Who are we?
Tummery Athletic FC is a voluntary-led rural, community-based football club in Dromore County Tyrone. Our Club caters for adults and young people across a 30-mile radius that covers not only Dromore, but also Fintona, Omagh, Trillick and parts of Fermanagh.
We are the only football club within a reasonable commute, providing regular weekly soccer activities.
We have 2 adult teams and 17 youth teams for both boys and girls, catering for children aged 6 and upwards. Through inclusive and comprehensive football development programmes for all ages, we aim to foster development, teamwork, and community spirit.
The Club provides regular football and physical activity opportunities for those living within our rural catchment, through coaching sessions as well as competitive matches throughout the year.
We provide opportunities that improve opportunities in sport for better physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. The Club worked hard to develop local facilities, for example our Crawfords Lane base in Dromore has seen major transformation over recent years, with developments putting us in a great position now to cater for more groups such as developing further our female sections in the Club.
A major aim of the Club moving forward is to grow the girls sections of our Club. With improved facilities, we are well placed now to really focus on improving opportunities for more girls to play football here in Dromore and our surrounding communities.
Why are we crowdfunding?
We are excited to launch this Crowdfunding Campaign to "level the playing field" for girls to play football within our Club, and to encourage more of our female volunteers to take on coaching roles within our Club.
With your support, we can significantly impact our rural community here in Dromore and surrounding communities, inspiring more girls to participate in football going forward!
This autumn and winter, we’re launching this new programme targeted at girls aged 9 to 15. Any money raised will be used to engage girls new to football, so that we can grow our current female section within our Club next season.
Crowdfunding will allow us to deliver 16 weeks of girls football introductory programmes for example, 2 hours per week commencing in November as soon as our Crowdfunder raises enough funds.
Your donation will directly support over 40 girls to get involved in football for the first time.
The 16 weeks will involve 2 hours per week of quality coaching in learning the basic skills of football, having fun, meeting new friends and working on agility, balance and coordination.
Ultimately, we want this to lead to the development of more underage girls' teams within our Club here at Tummery Athletic FC.
As noted, the Club has worked hard to develop our facilities in recent years, for example our Crawfords Lane base in Dromore has seen major transformation. We are now well equipped and in a great position to cater for more groups and in particular, our female sections in the Club.
Crowdfunding will also be used to upskill our female volunteers with appropriate coaching qualifications so they can lead the development of girls' football in our community going forward.
To make this happen, we need your support through our crowdfunding campaign. Your donations will help us cover the costs of project-specific equipment (that will also act as the project legacy because it will be used by our female coaches and teams long after the initial programme has concluded), IFA Coach Education, Position-Specific Training (Girls Goalkeeper Academy, and Girls Striker Academy), Well-Being through sport Workshops, purchasing girls' kits for a new girls team that will be created thanks to your donations., and promotional costs to ensure the programme reaches far and wide.
Every little bit helps, and the good news is that Sport NI will match every pound raised up to a maximum of £5,000!
Your support will have a huge impact on our community here in Dromore (and surrounding rural communities that our Club caters to), getting more girls active and into football!
Together, we can LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD, through this NEW, exciting football programme.
How we’ll spend the money raised
Our target is to raise £10,000. Donations will help us cover the costs of the following:
£2,500 to purchase high-quality sports equipment tailored to the needs of U11, U13, and U15 girls. This includes 5 x multi sport coaching packs (each pack including balls, cones, training bibs, mini hurdles) and also 6x4 Fold ups and 1 x 12x6 Aluminium Goals. The equipment will be used across all sessions to ensure a consistent and professional training environment ensuring girls have the best opportunities to progress in our sport.
As noted already; this equipment will also act as the project legacy because it will be used by our female coaches and teams long after the initial programme has concluded- For example the volunteers who will aquire coaching awards because of this Crowdfunder, and also the new girls team that will be created.
£2,500 will go towards our volunteer coach education programme for 4 female volunteers, who will acquire the Irish FA National Coaching Certificate and C-Licence x 1. Also, our female coaches will attend a workshop on coaching young girls in football.
