Search
23 Oct 2025
Search
23 Oct 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Derek Rutherford celebrated his participation in the first ever Transplant World Cup football tournament in Italy. He is pictured with young fans at the homecoming at St Matthew's NS in Ballymahon
The 2024 Longford Leader Sports Star Awards, in association with Longford Sports Partnership, will be presented at a gala presentation function in the Longford Arms Hotel this Saturday night, November 30 at 8pm.
SPORTS ABILITY AWARD - DEREK RUTHERFORD, TRANSPLANT SOCCER
Lanesboro man Derek Rutherford starred as goalkeeper on the Irish team that competed at the 1st Transplant Football World Cup in Cervia, Italy during September of this year.
The Irish team finished sixth at the historic event and hundreds of people gathered in Ballymahon to welcome home Derek, the father of four, who works at St Matthew's National School as a special needs assistant.
Ireland defeated Romania, USA and Wales during the tournament and they were beaten narrowly by France and England before exiting after a penalty shootout loss to Italy.
Derek, who had a liver transplant in 2022, has always been a very active athlete and himself and his wife Ronie (Masterson) have completed many endurance races through their involvement with Lanesboro Triathlon Club.
Since his transplant, 43-year-old Derek linked up with the Ireland Transplant Football team where he is playing a leading role.
In his younger days he used to play in goals for Derry City and at a club in England for a while. Derek’s involvement with the Transplant Football team was his first time to return as a net minder in over 20 years.
Prior to his Italian World Cup adventure, he received expert tuition in the Darren Randolph goal keeping academy in Dublin. The Irish team also trained in Kilkenny and despite the many miles involved, Derek’s dedication is unstinting.
The team also fundraised to cover their flights, accommodation and facilities at the World Cup.
On the homecoming, Derek remarked, "It was a dream come true, to come back and see what the school and community had put on for me, it was so lovely and an absolute fairytale.”
He describes the bond between the Ireland Transplant panel, who all faced adversity in their lives as 'unbreakable' and they are targeting further success in the 2025 Transplant World Championships.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
