An 18-year-old says he has no regrets about taking an unsuccessful civil action against a soccer club claiming he suffered post traumatic stress disorder as a result of his alleged treatment by coaches.
Seán Cooke said the case was taken after a two and a half year spell of consistent bullying by his former club, an allegation denied by officials at Carrigaline United and ultimately dismissed by a judge.
In a statement, Seán Cooke said it was difficult to leave Carrigaline United, a club he had “played for and loved since the age of six.” He said he had a general concern about the bullying of teenagers, which had “become such a regular occurrence in this day and age”.
“Whatever the outcome was I am extremely glad we took a stand and we are hoping it will open eyes to other coaches and parents about how serious bullying is,” he said. “ I am very proud of my parents for taking the stand for me and sticking up for what was the right thing to do. This case had nothing to do with not getting a game. We as a family strongly hope that this case can grab the attention of kids and parents on how serious bullying can be if not dealt with.”
Mismanaged
At Cork Circuit Court on Thursday Judge Seán Ó Donnabhain dismissed the case saying that he could not find for the plaintiff on the claim that he was mismanaged or bullied when he was between 13 and 14.
In his evidence, Seán Cooke said he was a good player who aspired to play professionally in England. However, he claimed he was not given the chance to display his skills to talent scouts after allegedly being dropped from the team.
Mr Cooke's father, Declan, told the Neil Prendeville Show on Cork's Red FM that the case was not about his son not getting a game. He said he would take the case again in spite of the unsuccessful outcome.
“We never took this case because a 13-year-old wasn’t getting a game. Absolutely not,” he said. “Unfortunately the papers are all honing in on one thing - that we took the case because Seán never got a game. And it couldn’t be so far away from the truth. Not every player is entitled to play at the start of every game. I know what it is like to be involved in soccer and leaving out players. I am a coach myself.”
Tumult
Declan Cooke said the family experienced a tumultuous period after Seán left Carrigaline United. "He (Sean) was upstairs, he locked himself into his room and broke his phone. This sort of behaviour went on for over 12 months."
He claimed the family took the case because Seán was jeered and taunted by individuals at Carrigaline United, an allegation denied by the club and dismissed by the judge.
Declan Cooke said his son was “ after getting about a thousand friend requests on all social media” following the case. He is currently doing his Leaving Certificate and continues to play football. Declan Cooke says he is still hopeful that his son will have a career in in the game.
“Is he ever going to get the opportunities that he had back then? Absolutely not. But you just hope that something may happen.”