It would be impossible for any of us to put into words the devastation caused when the news broke of the tragic passing of our friend and Director of Football, David Conroy. “Director of Football” was his official title but anyone who knows Laytown Utd FC knows that he was so much more to the club than that title. He was and always will be Mr. Laytown Utd.
No matter what it was that needed to be done, Dave was the man for the job. He was the one we all went to, whether it was for advice or for a dig out, nothing was ever too much trouble. His passion and enthusiasm for football and for our club was infectious and you couldn’t help but be inspired by him.
Officially Dave coached two teams at Laytown Utd, his 1999 team and his 2005 team, but in reality he influenced and inspired hundreds more. Dave had a way of always getting the best out of players, he would push them to be the best that they could be and whether they were playing on his team or not, Dave was the coach that players wanted to impress. One word of approval from Dave made a player feel 10ft tall, and the same went for coaches as he is the one they all strive to emulate.
The out pouring of support over the past few weeks for Dave’s family has been absolutely amazing and the scenes in Laytown for his funeral were unprecedented. It was utterly mind blowing to see the impact that Dave has made on our community and the football community at large. His legacy will live on for a very long time. §
