A MOTHER whose only child was killed when a goalpost fell on him at a summer soccer camp is calling on all insurance companies not to insure sports clubs unless they have safety standard goalposts.
Miriam Gallagher's son Andrew Fitzgerald died two weeks before his 11th birthday when an FAI-approved target net, fixed to a portable goal, was caught in a gust of wind, pulling the goalposts down on top of him.
The 10-year-old had been attending a soccer camp at Holycross Soccer Club, Bruff, Co Limerick, on August 5th, 2004.
Since his death, Andrew's parents Miriam and Pat have been instrumental in the establishment of new goalpost safety regulations.
On Monday the FAI agreed to pay substantial compensation to Ms Gallagher in an undisclosed out-of-court settlement outside the High Court in Limerick. Her husband Pat Fitzgerald has a case pending against the FAI.
His wife sued the FAI, who accepted liability, for the post-traumatic stress disorder she suffered following Andrew's death.
Michael McMahon, SC, for Ms Gallagher, told Mr Justice Kevin O'Higgins the case had been settled with agreed damages.
"The money is immaterial, the reason we took the case was that we wanted them [ the FAI] to take responsibility but we also wanted to have enough pressure on to bring in the new goalpost safety regulations which we have done," explained Ms Gallagher.
"What we're hoping now is that the insurance companies will put pressure on the clubs and say that they are not going to insure them unless they can prove that they have these safety standard goalposts and that they are pinned down," she added.
Ms Gallagher, who was in hospital for all of her pregnancy with Andrew and cannot have any more children, said parents need to know that sports fields are safe places for their children.
"I thought that day when I dropped Andrew off at the summer camp that it was the safest place that he could be," she recalled.
Ms Gallagher said she and her husband are relieved that the FAI has taken responsibility for Andrew's death but said they are disappointed that they have never received any apology.
"They [ the FAI] have never even acknowledged that Andrew died on one of their pitches. They don't want to know at all. They took responsibility for his death and they've admitted that the equipment they used wasn't safety tested and the goalposts weren't pinned down but they haven't acknowledged his death or apologised in any way," she said.
She described the last four years as very difficult and said it took a lot of strength to keep going. "If you have a child in the house you've fallen over gear bags and you've fallen over hurleys and you have noise everywhere and constantly friends over and music blaring around the place. Then suddenly it's silent and there's nothing to do and it does take an amount of strength to keep going but we did it for Andrew's memory," she said.
"God forbid if another child did die I want to be able to look in the mirror and say, Miriam, you did what you could," she added.