Mayo school kids will be mascots tonight at Europa League Final in Dublin

What a day for the Mayo kids from Culleens National School in Ballina as eleven of their pupils will line up with the two teams participating in the UEFA Europa League Final in Dublin tonight.

The other eleven young people from the Sport Against Racism Ireland project in Dublin. Match mascots will be cheered on by their parents and chaperones, who will join an expected crowd of over 50,000 at Aviva Park for the final.

The UEFA Foundation and Rio Ferdinand Foundation have collaborated to give young people across Ireland a match-winning opportunity at the upcoming Europa League final in Dublin on Wednesday, 22 May.

It is in recognition of the work the UEFA Foundation for Children has done in Ireland, twenty-two young people from partnership programmes will have the honour of walking out of the tunnel alongside the players of Italian team Atlanta and German club Bayer Leverkusen at Aviva Stadium Dublin, just before kick-off at 8pm. 

The opportunity follows the Rio Ferdinand Foundation partnership with the UEFA Foundation for Children in Connacht and Ulster over the last 4 years, and comes hot on the heels of Rio Ferdinand’s visit to Ballina Town Football Club in March. 

Sinead Caffrey, Principal of Culleens National School Ballina said: "It’s not every day that a school can say they have pupils representing them on an international sporting stage and excitement around Culleens NS is at fever pitch! Our mascots have been spending the week researching the teams and their players…they even know who the referee will be!"

The staff and pupils of Culleens are bursting with pride and cannot wait to see the boys and girls from our own school on the television screen on Wednesday night.

For more information on the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, visit www.rioferdinandfoundation.com