LAST UPDATE | 22 Feb 2023
THE VALENTIA YOUNG Islanders enjoyed a significant moment over the weekend, when the club fielded a senior team in a competitive fixture for the first time in two years.
They lost their South Kerry league fixture to Sneem/Derrynane but the result is immaterial. The huge crowd who turned out for the game were there to celebrate the club’s reformation after an unfortunate spell of silence.
Valentia is home to the incomparable Kerry legend Mick O’Connell, but like many other GAA clubs around the country, they’ve struggled to survive against rural depopulation.
But now their wheels are in motion again, boasting a senior panel of some 25 players. Some are home based and others are committed to travelling home to keep the club motoring.
One member of the squad is a new resident of the area, who found refuge in the Kingdom after fleeing the war in Ukraine with his wife and children. Originally from Crimea, Shevket Dzaparow and his family have been building their new life here in Ireland since October.
Shevket was out jogging when he first encountered the Young Islanders.
“We live 50 metres away from the pitch,” he begins in conversation with The42, ”And while I was out jogging, I saw them training.
“I played soccer in the Ukraine for a long time. It’s interesting for me, and I read about Gaelic Football on the internet.
“The skills are hard for me, like soloing and punching the ball. Running and finding position on the field is fine because that is the same as soccer. Many things are the same but some things are hard for me. But I am training two months now and I’m getting better.”
Shevket’s efforts were rewarded on Sunday when he made his Valentia debut. It was a special day for his family who were there to watch him play at a time which poignantly coincides with the one-year anniversary since start of the Russian invasion of their home country.
“I got 10 minutes in the second half and I feel proud,” says Shevket. “I’m very glad to play an official game. The next game will be better.
“When I come here, I was looking for something to play because I need it. I went to the gym in Valentia and the lads play indoor football. I joined them and made friends there. A few of them play Gaelic football and when I started to play, I met more people and made more friends.”
Valentia Young Islanders’ chairman Andrew Quigley describes the club’s second coming as a “community effort”. Reflecting on the period which resulted in the club temporarily closing its doors in 2021, he recalls the weekly struggles involved in fielding teams. And when they did disband, they turned to other clubs in South Kerry to rehome their players.
“We just didn’t have enough numbers to field a team. We were going along each week wondering if we had enough to put out a team. It came to a stage where we just couldn’t field teams on a few occasions.
“So, we decided to have a rethink about the situation.
“We sat down and put out a request to other clubs in south Kerry, essentially requesting permission to play for our players and in fairness, we got a very strong response from some of the clubs and we ended up with a number of players going to play for Dromid [Pearses] on a permission to play basis.”
Getting Valentia Young Islanders reinstated into competitive football is of course a huge achievement for the locals, but their revival touches on a global matter too. Shevket has helped their team get back on the pitch, while Valentia GAA has offered him an outlet to continue engaging with sport safely.
“Shevket has come into the community and has integrated easily into it.
”He togged out on Sunday and came on and he’s a lovely man. That’s what the GAA is all about.
“We all have to buy into a plan of how we’re going to manage this going forward with home based players and players travelling each week. We’re going to give it a shot and we’d like to thank the community for getting behind us, and for bringing a great crowd the last day.
”There’s a great sense of pride around.”
Shevket’s family is enjoying their new life in Kerry, and is gradually coming to understand the blas of the Kerry accent. They’re surrounded by a lot of familiar features in their home away from home.
“Of course, I like it. Kerry is very like my home in Crimea. There’s sea and mountains and forest. The people here are very friendly and helpful.”
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