Although you might be given to assume that the success of the Inter7s League created the impulse to donate to charitable causes, the aim from the beginning was to spread any potential largesse back into the community where the tournaments take place, supplying charity or club funding, as well as promoting the overall cause of small-side sporting contests as socially beneficial.
The company which organise Inter7s, and other small-leagues, is named Give n Go and it is a Non-Profit company with fundraising at the front and centre. We spoke with Alex Cordero, bar manager of Slattery’s pub on Upper Canal Street, who has been a frequent collaborator with Inter7s director Emmet Switzer. “Well, Emmet Switzer set up the Inter7s Tournament some years ago, for seven-a-side games.
Then the recession hit and he was in danger of losing players. They were mainly architects I think and couldn’t be certain they could take part anymore. At the time, I was looking for something to do in the community, so I asked him if I could advertise for players for the league. And within six months, they went from eight teams to 16.”
Emmet, for his part, explained that, “We didn’t lose a lot of players, or teams, we were at the risk of losing them, so had to look locally at ways to keep numbers up, which is where we met Alex and Slattery’s. “In fact our numbers never decreased because of this local support.” Slattery’s promoted and helped to build the club in the area, as they loved the ethos of giving back, and the style of football.
This marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration between the venue and the league. Alex gave us the general shape of the last few years: “We’ve raised a lot over the last five years. Over €400,000 in the last five years. In 2010 I think January or February, we raised I think about €82,000 for Haiti. Emmet is a fantastic social entrepreneur, I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves.
This high standard of success has led to expanded efforts in the area around Slattery’s, where an agenda of collaboration and fundraising has developed with the support of the local businesses. Over Christmas Slattery’s and ‘beggarsbushd4.com’ raised €12,000 for the Peter McVerry Trust. For more on that see https://www.facebook.com/beggarsbushd4 and of course keep your eyes on https://www.facebook.com/InterSevens .
