At the inaugural Ballymena Credit Union Young People’s Awards held recently in the Adair Arms Hotel, Zach Duddy who plays for the local club, Carniny Amateur & Youth Football Club under 14 team was a finalist and the winner in the ‘Courage Category’ of the awards.

Zach was absolutely delighted to receive this award and the Carniny Club Secretary, Mr Billy O’Flaherty MBE, who nominated Zach for the award said, “Zach Duddy is a boy who is in year 9 at Cambridge House Grammar School At 19 months old he was diagnosed with sensory neural severe to profound hearing loss. At this stage in his life, his parents were unsure as to how he would progress and had many unanswered questions, such as, would he speak? Would he attend 'normal' school?

He currently wears 2 hearing aids and has overcome obstacles throughout his life to do extremely well. ln situations with background noise he uses other techniques to hear.

On the football pitch he doesn't hear but, uses his sight and watches intently to learn and absorb everything. He is an amazing young man”. Billy went on to say, “he will practise what he learns in his own time to ensure he is keeping up. He adapts around his peers in situations so that he feels the same as others. He doesn't complain about his disability but just gets on with it' The coaching team at Carniny use gestures to alert him when he is on the pitch and have fully supported him throughout his time at the club and have watched him develop really well. Zach thoroughly enjoys playing football as well as other sports and doesn't let his deafness affect his ability to do what he wants. He is ably surrounded by caring parents, family members and committed coaching staff”.

Zach’s parents, Robert and Sandra Duddy were so proud of Zach when he won the award and said that “Zach really enjoys playing soccer for Carniny Amateur & Youth FC and he copes really well with his disability especially when he is close to being profoundly deaf. His team mates and the managers at Carniny are just great with Zach and treat him so well. It was really nice for Zach to be recognised in this way”.

David Hanna, who is the Under 14 team Manager and coach, commented saying, “that as a team we have worked out strategies and systems of how we communicate with Zach when he is both training and playing for our team. Personally, it gives me tremendous pleasure to see Zach playing each week and enjoying himself. He has great enthusiasm for the game. He is certainly a superb player for our team, he is a focused young man and is a very deserving winner of this award.

Mr Paul Patton, Chief Executive of the Ballymena Branch of the Credit Union offered his congratulations to all of the finalists and winners and spoke of Zach Duddy, saying that, “this young man is worthy of our recognition and a deserved winner. He really seems to enjoy his sport and playing as part of a team and he has really shown great courage and commitment to set aside his disability and take part and participate”.

He further commented, saying, “All of our young people, from the Ballymena area who were selected as finalists and winners have to be commended and the strength of our awards is testimony to the often unseen, voluntary hours of work our young people give back to our community on a regular basis”.