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Sports Awards
On Friday 26 June the Annual Sports Awards Assembly took place. Dr. Haugh introduced the special guest Mr. Steven Carson and thanked him for coming to present the awards. Mr. Carson is a well-known Irish League footballer with Coleraine FC and recently made his debut for the NI Senior International Team.
After the presentation of the awards, Mr. Carson expressed his thanks for the invitation. He said he was delighted to be back in Dunluce, having previously competed in a schoolboy rugby tournament here some twelve years ago! He explained how as a 16-year-old he left home to sign for Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers, turning down the lure of Manchester United in the process. He then spent three years trying to establish himself in the first team before finally moving on to a number of other clubs. He outlined how sport prepares people for the ups and downs of life and spoke of his belief that hard work and a positive attitude are fundamentals for success.
Following the assembly, Mr. Carson took part in a question and answer session involving 150 senior pupils, which was compered by Mr. Parker. A wide range of questions were asked as pupils sought to find out more about the life of a professional footballer.
Our guest explained his frustration at not being able to establish himself at Glasgow Rangers and outlined his subsequent move to Dundee for a transfer fee of £200,000. He played down the myth of footballers living glamorous lives, explaining that most of the time players lead strict, routine lives. We learned that Mr. Carson had turned down a move to Linfield FC, instead returning to NI to join his boyhood favourites Coleraine FC. Despite his pride in recently winning his first Northern Ireland cap Mr. Carson explained how winning an Irish Cup Semi-Final replay against Donegal Celtic was his most memorable moment in football.
At the end of the session Mr. Parker expressed the sincere thanks of everyone present as Mr. Carson posed for a few more photos with a group of Coleraine fans. We will follow his progress, both domestically and internationally, with special interest in the future.
We just had to get a photo of Steven with our very own international footballer, Lauren Wade!