£2,000 will go towards Position-Specific Training for Girls (4 x Goalkeeper Academy, 4 x Striker Academy). This specialised coaching sessions for goalkeepers and strikers to hone position-specific skills. These academies will be run by expert coaches is a unique and innovative aspect of our project. It will provide targeted training to develop technical abilities, tactical understanding, and confidence in these crucial positions.
£1,000 will be assigned to delivering 3 x female in sport wellbeing workshops. These workshops will be focused on holistic well-being for females in sport, including nutrition, breathwork, and team building. These workshops will educate participants on the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, both on and off the field, and will foster strong, supportive team dynamics.
£1,000 will be used to purchase new home and away kits for our new girls teams, as well as a girls club tracksuit (which we dont have currently). The ensures that our girls teams feel valued within the club, are equal to our boys teams and that they all feel as part of 1 Club- Tummery Athletic FC!
£500 will cover costs associated with marketing the programme (online and print media locally).
£500 towards indoor venue hire for 12.5 hours of the programme.
Community impact
Our crowdfunding campaign is about much more than just growing our football programme at Tummery Athletic FC – it's about making a lasting impact on the entire rural communities in which the girls will come from. By focusing on girls aged 9 to 15, we are addressing a critical need for greater inclusivity and opportunities for young girls in sport, especially in rural areas like ours.
This aligns directly with the objectives of the Sport NI "Creating Opportunities" programme, which aims to level the playing field for underrepresented groups, including women and girls. We say this, because we can avail of an additional £5,000 from Sport NI from every £1 donated!
Through this initiative, we will:
Empower Girls through Sport: By providing a welcoming environment for over 40 girls to experience football for the first time, this programme will empower them with new skills, self-confidence, and a sense of belonging. Sport NI’s focus on increasing female participation in sport is at the heart of our efforts to give these girls the opportunity to shine on and off the pitch. Girls are more likely than boys to drop out of sports during adolescence due to confidence issues and a lack of support (Women's Sports Foundation, 2008)
Create Pathways for Female Leadership: With a strong emphasis on encouraging our female volunteers to take on coaching roles, this programme will not only help more girls play football but also inspire and develop the next generation of female leaders within our community here in Dromore. This supports Sport NI’s goal of fostering inclusivity and leadership opportunities for those traditionally excluded from roles such as coaching and club leadership.
Enhance Social and Community Connections: By bridging gaps between different rural communities in and around Dromore, this programme will foster social cohesion. Girls from various backgrounds will come together, forming friendships and networks that extend beyond sport. This echoes the Creating Opportunities objective of using sport to connect communities and create lasting positive social impact.
Improve Physical and Mental Well-Being: By delivering 16 weeks of high-quality football training, as well as well-being workshops, we are actively contributing to the physical health and mental well-being of the girls involved. The programme emphasizes agility, balance, coordination, and most importantly, having fun. These are key outcomes Sport NI seeks to achieve through its funding by promoting active and healthy lifestyles.
Develop Sustainable Female Football: With the funds raised, we will purchase project-specific equipment and kits, upskill our female volunteers through IFA coaching qualifications, and deliver specialized goalkeeper and striker academies for girls. These efforts will have a lasting legacy within Tummery Athletic FC, ensuring that our female football programme continues to grow and flourish long after this initial phase.
Strengthen Rural Communities: Our club serves not only Dromore but the surrounding rural communities of Fintona, Trillick, towards Omagh and parts of Fermanagh near to us. This programme will inspire participation, strengthen ties, and offer valuable sporting opportunities where they are often limited. As part of Sport NI’s target to support rural areas, this programme will have a significant, long-lasting impact in creating a more connected and active community.
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!
In conclusion, our crowdfunding campaign is about levelling the playing field for girls in football, creating long-term opportunities for leadership, fostering well-being, and connecting our rural community through sport.
With your support, we can bring the objectives of Sport NI’s Creating Opportunities programme to life, making a lasting impact on both the young girls who participate and the wider community.