Sky Sports are to be the media partner of this year’s Lenovo GAA Skills Hubs programme.
The collaboration between the GAA, Gaelic Players, Camogie and Ladies Football Associations is entering its second year and will, over the summer provide skill camp training for 13-16 year olds at 22 venues around the country.
The games and training are complemented by advice on nutrition, mental preparation and lifestyle. Each camp will be led by an inter county player including Bernard Brogan who was present at the launch yesterday and whose company Legacy Consultants was instrumental in bringing Lenovo in for the first time last year.
Sky Sports involvement will cover online and broadcast support for the camps as well as promotion at its retail stores.
“In addition to our coverage of GAA on Sky Sports, which continues this weekend, we are committed to supporting the development of the GAA at a grassroots level and we see this as perfect opportunity to connect with a younger audience,” said Sky Director of Corporate Affairs Mark Deering at yesterday’s launch in Croke Park.
“As an organisation we have a responsibility to provide opportunities for our young people to grow and learn the skills of the GAA in a safe and fun environment,” added GAA President Aogán Ó Fearghail.
“This initiative is unique in that we are working in collaboration with our sister associations the Camogie Association and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association to encourage young people to stay involved in Gaelic Games.”
“I would also like to thank Lenovo for their continued support of the initiative. The involvement of a global brand greatly enhances the appeal of the hubs and again re-enforces the attraction of the GAA as a promotional platform for companies.”
Those thoughts were echoed by Fiona O’Brien, Country Manager for Lenovo who added “We are in awe of the incredible work that is done by this community based organisation, and are humbled to play a role in assisting in the development of the future stars of GAA.”
“The Lenovo GAA Skills Hubs are the perfect example of how with collaboration we can create initiatives that will raise the profile of all our games and more importantly keep our young people involved in the GAA for many years,” said Camogie Association President Catherine Neary while her counterpart in Ladies Football Marie Hickey highlighted that the camps provided an opportunity to learn important life lessons that they can take with them into the future.
”Gaelic Players Association, Chief Executive, Dessie Farrell added: “As a players organisation, we are always looking at opportunities for our membership to connect with the younger generation. Inter county players across all codes are excellent role models for our young people and this initiative provides a unique opportunity for them to learn not only GAA skills but more importantly life skills that will greatly assist them in their own personal development.”
