Club & Volunteer Awards

The prestigious Irish News Club and Volunteer Awards are back once again.

Now in its ninth year, the highly popular scheme aims to recognise the hard work and commitment given by volunteers in GAA clubs while also rewarding the clubs and schools who strive to meet the needs and demands of their communities.

For the second year running, there will be a special category for urban clubs as it’s in line with the GAA’s plans for Urban Development- a policy also adopted by the Ulster Council.

The recent successes of Antrim and Down teams is also creating renewed interest in Gaelic Games in urban areas.

The awards are backed by the GAA’s Ulster Council, in conjunction with O’Neills Sportswear, the Wellington Park Hotel and Cardiac Risk in the Young.

Aogan Ó Fearghail, President of the Ulster Council urged clubs and schools across the province to enter.

“Ulster Council GAA is proud once again to be associated with the Irish News Club and Volunteer Awards,” he said.

“The awards have been a prestigious and important event on the Ulster GAA calendar for sometime and something which the winning Clubs and Schools are honoured to receive.

“The GAA is a volunteer Association, with countless officials at all levels giving their time to make their Club and Community stronger, these annual awards recognise their significant contribution in a very special way.

“I once again encourage as many Clubs and Schools to make an application and take part.”

Irish News editor Noel Doran echoed those sentiments.

He said: “The Club and Volunteers Awards scheme is now firmly established as an important event in the GAA calendar.

“It is a great opportunity to recognise the contribution of people who make a vital contribution to Gaelic games at all levels, and we are delighted to be able to facilitate it.”

Thomas Hawkins, Irish News Sports editor is expecting a bumper entry for the awards and feels the scheme is simply getting bigger and stronger each year.

“I fully expect to see another great response from lots of clubs and schools to our Club & Volunteer Awards,” he said.

“This is our ninth year of the awards initiative and it goes from strength to strength.

“The Club & Volunteer Awards give everyone the opportunity to gain recognition and reward for their efforts on and off the pitch and demonstrates the strength in depth of the GAA family.”

This year, the questions for the applicants have been revised and an emphasis has been placed on how a club interacts with the local community and schools within their area.

This revision of the application process will allow clubs and schools to be more proactive in their presentation of the good initiatives that they are undertaking for the future health of the club.

What your club can win
The winner in each category will be awarded a £1,000 cheque, £1,000 O’Neills Sportswear vouchers and a full page Club Profile in the sports section of The Irish News.

There will also be a highly commended winner in each category who will be awarded a £500 cheque.

What your Volunteer can win
The winning volunteer in each category will win a £100 Irish News Reader Holiday voucher plus £100 O’Neills Sportswear vouchers.

What your School can win
The winning Primary and Second Level school will each receive a £1,000 cheque and £500 O’Neills Sportswear vouchers plus a full page School Profile in the sports section of the Irish News.

Application forms can be downloaded from:
www.irishnews.com/clubawards

Please note the Closing date has been extended to 12pm on Wednesday, April 20.

For further information, email clubawards@irishnews.com or write to:
The Irish News Marketing Department
113-117 Donegall Street,
Belfast BT1 2GE.