Sport

London GAA to launch free hurling scheme for youths

LONDON GAA are launching a new scheme this month to help get more youngsters to take up hurling.

The Hurling Super Games Centre will launch on September 26 at the home of Tir Chonaill Gaels Grounds in Greenford, UB6 0NZ.

The weekly puck-about will begin at 2pm every Saturday thereafter and will last for five consecutive weeks.

Boys and girls between the ages of six and 18 are welcome, whether they are already involved with a club or not, and equipment will be provided free of charge.

London GAA’s Community Development Administrator Lloyd Colfer told The Irish Post: “The idea is to get a few kids out playing hurling and if we can drum up a bit of extra interest in the sport, then hopefully a few of them will go on to join clubs afterwards.

“We’ll be providing hurls and sliotars on the day which will hopefully be a good incentive for parents to bring their kids along. We’re going to try and keep the kids more or less within their own age group, so they should enjoy it.”

Meanwhile, the London GAA Development Squad enjoyed a successful weekend in Mayo, beating Sligo and Leitrim in the Dermot Earley Tournament at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence in Ballyhaunis.

“We had a great weekend,” added Mr Colfer, who travelled with the squad. “We beat Sligo by a point, lost to Roscommon by just two and then we beat Leitrim by two.

“We’d have taken two wins out of three before we started and we had some great individual performances too. The boys were rewarded with a trip to Croke Park on Sunday.”

London GAA U16 Development Squad with a replica of the Sam Maguire [Picture: Lloyd Colfer]