A tenth anniversary mass in honour of Dr. Tony O'Neill, UCD's former Director of Sport, was held in Belfield Church on Sunday last. The service was followed by a tree planting ceremony in the UCD Bowl. Guest of honour was Dr. O'Neill's sister Marjorie who was joined on the day by John Coman, UCD's Corporate and Legal Affairs Secretary, Dr. Padraig Conway, Vice President for Communications and many other former friends and colleagues of Dr. O'Neill. 

A few days previously the FAI also marked Dr. O'Neill's anniversary with a reception and tree planting ceremony at it's headquarters in Abbotstown. 

The success of Sport in UCD in terms of the number of participants, the range of activities and competitive achievement, is due to many people, but the person who lay the foundations for this success is the late Dr. Tony O'Neill.  The "Doc" as he was affectionately known, was the first Director of Sport in UCD and indeed the first Director of Sport in any Irish University.  Before taking up his appointment he was General Secretary of the Football Association of Ireland and was a highly respected UEFA official.  Although soccer may have been his favoured sport, he had a deep passion for all sport and ensuring that all student sporting interests and abilities were catered for at UCD. During his time in UCD he secured better facilities and funding for UCD clubs, he introduced the sports scholarships scheme, the employment of sports development officers and was instrumental in increasing the participation figures in sport. 

His premature death 10 years ago was not just a loss to UCD sport but to national and international sport.  In order to secure his legacy  the UCD Soccer Club has established a Trust in Tony's name, (The Dr. Tony O'Neill Soccer Scholarship Trust), which will operate independently of the day to day running of the club.

The principal aim of the Trust is to raise ¤250,000 over the next three years with a target of ¤100,000 for the first year. It is hoped that  investment in the Trust will secure the future of the Soccer Scholarship Programme for the next ten years. Thereby perpetuating, in a meaningful way, the Doc's visionary scheme of combining a third level education with access to the best facilities and a chance to play at the highest level in this country.