ONLY A few years ago, it would have been unthinkable. A football team synonymous with the Loyalist tradition fielding a shared eleven with a club whose heartland is considered a bastion of Republicanism.
To appreciate just how much of a breakthrough Linfield and Dundalk co-operating at under-18 level is, one only has to look at the vile sectarian display which accompanied Celtic vs. Rangers at Parkhead last season. As shocking as it was predictable, the violence demonstrated that it s going to take one hell of a hoof to kick bigotry into touch.
While perhaps not quite the first step to an All-Ireland League that s being touted in some quarters, the Dunfield experiment is certainly paving the way for more cross-border co-operation.
You can see how impressive they are as a footballing force on September 19th when they play an exhibition game in Blackhall Place as part of Soccer Against Racism 99.
The winners of the two-day tournament will not only take home a nice shiny cup, but go through to a Streetkick competition which is taking place in Belgium and Holland at the same time as Euro 2000.
The idea is to have teams from 13 different countries participating in a huge anti-racism carnival, explains Soccer Against Racism In Ireland organiser, Frank Buckley. With a place in Europe up for grabs, I imagine that this weekend s tournament will be the most keenly contested yet. It s certainly our biggest, with 39 other teams seeing if they can topple last year s winners, Monto, who are from in and around the Sheriff Street area.
Along with a strong music biz contingent come on you Munchies! there ll be sides representing Angola, Bosnia, Britain, China, Mexico, Somalia, Rwanda and Vietnam.
As soon as he s finished refereeing Liverpool and Leicester, Uriah Renee will be getting on a plane and joining us for the whole of Sunday, Buckley continues. John Rocha and Brendan O Carroll are among our celebrity players, and Brian Kerr will be doing the presentations. None of which would be possible without the generous support of the Dublin Brewery Company and America-Ireland Fund.
Give it 12 months, and who knows, we may be getting a visit from Glasgow Celters.
Soccer Against Racism 99 is being held at Blackhall Place, Dublin 7 (beside Smithfield Square) on September 18th & 19th. The first game on both days starts at 11.00am.