BEARA United had just 27 club members in 2020. Six years later, that number has grown to more than 250.

That impressive rise was recognised when Beara were recently named the 2025 West Cork Schoolboys and Schoolgirls League (WCSSL) Club of the Year.

‘It’s something we weren’t expecting,’ club chairperson Michael John Hanley told The Southern Star.

‘It’s not that we’re winning games as such or having success on the pitch. The club is doing everything right – that’s what we’re being recognised for. Coaching, vetting, training. We’re just doing what we should be doing.’

Beara currently field teams across every age group, competing from U8 up to U15. The club runs two teams at both U8 and U10 levels, as well as four underage girls’ teams.

It marks significant progress for soccer in an area with a relatively small population, but the work does not stop after one award.

‘Our main goal is to keep growing and keep competing,’ Hanley explained.

‘Underage soccer is very inclusive. Regardless of ability, you are going to get match time. That’s hugely important for kids. We have a lot of national schools in our area and when the children go to secondary school, they go with friends they made through the soccer club. That’s huge too.

‘The rise in numbers we’ve had is massive growth. West Cork is more GAA country but around here all the kids are mad into soccer. They all have their Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona or Real Madrid jerseys. It’s great to see. Any outdoor sport is good.’

Some of the club’s underage players even appeared on RTÉ’s Total Football back in May, giving the club further recognition for its steady development.

‘A few players went up to Dublin – it was a great experience for them. It was also good recognition for the club and all the hard work everyone is putting in.

‘Every parent who buys their kids shin guards or drops them to training plays a part. Success wouldn’t happen without that,’ the chairperson added.

The club’s adult teams are also benefiting from the strong underage structure. The men’s team are near the top of the Championship table and firmly in contention for promotion, with recent West Cork League victories including a 7-0 win against Skibbereen Celtic and a 6-1 success over Bay Rovers.

‘In the junior men’s team we now have lads who started five years ago at U10 or U11. They are now 16 and 17-year-olds playing at adult level.

‘We’d be hoping the young lads there now will progress up through the teams – even into the Masters if they stick around long enough. The growth has been phenomenal. We never envisaged it. Going from fewer than 30 members to 250 is mind-boggling,’ Hanley said.

The women’s side is also progressing well. Beara United are currently competing in the Premier Division play-offs, another sign of how the club is developing across all levels.

‘The U12 girls had success in the Shield last year. We are very proud of our girls and our women’s team. We weren’t even there a couple of years ago. Now we’re competitive,’ Hanley said as Beara United continue to reap the rewards of their underage set-up.