Since Andrew Fitzgerald's death his parents have lobbied the Government for improved safety relating to the use of temporary goalposts.
"Our lives will never be the same. No amount of money will ever compensate us for our loss. But we have some comfort in knowing that we may have played some part in preventing this from ever happening again," Miriam Gallagher-Fitzgerald said outside the court.
In an emotional statement, she said: "This was not a freak accident; it was gross negligence not to have ensured that the target net was properly fastened to the ground and the goalpost anchored securely before the children went on to the field, particularly when it was known that this had happened to many other children."