Fundraiser for Maryland player forced to give up football

IN February of this year, Maryland's Aidan Reynolds competed for possession in a somewhat meaningless challenge match against Clann na nGael. It seemed a straightforward challenge for the ball, and when the 31-year-old collided accidentally with an opponent, who appeared to land on his left knee, the potential for damage to Reynolds' leg still appeared minimal. However, such is the often cruel nature of sport, it turned out that Aidan had dislocated his knee, subsequently leading to permanent damage to his left foot. In order to help ease the financial burden Aidan's injury has caused the Maryland club, a fundraising 5k-run will be held at Drumraney Community Centre on Sunday, September 2 (registration at 11am). Aidan said the club has been a tremendous support to him throughout the last number of months. "Unfortunately, the injury turned out to be very bad," Aidan said. "It led to what is known as 'Foot Drop', which basically means I no longer have the power or ability to lift my left foot. I've had to change my car and a few other things, and unfortunately I can no longer compete in any sport. I've played for Maryland for 14 years, and Maryland/Tang's underage teams before that, so it's disappointing, but there's far worse things out there," Aidan said. 'Foot Drop' is the dropping of the forefoot due to weakness, damage to the peroneal nerve, or paralysis of the muscles in the anterior portion of the lower leg, and as in Aidan's case, is usually a symptom of a greater problem. "Maryland GAA Club have been great to me since the injury, and have covered everything, so the 5k run was an idea to help the club in some way. The reaction has been good, particularly on Facebook, and people seem very interested to take part. Hopefully, a good number of people will show-up because Maryland deserves a lot of credit and support for everything they've done for me since the injury," said Aidan, who will be among the Maryland support as they play Castledaly in Sunday's Westmeath SFC quarter-finals at Cusack Park. Aidan joked: "I've had plenty of practice watching matches over the years, as I was never a guaranteed starter for Maryland. But I suppose you miss the actual involvement of getting into the dressing-room, warming-up, and knowing exactly what's going on the camp before and during a game. I'll be there on Sunday supporting the lads and hopefully they'll get a good result, and then we can look forward to the 5k fundraiser." Aidan was a member of the Maryland panel that won both the Westmeath IFC and RTE's Celebrity Bainisteoir series in 2008. he is thankful to everyone who has helped with the organisation of the run, and to Maryland GAA for covering all his medical expenses since the injury. Anyone interested in taking part in the 5k run should turn-up at Drumraney Community Centre for the 11am registration. The run begins at 12.30pm, and entry-fee is €10.