On Sunday Real Betis will support the Patrick O'Connell Memorial Fund
Sunday's match against Real Racing Club will be dedicated to the Patrick O'Connell Memorial Fund, an initiative to honour the coach of the league champion Betis. The Patrick O'Connell Memorial Fund is a project run by passionate football fans in Ireland, the UK and Spain in an attempt to revindicate the figure of Don Patricio as a key figure in our sport. Alongside this historic rescue, the POCMF intend to erect a memorial on Mr. O´Connell's unnamed tomb in the Catholic cemetery in St. Pancras London, in addition to a statue in another of his footballing cities, Belfast. The POCMF football activities to raise money have been held in Dublin and Belfast, and now reach Seville and will continue in other cities linked to Don Patricio, coinciding with the centenary of his United captaincy which is to be held in 2015 in Manchester.
Real Betis has been part of POCMF since they first made contact and we worked with the Fund last summer in the match played against Sunderland, with the presence of Rafael Gordillo and several members of the Board. Real Betis has chosen this game because they are to play another O'Connell team, Real Racing Club, with which also became champions in 1935. Real Betis has dedicated the match poster to Don Patricio. A poster for collectors with a picture of an O'Connell training session and another of the complete team of '35, posing with the trophy. Also, on the eve of the match, Real Betis will present the Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland in Spain, Mr. David Cooney, and members of the POCMF a commemorative shirt which will be auctioned along with other items from the Club. The video scoreboard at the stadium will pay tribute to the figure of the coach from Dublin.
Also, the Fund will set up a table outside the Stadium to raise funds for the cause. In the afternoon, the POCMF will hold a party at the Irish pub Merchant in Canalejas street, in which part of the shirts donated by clubs and historic players to the Fund will be auctioned for the cause. Access to the pub will be by invitation only.