Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane attend SPAR Guild at the Aviva!

Rep of Ireland football manager Martin O’Neill and his assistant Roy Keane were at the SPAR National Retailer Guild at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, attended by over 400 SPAR retailers from across the country. SPAR and the FAI have forged strong links through working together on the SPAR FAI Primary School 5s Programme, which has been in place since 2015, and has seen participation figures grow year on year by 24% to become the largest primary schools competition in the country. Speaking about the importance of nurturing talent early in life, Martin O’Neill said: “In terms of numbers participating in the SPAR FAI Primary Schools Programme, there are going to be a couple of people coming through who may have the potential to represent their country later on. There is great camaraderie and enjoyment and you never know what could come out of participation.” Speaking about the merits of being involved in the SPAR FAI Primary 5s, Roy Keane said: “There are huge benefits for any child playing sport. My own kids play lots of sports and it helps with fitness levels, your diet, your self-esteem and being part of a team. It’s fantastic to hear that 24,000 kids were involved and hopefully more than that will get involved this year.” The closing date for schools to enter this year’s SPAR FAI Primary 5s Programme is 17th February. Log ontohttp://www.fai.ie/primary5 to register your School. Also pictured is Leo Crawford, Group Chief Executive, BWG Group (owners and operators of the SPAR brand in Ireland), with, from left, Kian Gleeson, age 11, Abbie Tucker, age 12, Aoife Farrell, age 11, and Conor Shanahan, age 11, from St. Bernadette’s SNS, Quarryvale, Clondalkin