Lenovo and the GAA Collaborate to Drive Greater Participation amongst Teenagers this summer
The Lenovo GAA Skills Hubs, a collaboration between Lenovo and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), Gaelic Players Association (GPA), the Camogie Association and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) launched today (June 3rd) in Croke Park.
The initiative offers the chance for young people between 13 to 16 years of age, the opportunity to learn Gaelic football and hurling skills from their inter county heroes and heroines, in high quality venues across the country this summer.
For the second year running, Lenovo a leading global technology company is supporting the programme that gives young people an insight into the life of an inter-county player.
-At the Lenovo GAA Skills Hub, activities will include conditioned games, skills development, mental preparation, sports nutrition and athletic development, all led by top GAA players from across the codes including Bernard Brogan (Dublin football), Cormac Murphy (Cork hurling), Ellen McCarron (Monaghan Ladies Football) and Fiona Hickey (Limerick camogie).
-Sky Sports, an official broadcast partner of the GAA, have also signed on as media partner with the Lenovo GAA Skills Hubs for the 2015 season as their investment in the GAA continues.
Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas, Aogán Ó Fearghail said:
"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. 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."
Speaking at the launch, Fiona O’ Brien, County Manager, Lenovo Ireland said:
"Now in our second year of collaboration with the GAA/GPA, we are delighted to see the Skills Hubs initiative expanding in 2015. 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."
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."
Marie Hickey, President of the LGFA, stated at the event:
"I think the importance of this type of initiative cannot be overestimated. It is focused at an age group where participation in sporting activity diminishes and I have no doubt that time spent with these high profile camp leaders will not only provide them with an insight into inter county level Gaelic Games, but also enable them to learn important life lessons that they can take with them into the future."
Catherine Neary, President of the Camogie Association said:
"I have already stated I am in favour of working with our sister organisations the GAA and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association to further enhance all of our aims. I think 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."
Mark Deering, Director of Corporate Affairs for Sky Ireland noted:
"We are delighted to be part of the Lenovo GAA Skills Hub actively promoting the initiative through our digital and broadcasting platforms as well at Sky Retail Stores throughout the country. 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."
Key Features:
• Specially designed initiative for teenagers 13 to 16 years old
• Coaching of key skills (shooting, blocking, tackling) from top GAA inter county stars
• Break-out sessions on nutrition, inter county experiences, strength and conditioning games, mental preparation
• Competitions to win Lenovo products at each camp
• 22 Venues across the country
Also in attendance to launch the event were inter county players and Lenovo Skills Hub Ambassadors Bernard Brogan (Dublin), Cormac Murphy (Cork), Ellen McCarron (Monaghan Ladies Football) and Fiona Hickey (Limerick camogie).
For detailed information about the gaa.ie/lenovoskillshub
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About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $46 billion global Fortune 500 company and a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and enterprise technology. Our portfolio of high-quality, secure products and services covers PCs (including the legendary Think and multimode YOGA brands), workstations, servers, storage, smart TVs and a family of mobile products like smartphones (including the Motorola brand), tablets and apps. Join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit us at www.lenovo.com.
