Dublin, 10 June 2019: Donegal’s most decorated Footballer, Karl Lacey , Galway dual-star, Alan Kerins, former Waterford Hurling Manager, Derek McGrath and Dublin footballer, Tomás Quinn join forces as the 2019 Panel for the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Star Awards. Now in its third year the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Star Awards is a cornerstone of Electric Ireland’s sponsorship of the GAA All Ireland Minor Championship, celebrated through the #GAAThisIsMajor campaign.
Each week for the duration of the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Championships, Electric Ireland will identify three players from both the Hurling and Football Championships on Electric Ireland’s twitter profile (@electricireland) who have performed strongly. A weekly Player of the Week in both football and hurling will be selected by the public through a vote on twitter, with the Electric Ireland 2019 GAA Minor Star Awards Panel being responsible for identifying both a Electric Ireland Minor Stars Hurling and Football Team of the Year at a ceremony to be held in Croke Park following the conclusion of the Championships.
This year Electric Ireland’s #GAAThisIsMajor campaign, now in its sixth year, will also seek to recognise the significance of the Minor Championships to the players, their families and the communities they represent. This season, the campaign will also highlight the positive impact that the Minor Championships has on players long after their days on the field as a Minor have ended.
Electric Ireland will showcase the long term benefit and skills, that each of the 2019 Electric Ireland GAA Minor Star Awards Panel have enjoyed and learned through their involvement in GAA and the honour that came from representing their County in the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Championships, over the course of a four part video series.
Alan Kerins has raised close to €5 million to end poverty and suffering of tens of thousands of people in rural Africa. He has also used both his playing and professional expertise to lead and develop leadership and development programmes through his company the Inner Winner Institute. Karl Lacey is not only a member of Donegal’s backroom team but lectures in sports coaching at Letterkenny IT.
Derek McGrath both in his role as a secondary school teacher and coach to a number of underage teams regularly draws on his experience of the Minor Championships both as a player and a manager. Tomas Quinn has followed up an incredibly successful playing career to go on an develop a career in sport.
This year’s campaign will also build on Electric Ireland’s hugely successful activation at the Electric Ireland GAA Minor All Ireland Finals, “The Championship Haircut”, which saw fans avail of free pre-match haircuts mirroring what has become an important pre-game ritual for players.
Speaking at the launch, Donegal’s most decorated Minor Player, Karl Lacey, said;
“I am extremely proud to be a part of this year’s Electric Ireland GAA Minor Star Awards panel. Little did I know at the time, that playing in the Minor Championships would be the beginning of an incredible association I have been privileged to have with Donegal and the GAA. Both the confidence and values intstilled in me from representing Donegal in the Electric Ireland GAA All Ireland Minor Championships fuelled my ambition not just for my playing career but also away from the field of play.”
Galway’s Alan Kerins said:
“There is no doubt that my playing career has developed me hugely as a person in terms of both leadership and resilience but also in identifying potential. My potential as a player and my belief that I could deliver on it first came to life when selected to play for Galway as a Minor. It was a huge honour at the time and one that instilled seeds of belief that stood to me not just in my transition to a Senior player but also in connection with my charity work first through the Alan Kerins Project, now Self Help Africa and also my coaching and development work with the Inner Winner Institute”
Lisa Browne, Head of Marketing and Customer Insights at Electric Ireland said:
“We at Electric Ireland are delighted to again celebrate our sponsorship of the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Championship, #GAAThisIsMajor, which highlights that for the players, their clubs, coaches, families and communities there is nothing minor about playing Minor. We look forward to showcasing the commitment and pride of all those involved in the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Championship over the coming months.”
Uachtarán CLG John Horan said;
“The Electric Ireland GAA All Ireland Minor Championships are an excellent showcase of upcoming talent and often where some of the biggest names of the GAA first make their mark as young players. Electric Ireland’s support of the GAA All Ireland Minor Championships has ensured that the young players and their support circles get the recognition that they truly deserve, rewarding the incredible dedication and talent with the Minor Star Awards.”
Follow the campaign @ElectricIreland #GAAThisIsMajor