GAA Handball does not get the coverage of it’s fellow gaelic sports of Football, Hurling and Camogie but next month a team of 15 Irish players will travel to be part of a 1,000 strong World Championships being held in Alberta, Canada.
They will include the defending World Handball Champions, Cavan’s Paul Brady and Antrim’s Aisling Reilly.
Brady is bidding for an incredible fifth consecutive Men’s Open World title, a feat that has never been achieved before and is unlikely to ever be matched again.
Life on hold
“I’ve put my life on hold for the past few months to prepare for this event, and the closer it gets, the more excited I become about it,” said Brady.
“It’s hard to put into words how I feel about going for a fifth title.
“Obviously, I’m very proud of my achievements to date, but to get another World title would really cement the dream.”
20 Countries
Teams from 20 countries will travel to Canada to compete in the Championships in an ‘under the radar’ example of how the GAA has long been reaching a global audience, even long before the advent of GAAGo.
There is no sponsor for the travelling team which is a shame given the global reach and the representative nature but it has given an opportunity to promote the sport itself with the association website taking pride of place on the front of the jersey and leading through to a well constructed online portal with details of the sport, the rules, the stars and how to get involved.
It may have been argued that the GAAGo brand would have been a good fit as the Championship season comes to the business end back at home but perhaps getting Ed Sheeran to wear the Ireland Jersey with the brand last Friday was enough to draw a bigger audience through social media and around the world.
The GAA Handball brand and link is strong for the sport and we wish the players well as they live their dream on a world stage.
Image Credit: Inpho.ie
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