Donegal's sixth rugby club, Finn Valley RFC, was officially opened on Wednesday 14th April by Jeremy Davidson, current Ulster Assistant Coach and former Irish and Lions second row

Davidson unveiled a special plaque that will in years to come take centre stage at Finn Valley Rugby Club.

The event was also well supported by local rugby clubs Donegal Town, Tir Chonaill and Inishowen as well as representatives from Finn Harps and McCools GAA. Former St Columba's College teacher Aiden O'Shea, who was instrumental in flying the flag for rugby in Finn Valley for over 25 years, was also present at the launch.

The speeches on the night came from Donegal Community Rugby Project Chairman, Graeme Cattermole, Ulster Youth Chairman, Bobby Stewart, Finn Valley RFC Chairman, Gerard Doherty and finally Jeremy Davidson.

Finn Valley RFC has been in operation since November 2009, offering mini rugby to boys and girls aged between 7 and 12 years old. The club is based between St Columba's College, Stranorlar and the Finn Valley Centre and is open to all children in the Finn Valley area. It welcomes any new support from the local community to help drive the development forward.

Congratulations must go to Gerard Doherty and the other club committee members, including Kate Boyle, Damian Mc Glyn, Catherine Mc Menamin, Jonathan Cowan, JC Bonnar, Barry Laverty and Philip Heapes for laying the foundations for rugby to flourish in the Finn Valley. The future currently looks very bright for Rugby in Finn Valley, with some of Donegal's strongest rugby primary and secondary schools in the area.

The club's opening now puts Donegal high up in the rugby ranks with wide spread access to the game now available right across the county. There are currently eighteen secondary schools and six clubs providing rugby in County Donegal. Secondary schools continue to go from strength to strength and a schools' committee has now been established to drive the game forward. To date, the schools' games has developed beyond all expectation and the 300% growth in club players has come about as a result of the strong club and school links that are forming. Once these links are fortified, the success of high schools and clubs in Donegal will soon follow.

The rise in girls' and women's rugby has also been substantial with high numbers of girls playing contact rugby at Under 15 and U18 level in the schools and Under 16 and Under 19 level in the club. This growth has also continued into the seniors with Letterkenny and Ballyshannon starting senior women's teams during this season.

The opening of Finn Valley has been significant in giving Donegal the third highest number of clubs per county in Ulster. With the unrivalled growth of the game, Donegal is sure to become a prominent part of the future of Ulster Rugby.

Click here to see photos from the opening

Finn Valley RFC Officially Opened by Former Ireland and Lions star, Jeremy Davidson

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