SPAR Ireland’s FAI Primary School 5s Programme was officially launched on Monday, 14 January. The fun five-a-side football programme has gone from strength to strength with more than 30,000 primary school students expected to take part this year.

The nationwide programme, open to boys and girls aged 8-12, is the largest of its kind in the country. A firm emphasis is placed on fun, inclusivity and fostering a passion for physical activity.

Registration for the programme closes on 15 February and the five-a-side county blitzes will kick off at the end of February. The winning schools will progress from county level to regional then provincial finals, with the best four schools in each category making it all the way to the National Finals, which will be held on the pristine pitch of Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on 29 May.

The SPAR FAI Primary School 5s Programme is an initiative organised by the Football Association of Ireland Schools (FAI Schools). SPAR recently renewed its support of the FAI and the SPAR5s programme until 2021, support which has been in place since 2015 and has seen participation figures grow year on year to become the largest primary school’s competition in the country.

The number of schools signing up for the participation programme has jumped from 1,064 in 2015 to 1, 528 last year, benefitting thousands more children in the form of encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle.

This year’s FAI Primary School 5s Programme was officially launched by former Republic of Ireland International, Keith Andrews, and current Republic of Ireland Women’s International, Megan Campbell.

Registration for the SPAR FAI Primary School 5s Programme is open until 15 February at: www.fai.ie/primary5

Take a look at some of the launch day fun.

Source: SPAR Ireland

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About SPAR Ireland

SPAR Ireland was established in 1963 and is operated by leading wholesale and retail company, BWG Foods. In 2014, 80% of the shares of BWG were sold to SPAR South Africa, with the remainder held by the original owners.

With a presence in every county across the Republic of Ireland, SPAR is one of the country’s largest convenience retail groups. In developing the business, SPAR Ireland has a long track record of recognising the strategic importance of introducing new retail formats. It operates three of the four SPAR formats: SPAR, EUROSPAR and SPAR Express, bringing consumers the most innovative products and instore offerings.