The 102-year-old kitman who left his mark on the World Cup
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Charlie O'Leary was the Republic of Ireland kitman, but his influence extends to football across the island.
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International sports competition where competitors represent their nation
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is the FIFA World Cup for association football, which dates back...
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The 102-year-old kitman who left his mark on the World Cup 8 hours ago Share Save Luke Sproule BBC News NI Share Save When it comes to football on the island of Ireland, there isn't much 102-year-old Charlie O'Leary has not seen or done. From serving as the Republic of Ireland's kitman at two World Cups and a European Championship, to refereeing behind the Iron Curtain, the Dubliner has an almost legendary status. What is not as well known is his involvement in founding the "street leagues", which helped hone the skills of some of the best players in the history of both the Republic and Northern Ireland. Now his story is the focus of a new film which will premiere at the Dublin International Film Festival on Tuesday. As the Republic's kitman, O'Leary was part of the national team setup during its golden era, when Ireland defeated England in Stuttgart at Euro '88 and famously stunned Italy in New York at World Cup '94. But his influence stretches to some other iconic moments thanks to the street leagues, which he founded in East Wall in Dublin in 1945. Charlie suggested to the local priest the idea of using the parish church's juvenile sodality - a religious group for young parishioners - as the basis for a football league. The sodality was organised on the basis of the local streets - and so the street leagues were born. "Schoolboy football hadn't been organised and there was nowhere for a young boy around 14 if he wanted to play football," Charlie said. "At least this gave those kids at that age a chance of representing those roads in football and getting them interested. "So we formed the leagues and they really cottoned on." So much so that by the 1950s the leagues had spread across Dublin and then to cities across the island, including Belfast. The leagues first took root in east Belfast, where people associated with the Harland and Wolff shipyard were among the first to compete. They began to feature young men who would go on to achieve sporting greatness. In t...
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