The world needs more people like Seamus Coleman.
While recovering from that double-leg break, the Republic of Ireland captain took some time out of his schedule to help a young Toffees fan fulfill his dream. Not that he’s only doing this type of thing while on the sidelines, Coleman began his quest to make seven-year-old Daire Flanagan’s dream come true back in March 2016.
Daire was born with Apert Syndrome, a rare genetic condition characterised by the premature fusion of certain skull bones. Once Coleman caught wind of an online fundraising campaign set up to bring Daire and his family over to Goodison Park to see his beloved Everton, he generously donated £5,000 to make the trip possible. In total, the campaign raised £7,220.
As he explained to Everton FC, the purpose of his donation was two-fold – to fund the trip and use his profile as a professional footballer to highlight the cause to the public.
“There’s just some stories touch me more than others, and that just happened to be one.”
“I know they’re trying to raise some money. When footballers get involved and donate money, it raises the publicity of it all. That’s what I done and more people got involved.”
The dream was materialised for Everton’s final home game of the 2016/17 season against Watford. Not only did Coleman provide a lot of the money, but he also welcomed Daire and his family upon arrival.
“Daire’s dream came true really. He’s going to get to the game tonight, which makes me happy and I’m sure makes Daire and his family very happy.”
The FootballJOE quiz: Were you paying attention? – episode 10
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