The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and Gaelic Players Association (GPA) have come together to create and promote an extension of the summer camp series to cater for older boys and girls aged between 13 and 15.
Elverys are coming on board and lending their name to the initiative which will operate at central venues in 27 of the 32 counties between June 24th and July 5th.
This initiative grew out of the holding of a number of individual camps last summer including through Bernard Brogan in Dublin, Benny Coulter and Paddy Bradley in Ulster and a number of Tipperary hurlers.
They were catering for an audience that had grown too old for the Kellogg’s Cúl Camps but were still involved in clubs and eager to develop skills.
The rolling out and central coordination and promotion of the idea at national level is the latest joint venture between the GAA and the players’ body and will serve to mend some bridges with long time GAA sponsor Elverys who were uneasy about the last ‘gaelicboots.com’ joint venture which provides discount boots supplied by an overseas retailer Sports Direct. We wrote at the time that “Care will need to be taken as the scheme develops not to step on the boots of retailers such as Elvery’s who sponsor Mayo and for whom footwear would be a major sales driver, as well as local sports shops that are often involved in sponsorship at club level.”
Participants will get an insight into the life of an inter-county player in a week that will include conditioned games, skills development, mental preparation, sports nutrition and athletic development. All participants will receive a limited edition Elverys Sports pack while there will also be an exciting skills competition with the chance to win a Lenovo laptop in each camp.
All the camps will be led by a senior player with Bernard Brogan, Michael Murphy, Brendan Maher and Darran O’Sullivan involved in each of their respective counties and many more players involved so that the coach / student ratio of 10:1 is maintained at each camp.
“Elverys have been major sponsor in the GAA for many years and as the leading GAA retailer in Ireland we are delighted to be working with them on these new and exciting Youth Camps,” said GAA President Liam O’Neill at the launch of the initiative in Croke Park.
“The huge growth in numbers attending the GAA Cúl Camps has highlighted the opportunity for the Association to build on this success and encourage participation amongst a slightly older ager group of children. We are very proud of the calibre of GAA players we have involved and believe that it is an endorsement of the camp model we have developed in conjunction with the GPA.”
Sport for Business caught up with Elverys General CEO, Patrick Rowland at the launch.
“The Elverys brand is synonymous with sport in Ireland and we have been supporting gaelic games and the GAA since its foundation,” he said.
“We have a retail presence in or alongside all the venues where the camp will be held and the young players being catered for are an important audience for us to assist in keeping active in sport.”
“It’s a crucial age when other activities are competing for time and attention and we are excited to be part of something that gives kids unique access to their GAA heroes, while at the same time learning the skills of GAA.
“We have been played our part with the GAA/GPA in recent months to create a camp that will be innovative, engaging and memorable for all the participants. It shows the strong bond that exists between us, which has done over many years and which will do for many more.”
“Elverys has always had an involvement with helping young players and many have spent time working in our stores or at our offices as part of their growing into adults. This is a natural fit for us.”
Gaelic Players Association CEO Dessie Farrell was also in attendance and pleased to point out that “Two members of the GPA, James and Bernard Brogan from Legacy Consultants have been instrumental in getting this project off the ground.”
“It is great to launch the new initiative with an established GAA supporter such as Elverys.”
For detailed information about the Elverys GAA/GPA Youth Camps you can visit www.elverysyouthcamps.gaa.ie
Read more of our recent coverage of the commercial world of the GAA
Read more about Elverys link up with Coaching Ireland
Read more about player endorsement
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GPA and Elverys Mending Bridges
