Calgary, Canada has been confirmed as the venue for the 2023 PwC Camogie All-Stars Tour in May. The tour was announced today in Croke Park, by Uachtarán Cumann Camógaíochta, Hilda Breslin and Ard Stiúrthóir Cumann Camógaíochta, Sinead McNulty, with delegates from the Canadian GAA, who are in Dublin to attend the GAA Annual Congress.
The PwC All-Stars touring party will comprise of 2021 and 2022 All Stars team selection. Both teams will travel to Calgary, Alberta from 19th to 25th May 2023.
Located in the beautiful foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Calgary is a lively destination within reach of endless natural beauty and outdoor activities. This growing city of over 1.3 million residents boasts hundreds of activities and attractions from live sporting events to nightlife, recreational sporting activities, and cultural events.
The highlight of the tour will be an exhibition game which will see our Camogie All-Stars 2021 take on the PwC Camogie All-Stars Team 2022 on Sunday 21st May at the GAA Grounds of the Calgary Chieftains. The touring party will be kitted out in a newly designed PwC All-Stars Tour gear, with thank to our partners PwC.
An invitational tournament is being organised for Saturday 20th May, where teams from across Canada GAA and US GAA will be invited to take part, along with development workshops and skills clinics delivered by the visiting All-Stars teams and the Camogie Association Development Team.
The trip is being hosted by the Canadian GAA, who have a vibrant young Camogie section in Calgary. The Canadian Gaelic Athletic Association is the officially recognised governing body for the three Gaelic games and cultural organisations – the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) & the Camogie Association (CA).
The Canadian County Board was founded in 1987. Thirty six years later, the GAA in Canada has grown across the country and clubs are now represented in the provinces of Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
Honorary Consul of Ireland for Calgary, Deirdre Halferty said “It is with absolute pleasure that we welcome the Camogie All Stars to Calgary. What a great opportunity to catch a few games of Camogie played by these great Irish women who are the ultimate athletes. The local GAA club, Calgary Chieftains have fantastic playing facilities, and it will be a proud day for Calgary to host the All Stars on these facilities. The excitement is building in Calgary at the prospect of such a remarkable event taking place in the city.”
Uachtarán Cumann Camógaíochta, Hilda Breslin said “We are delighted to announce the PwC All-Stars Tour to Canada. This is a wonderful opportunity for our players, showcasing all the skill, speed and excitement of our game in person to a Canadian and North American audience . I would like to thank our hosts, Canadian GAA, for their promotion of our game and the wonderful growth of camogie in Canada, we are confident this tour will further inspire participation in camogie. This tour is the next step after the wonderful Canadian games in 2022, which showed the passion and hard work of a very dedicated group of volunteers. We have no doubt this will be a trip to remember for all.”
Feargal O’Rourke, Managing Partner, PwC Ireland, said: “We are proud to sponsor the PwC Camogie All-Stars as they travel to Calgary in Canada for the PwC Camogie All-Stars tour in May. We wish the players every success for the exhibition game and invitation tournament where the fantastic talent and skill displayed in winning a PwC Camogie All-Star award will be on show to the International audience.”
Brian Bolger, President of the Irish Cultural Society of Calgary added the following “It is an honour to have Ireland’s elite camogie players here in Calgary. This will create a real buzz among our Irish community locally, and it will be great to showcase the sport of camogie in Western Canada. Well done to the Calgary Chieftains for organising this and for again highlighting Irish culture in such a positive way. We look forward to welcoming the athletes and showing off Alberta to our visitors.”
Calgary Chieftains Chairperson Maria Ryan said “The prospect of hosting the Camogie All Stars is just amazing, it is one of those “mind blowing” events that we never dreamed possible, so I speak for the entire Irish community in Calgary when I say how excited we are for this event. To have such amazing athletes take to our fields and display their remarkable talents is so exciting, especially for the youth in our club. They have the opportunity to witness these fantastic athletes play on the same field that they train on every week! We are so excited for the players and travelling crew to see Calgary and local attractions such as Banff and Lake Louise, to name just a few, we will be working hard to make sure they have the trip of a lifetime!”
