Northern Ireland v Slovakia

I WISH I HAD A PERSONAL ALLOCATION OF TICKETS! So why do you do it? It’s a question that I’ve been asked by many others and one which I have also asked myself on occasion.

Like thousands of other very passionate and totally dedicated Northern Ireland fans I’m watching the match tonight from the comfort of my sofa. Like all the others who can’t be there I’m totally gutted to be absent - as you would expect - but I accept it. A win and qualification for a second successive Euros would go a considerable way to easing the personal disappointment of missing the match. It’s interesting how you can be perceived by other people, or rather what benefits they believe the role of AONISC chairman brings. On the afternoon of the Euro 2016 home qualifier against Hungary, when we were within touching distance of France, I was stopped outside the former Irish FA headquarters at Windsor Avenue by a well-known public figure who had made an unsuccessful visit to try and get a ticket for the match, which was sold out. The person asked if I had any tickets left from my “personal allocation of tickets”. I told them that my allocation totalled one ticket as a Campaign Card holder like everyone else - and had to be paid for! So why do I do it? Well, volunteering is something that I’ve always been passionate about: trying to help others, hoping to make a positive contribution to a situation, trying to solve problems and generally trying to do a bit of good. I’ve been fortunate to be involved with the Amalgamation as a member since the organisation was formed more than 20 years ago. I was elected on to the committee in 2005 before eventually becoming the chairman in 2010. To be able to volunteer almost every day in life (I once received an email with a question about tickets on Christmas Day!) helping Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs and individual fans is the privilege of the role. Genuinely.

I think back to my days as a schoolboy in Glengormley, walking to Mallusk Playing Fields after school (and sometimes before it had finished for the day – don’t do it kids!) hoping to get there before the Northern Ireland training session ended. The excitement of seeing players like Kingsley Black, Robbie Dennison and Colin Clarke was a highlight during otherwise unremarkable teenage years. I realise that there are so many others out there who feel the same way about the team and for that reason I put as much time and effort as possible into doing what the Amalgamation does. Apart from actually going to the matches, the best part of all is meeting other supporters and making friends, not only across the country but with those who have made a life for themselves elsewhere. And also meeting honorary Ulstermen like Dan Pettigrew. An American from Pennsylvania, with family from Groomsport, Dan turned up in the Faroe Islands to support the Green and White Army! 2020 has been a year that many of us will want to put behind us. Let’s hope that tonight is the kick- start that we all need, giving us something to look forward to next June. I believe! Gary McAllister Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters’ Clubs

FOLLOW US AT @WGMac TheAmalgamation www.aonisc.co.uk

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