THE DUST HAS barely settled on Ireland’s qualification for next summer’s European Championships in France – but now is the time to start thinking about how you’re going to get there.
It’s only the fifth time our national team has qualified for a major international event, and the experience of travelling with the green army is a spectacular one.
But how do you go about financing such a venture, assuming you don’t have a pile of cash to hand?
You could do worse than asking at the credit union. Lots of other people have it seems after all.
You might expect that a loan for such a (relatively) frivolous pursuit might be hard to come by, and that might well be the case with the larger banks. But the community credit movement is another kettle of fish.
“The credit unions have always had a good relationship with Irish fans over the years who want to travel to tournaments,” a spokeswoman for the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) told TheJournal.ie this afternoon.
It is very likely that credit unions in local communities around the country will see an increase in loan inquiries and applications as Irish fans plan ahead for the trip coming up to next June.
She was quick to assert that any trip has to be well thought out however if a union is to get involved.
“If you want to go you’ll have to sit down and look at the full cost of travel, accommodation, and food and start saving now. You’ll need an emergency fund also.”
If you have savings in place, and if you start now you’ll have a lump sum available for next year, it’s more likely you will get the loan.
One thing is certain, you would have to be a member of the credit union in advance, so joining up soon would be advisable.
“It will vary by locality,” the spokeswoman told us. “So you should check with your local CU and see what might be on offer. The sooner the better.”
We couldn’t confirm how long you would have to be a member in order to apply for such a loan as it seems the length of expected membership will also vary. The longer the better seems to be the general gist.
“These situations mean getting more people in the door – we’re delighted if people want to come in and talk to us,” the spokeswoman said.
The whole situation is great for everyone in the country, something we can all really get behind. We want to play our part too.
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Roll on 14 December everyone.
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