The new CK Sports Centre was officially opened on Wednesday night, after the facility was taken over by the charity Don Bosco’s.

The centre, which is located in Murdock’s Yard in the Skeoge Business Park, is one of non-profit that will be run entirely by a team of volunteers.

Previously known as the Foyle Fustal Centre, it has been occupied and modernised by the charity and contains a fully lined out small-sided indoor pitch, a main hall, and a multipurpose studio.

The CK Sports Centre got its name from the founding members of Don Bosco’s FC - Terry Kelly and Jimmy Crumley.

Terry “Big Kells” Kelly started the club in 1972 when he became too old to play for the St Mary’s Boys team.

‘Big Kells’, Mickey Carlin, Martin ‘Yogi’ McLaughlin, Artie Palmer and Gerry McDaid got together and formed a committee that kept the team together and they opted to rename the club as it became Don Bosco’s FC, after the patron saint of youth.

After playing for Don Boscos for some years, ‘Wee Jimmy’ Crumley approached Kelly in 1989 about starting up a youth team, and for 20 years he dedicated himself to the kids of Derry - living and breathing football and Don Bosco’s.

Crumley’s own house was a constant of boys turning up for lifts, rigs out on the line and footballs spilling out from under the stairs.

The current members of the club have said that the name choice of the CK centre was an easy one to make after the dedication, commitment and passion both ‘Wee Jimmy’ and ‘Big Kells’ gave to the club that they, in effect, started.

Club secretary Emma Friel explained a bit more about the new centre, which is open to anyone to rent, and the fact that the club are only looking to cover the costs of running it.

“The whole purpose of the facility for us is providing kids, and everyone in general, with an affordable and safe facility to come to,” Emma told the Derry News.

“A team of volunteers are running the centre and we are in no way looking to make a profit, we just want to cover costs. That was always the thought process behind it when we started, and it will continue to be.”

She continued: “We’re still in the early stages and of course we have a lot of learning to do but here we have a really good centre that we hope will help people of the Greater Shantallow area, and further. Our entire ethos is about making it affordable for people to use, and creating a positive atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable.”

At the CK Centre the main hall is the only purpose built Futsal pitch in Northern Ireland, and is the home of the Foyle Futsal Club who are currently the National Futsal League Champions.

Futsal is a fast pace small sided football game which has a strong emphasis on technical ability, skill, speed of thought and being able to cope with the demands of receiving the ball under intense pressure.

Players typically receive the ball six times more than the 11 aside format of the game, which gives the player more confidence on the ball.The CK Centre also houses the Mickey-Finns Karate and Kick Boxing Academy, which is a well respected Martial Arts training and self-defence, competition and self growth organisation in Derry.

Mickey-Finns has its Karate/kickboxing classes at the CK Centre on a Monday and Thursday with the Kids class from 7:30–8:30 and the Seniors from 8:30–9:30.

For any further information on the CK Sports Centre, please call 02871414210 or contact the ‘CK Sports Centre’ Faceook page.

For any further details on Mickey Finn’s please call 07590 592594 or contact the Academy’s Facebook page.   

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