Finals weekend confirmed for Kerry GAA Centre of Excellence on March
13/14
GOURMET Food Parlour is celebrating the passion of Ladies
Footballers to mark the launch of the 2020 GFP HEC Third-Level
Championships.
The 2020 Championships were launched today (Wednesday
January 29) at GFP’s Northwood (Santry) outlet – with leading players Laura
McGinley (DCU/Dublin), Muireann Atkinson (DCU/Monaghan), Eilish Ronayne
(UL/Mayo) and Hannah O’Donoghue (UL/Kerry) present to represent each of the
four provinces as GFP ambassadors, and to reveal their passions away from the
playing fields.
Former Kerry Footballer and GFP ambassador Tomás Ó Sé was
also on hand to conduct a Q & A session with the players and look forward
to the top-class action that lies in store before the competitions reach a
conclusion on Friday/Saturday March 13/14.
It has also been confirmed that GFP O’Connor Cup weekend
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 tournaments 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.
This is Gourmet Food Parlour’s third year working alongside
the LGFA, with GFP sponsoring the prestigious O’Connor Cup, while also acting
as title sponsors of the Giles, Lynch, Moynihan, Donaghy and Lagan Cups.
Speaking at the launch today, Gourmet Food Parlour CEO
Lorraine Heskin said: “This continues to be a hugely exciting time for Ladies
Football and the LGFA, and in the year 2020, we are delighted to continue our
sponsorship of the HEC Championships for a third year.
“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 Championships that lie in store, and
I would like to wish all of the competing teams the very best of luck as they
set out on their journeys.”
The Ladies Gaelic Football Association’s Higher Education
Committee (HEC) will showcase the talents of 56 teams, representing 34
colleges, during the 2020 GFP Championships.
The stunning growth of Ladies Football in Third-Level
Colleges has coincided with Gourmet Food Parlour’s sponsorship of the Ladies
HEC Leagues and Championships.
The 2019 Gourmet Food Parlour O’Connor Cup Final was a
thrilling affair at Grangegorman, as University of Limerick defeated UCD to
record a 12th title win.
In defence of their crown, UL, who also won the GFP Division
1 League title before Christmas, will face stiff opposition from a number of
opponents, including DCU, UCD and UCC.
LGFA CEO Helen O’Rourke commented: “We are very pleased to
welcome Lorraine Heskin and the entire Gourmet Food Parlour team on board for
the third year of our partnership.
“The GFP O’Connor Cup weekend is one of the most
high-profile and firmly-established on our annual calendar, and we look forward
to many exciting games along the way, before our 2020 Champions are
revealed.”
Speaking on behalf of the Ladies HEC, Chairperson Donal
Barry said: “Once again, we have an extremely healthy number of teams and
colleges competing in the 2020 GFP Championships.
“We are very much looking forward to what the coming weeks
have in store, as we prepare for Finals weekend, hosted this year Kerry GAA’s
Centre of Excellence.
“This magnificent centre is a fitting venue for our players
to parade their skills, and we’re very much looking forward to welcoming all of
the competing teams to the Kingdom of Kerry.”
In the GFP O’Connor Cup, holders UL find themselves in Group
A alongside UCC and Queen’s University. In Group B, Ulster University, DCU and
UCD will battle it out for the two semi-final spots on offer from each
group.
The GFP O’Connor Cup action gets underway on February 6,
when UCC host UL in Group A, and University of Ulster entertain UCD in Group
B.
#GFPColleges #WomenSupportingWomen
