It’s coming up to nearly a year since John Small hung up his boots with the Dublin Senior team, but life for the sports star hasn’t slowed down. John made his debut for the Dublin team in 2015 in the Leinster championship against Longford. Later that season, he would come on in the All-Ireland final with Kerry. John has had huge success over the years with seven All-Ireland medals under his belt, describing his time with the Dubs as ‘the best days of his life.’
However, the last few months have allowed him to dedicate more time to his family, especially his son, Charlie. This year, John has jumped on board with Electric Ireland for the GAA All-Ireland Minor Championships. A chance to show those how playing Minor can have a major impact on their future success on and off the pitch. A valuable lesson for budding sports stars, this is something that the centre-back is trying to instil in his son, Charlie, who, according to John, is already on
the field, giving it his all. Chatting to EVOKE, he said: ‘He’s doing the academy in Ballymun Kickhams. I bring him up, I watch him, but I don’t meddle or interfere. He seems capable, but I’m not gonna say as I don’t know what he’s going to be, as long as he’s enjoying it.’ With a busy training schedule with the senior team, John, at the time, wasn’t able to do the ‘little things’ that other parents do, with his partner Jade in the driving
seat while he was away; something he will always be grateful for. John said: ‘She’s very supportive. She would have had to carry a lot of the burden, but she always would have pushed me to keep going and training. ‘There were never any issues between us on it because she knew it was important to me, and because it was important to me, it was important to her, [she’s] so very supportive.’ While John still plays with his local club, he is taking full
advantage of his free time. He said: ‘[Charlie’s] doing football now and all other sports. I’m getting to bring him to them, getting to watch him play, bringing him out to do more things, just because I’m [not] as tied down with time restraints as much, and that’s pretty special. The odd day I get to go down and collect him from school and all those different things and spend the afternoon with him, and it’s a kind of special kind of thing.’ Heading off
to Spain in September, there is one important event for father and son to participate in. With the Dubs taking on Galway in the coming days, both boys will be in blue. Asking John whether or not this will be Dublin’s year, he said: ‘If they can get over the hurdle of Galway. ‘I think they’ve a really good chance, I think Kerry looks the clear favourites. It’d be hard to beat them, but I wouldn’t put it past Dublin to be able to do
it.
John Small, Dublin Senior, Charlie, Ballymun Kickhams, Electric Ireland, GAA All-Ireland Minor Championships, Spain, Galway, Kerry, Leinster championship, Longford