Sligo Rovers’ case, they do what it says on the tin. No exaggerated fuss, no fanciful fanfare, just plain down-to-earth meaningful interaction with a fan-base and community whose unconditional support and genuine affection has kept the show on the road – often against overwhelming odds – for close to 100 years.

The connection between club and community is infectious, you can smell it, inhale it, almost reach out and touch it. It’s everywhere, in schools, shopping centres, on the streets, in the workplace, it’s rural, it’s urban, it’s more transmissible than a rampant virus. And, thankfully, there’s no cure. It’s raged for almost a century and shows no signs of relenting. If anything, it’s more feverish than ever.

Harness it all, embrace its positivity and share its unifying, restorative power and what have you got? You’ve got a football and social responsibility mandate. Add in a passionate force of nature in the person of Jamie Murphy and you’ve got the very personification of what Sligo Rovers Football Club is all about. Three months into his demanding but massively rewarding role as the club’s Football and Social Responsibility Officer, Jamie has been overwhelmed but not surprised by the phenomenal buy-in from the community and the enthusiastic backing from within the club to his many ground-breaking initiatives.

He explains: “Sligo and the entire North West region has always been a progressive and open area, willing to accept and take on different ideas. The scale of the support I’ve received since taking on the job and the reaction to our projects has been exceptional and very much appreciated. It’s encouraging to realise that there’s such a depth of goodwill and interest in all the initiatives we’ve been involved in. But I can’t say I’m surprised by that. It only re-enforces everything I’ve felt about the club, the fan-base and the wider community in Sligo and across the North West.”

Hailing from the Maugheraboy area of Sligo town, and living in Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, for the past number of years, Rovers are in his DNA. As a giddy child, he’d skip down the road to the Showgrounds to watch his heroes, share in the agony and occasional ecstasy of supporting his home-town team.

The love never left him, but there were other passions, different causes to highlight and protect. He became a Secondary School teacher, and taught history at the Ursuline College in Sligo, before taking up a position as a social worker with the Sligo Traveller Support Group where he became a strong advocate for support for Mental Health issues within the Traveller community. It was a tough job but he relished the challenge and was unremitting in his commitment to it.

He had no desire to leave the role but the attraction of becoming Sligo Rovers first Football and Social Responsibility Officer was irresistible.

“I have always been passionate about social justice, discrimination, anti-racism, inclusivity, helping the marginalised. And I’m a strong believer that football can be a vehicle to deliver in very real terms on all these issues. And so the role with Rovers was the perfect fit. It embodied everything that I’m passionate about,” he says.

“I understand the values of the club, that it’s deeply rooted in the community and that the love for Rovers passes down from one generation to the next. I’m part of that process myself, it’s where I come from, it’s where I belong. Everything at the club is inter-connected. Of course, the ninety minutes of football at the Showgrounds every Saturday night is the pinnacle but I believe, and everybody at Rovers shares this view, that the club is about more than just football. It’s about inclusivity. Nobody, from whatever background, race or social status, should feel they can’t be part of this wonderful club. We are a community club in every sense of the word.”

Although it’s not the prime objective of the work he does, there is a spin-off in terms of attracting new supporters and volunteers to the club as a result of the initiatives introduced under the Social Responsibility Programme.

For example, quite a number of men whose first interaction with Rovers came through the Integration Football initiative are now volunteers at the Showgrounds. The programme involves refugees, asylum seekers and members from the Direct Provision Centre. They’ve been welcomed to the Showgrounds, encouraged to engage in social and sporting pursuits and now have a real and interesting connection with the community which otherwise might have been denied them.

“I like to work from the bottom up, talk to the men, get to know them and what they want. Then I try to work on a programme that suits them. That’s the key to the Integration Football Programme and it’s gone down so well that many of those taking part are now solid Sligo Rovers fans, a lot of them coming on board as club volunteers,” Jamie points out.

Football For All, a project which involves adult players, men and women, from Rehab Care Centres, the National Learning Network and other facilities, is also proving a great success. Players come together in two groups on a weekly basis, engaging in beneficial physical activity and social engagement.

Recently, Rovers fielded a team in the Downs Syndrome National Futsal Blitz in Gormanstown. The children were thrilled to represent Sligo Rovers on the national stage. They put up a tremendous performance, finishing third in a highly competitive tournament won by an experienced Finn Harps squad.

“The joy on the faces of the players was something to behold,” says Jamie. “They were delighted to have
the honour of representing Sligo Rovers in a national competition and they put on a great performance.
Everybody at the club was so proud of them.”

The heroic team were presented to the crowd at half-time during the recent Shamrock Rovers game where they received a well-deserved tribute.

It’s been a hectic few months for the newly installed Football and Social Responsibility Officer but there’s even more to come.

The energetic Jamie has several exciting plans in the pipeline, including a sporting memories project which will be run in association with the Sligo Alzheimer’s Society, and a Sligo Pride event in conjunction with the LGBTQ+ community. This follows on from the successful launch of a walking football programme for over 55s which commenced in July,

“It’s a busy schedule,” he agrees. “The feedback from everybody we’ve engaged with so far has been fantastic. We’re getting contacts from parents and organisations suggesting various ideas and we’ll take everything on board. We want to be as inclusive as possible. We’ve made a positive start and we’re working on delivering more programmes going forward.”

As part of the FAI Licensing conditions, the appointment of a Football and Social Responsibility Officer will be mandatory for all clubs by the 2025/’26 season. Rovers, along with a few other clubs, are ahead of the curve. No surprise there. The Community Club doing just what it says on the tin.