REPRESENTATIVES from the leading contenders competing in the 2020 Gourmet Food Parlour HEC Championships gathered on Thursday (March 5) at Croke Park – ahead of Finals weekend in Kerry on Friday and Saturday, March 13/14.
The 2020 Gourmet Food Parlour O’Connor Cup weekend, supported by Kerry College, will be hosted by the spectacular and newly-built Kerry GAA Centre of Excellence in Currans.
This state-of-the-art Centre is the training hub for Kerry’s various inter-county teams, and GFP O’Connor Cup weekend will be the first official adult competitions to be held there.
The GFP O’Connor Cup Final will also be streamed Live on the Spórt TG4 YouTube page, and is down for decision on Saturday, March 14.
The Lagan, Donaghy and Moynihan Cup Finals will be played at the Kerry GAA Centre of Excellence on Friday, March 13, along with the Lynch and O’Connor Cup semi-finals.
Also on Friday, the Giles Cup semi-finals will be contested at John Mitchels GAA club in Tralee.
On Saturday, March 14, John Mitchels will be the venue for the Lynch Cup Final, while the Giles and O’Connor Cup Finals will be played at Austin Stack Park in Tralee.
In the showpiece O’Connor Cup semi-finals, holders University of Limerick, who are also Division 1 Champions, will take on UCD, with DCU Dóchas Éireann up against UCC.
All four Colleges have tasted O’Connor Cup glory in the past, with 2019 runners-up UCD last crowned Champions in 2016.
DCU Dóchas Éireann won the O’Connor Cup two years ago, while UCC’s last victory in this competition was achieved in 2012.
UL have contested the last six O’Connor Cup Finals, and another success on Finals weekend would make it five titles in seven years.
This year marks the 33rd anniversary of the Higher Education Committee’s third-level championships, which are being hosted in Kerry for the first time since 2016.
Speaking on behalf of competition sponsors Gourmet Food Parlour, Managing Director Lorraine Heskin said: “We are extremely passionate about sport for women and our relationship with the LGFA is a wonderful fit for us.
“Our fuelling passion theme this year really resonates with us in GFP as we are truly passionate about all we do and we also love being involved with the HEC competitions.
“I’m excited about the Finals Weekend coming up in Kerry and I would like to wish all of the competing teams the very best of luck.”
Aileen Foley, Manager at the Kerry GAA Centre of Excellence, added: “We are hugely excited to welcome all of the ladies footballers from the Higher Education Colleges for their very special weekend, and we are delighted to be able to showcase our state of the art facilities here at the Kerry Centre of Excellence in Currans.
“We are well aware of the rich history that Kerry has played in the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and are proud that we at Kerry GAA can play a little role in hosting this great event.
“Over the last number of years, both of our Associations have partnered up and helped each other out, and this year, all three of Kerry’s Lidl National Ladies Football League fixtures were hosted in our county grounds, along with a double-header for one of them.
“Hosting the knock-out games here, and two finals at Austin Stack Park, will continue that great co-operation.
“We wish Donal Barry (HEC Chairperson) and his committee all the best for the weekend.”
Speaking on behalf of the Ladies HEC, Chairperson Donal Barry said: “The growth in our game over the last few years has simply been phenomenal.
“It is a result of all the hard work that is very often unseen and very often done by people we will never be able thank enough.
“In a year which is so important for female sport, Kerry 2020 promises to play its part in delivering 20% more media coverage, 20% more female participation and 20% more attendances at our games.
“We have set ourselves a target for getting 2,020 people to the O’Connor Cup in Austin Stack Park and to make it a memorable occasion for all those who love Ladies Football.”
Updates from the GFP O’Connor Cup weekend will be available on the LGFA’s various social media channels, using the hashtag #GFPColleges, and you can also check out the Ladies HEC social media channels.
