Athlone GAA Heartlands Blitz to host teams from across Ireland
Twenty teams representing eleven counties will descend on Páirc Chiaráin this Saturday as Athlone GAA hosts its third annual Heartlands Blitz.
The increasingly popular Gaelic4Mothers&Others and Dads & Lads blitz will take place at Athlone GAA on Saturday, August 8, with the action getting underway from 2pm.
The Heartlands Blitz has quickly established itself as a popular date on the national social football calendar. Demand for places has once again been extremely strong, with all 20 available team places filled and a waiting list of clubs hoping to participate.
Ten Gaelic4Mothers&Others teams and ten Dads & Lads teams will travel to Athlone from across the country, with participating clubs coming from as far north as Derry and as far south as Cork.
The Gaelic4Mothers&Others competition will feature Athlone GAA, whose team is sponsored by the Sheraton Athlone Hotel, alongside Kilcullen of Kildare, St Mary’s Rochfortbridge (Westmeath), St Brigid’s (Roscommon), Killygarry (Cavan), Oranmore-Maree (Galway), Maynooth (Kildare), Eastern Gaels (Mayo), Donard-Glen (Wicklow) and Mostrim (Longford).
The Dads & Lads competition will include Athlone GAA, whose team is sponsored by County Photos, along with Rosemount of Westmeath, Steelstown Brian Óg’s (Derry), Cornafean (Cavan), Naas and Kilcullen (both Kildare), Ballyhaunis and Moy Davitts (both Mayo), Stradbally (Laois) and St Catherine’s of Cork.
Athlone GAA Chairman Fiachra McLoughlin said the idea for the Heartlands Blitz grew from the club’s recognition that Athlone was ideally positioned to host a large-scale event for teams from throughout Ireland.
“The idea for the Heartlands Blitz came about because we could see the potential Athlone has as a location for a national event. We are situated in the heart of the country, with excellent road connections that make the club easily accessible from counties in every direction,” said Fiachra.
“We are also extremely fortunate at Athlone GAA to have excellent facilities, including three full-sized pitches, which allow us to welcome a large number of teams and run all of the games at one venue. We believed there was a real opportunity to create an event that combined enjoyable football with a strong social element for Gaelic4Mothers&Others and Dads & Lads teams.
“We are very proud to host the Heartlands Blitz and delighted to see it going from strength to strength each year. The fact that all 20 places have been filled and that we have a waiting list of other clubs hoping to participate demonstrates how positively the event has been received.”
“A large organising committee has been working extremely hard behind the scenes to deliver this year’s blitz. A huge amount of planning and preparation goes into an event of this scale, and I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has contributed their time, energy and expertise,” Fiachra added.
Members of the organising committee, Orla Gillivan and Emma Guihen, said preparations were well advanced for the arrival of the visiting teams.
“We are really looking forward to welcoming all of the players, mentors and supporters to Páirc Chiaráin on Saturday. The response from clubs has been fantastic, and our committee is working hard to ensure that everyone enjoys both the football and the social side of the day,” they said.
The emphasis throughout the blitz will be on participation, enjoyment and meeting players from clubs throughout Ireland. Following the football, teams will have an opportunity to continue the day together in the Athlone GAA clubhouse.
Fiachra also thanked the businesses whose support has helped to make the event possible.
“We are extremely grateful to the Sheraton Athlone Hotel for sponsoring the Athlone GAA Gaelic4Mothers&Others team and to County Photos for sponsoring the Athlone GAA Dads & Lads team.
“We would also like to sincerely thank Niall Lynch Financial Services, Supermac’s, Savoury Fare, Seery’s Cash & Carry, SuperValu, Tesco, Vanilla Garden and Ray Reilly DJ for their generous support. Events such as the Heartlands Blitz would not be possible without the backing of our sponsors and the many club volunteers who work to ensure everything runs smoothly.”
The Athlone GAA Heartlands Blitz takes place at Páirc Chiaráin this Saturday, with football commencing at 2pm and all welcome to attend.