Halifax today unveiled ten top inter-county stars who will join Alan Kerins, the 2007 Halifax/Gaelic Players’ Association Fair Play Award winner, as Brand Ambassadors to support the 2008 summer camps.

The 2008 Halifax GaelicPerformance Ambassadors include: Alan Kerins (Galway) named Brand Ambassador last year upon receiving the Halifax/GPA Fair Play Award. Declan O’Sullivan (Kerry), Stephen Bray (Meath), Bernard Brogan (Dublin), Seán Cavanagh (Tyrone), James Masters (Cork), Alan Dillon (Mayo), Paul Casey (Dublin), Paul Finlay (Monaghan) and representing Ladies Football is Dublin Captain Cliodhna O’Connor.

The role of the Halifax GaelicPerformance Ambassadors will include attending the camps and developing a specially designed Gaelic Skills training poster for children, alongside a number of other initiatives to be launched over the coming months.

The GaelicPerformance Camps are the brainchild of Monaghan footballer Dermot McArdle. Aimed at 12-16 year old male and female Gaelic Footballers, the camp was established as an exciting and interactive programme taking the best practices from top inter county players and teams across the country. Dermot’s motto is “Advancing Gaelic Games through Innovation" and the camps teach children how to apply key skills, but at a level that they can understand.

Gabriel Bannigan, Head of Retail and Intermediary at Bank of Scotland (Ireland) said: “Halifax is proud to be associated with Gaelic Games under the banner of GaelicPerformance and we are delighted to announce our Brand Ambassadors to support the 2008 Camps. In 2007 we joined forces with the Gaelic Players’ Association and sponsored the inaugural GPA Fair Play Award. Since then we have worked closely with Dermot to develop the plans for the 2008 camps and our shared people / player philosophy makes GaelicPerformance an excellent fit for our brand.

“Our title sponsorship of the GaelicPerformance camps is a significant investment by Halifax in the development of young players across the country who will benefit hugely from the expert and specially designed coaching under the guidance of Monaghan footballer Dermot McArdle”.

Dermot McArdle, founder of GaelicPerformance said: “It is great to see so many of the country's top players lending their support to GaelicPerformance this year. Thanks to the generous support of Halifax we can make the camps bigger and better.

“I have always had a vision for the camps to be built on a reputation for excellence. I know the only way to do this is through the coaching and expertise we provide at the camps. In pursuit of this excellence we put together a programme that takes the best practices of top inter-county teams and applies them to a level that children can understand. This includes areas such as strength and conditioning, speed and power development, mental toughness and recovery techniques.”

Dessie Farrell, CEO of the Gaelic Players’ Association said: “We are delighted to support Dermot McArdle and the Halifax GaelicPerformance Camps which will be of huge benefit to aspiring young players, particularly so as the skills and expertise of some of the game’s highest profile stars will be harnessed.

“By supporting a project of this nature, Halifax has again shown its commitment to Gaelic Games, particularly to player and games development. Through the Halifax Brand Ambassador programme, students at the camps will have invaluable access to the latest approaches employed by Gaelic Football’s top players as well as Dermot’s innovative coaching programmes.”

Tyrone star and Halifax Ambassador Seán Cavanagh said: “I am delighted to be involved as a Halifax GaelicPerformance Ambassador and I look forward to going along to the Camps and meeting the stars of the future.”

Dublin star forward and Halifax Ambassador Bernard Brogan added: “The GaelicPerformance camps can benefit players of all levels and abilities. Over the years Gaelic Games have fostered friendships nationwide and GaelicPerformance offers a unique new way for children from different parts of the country to come together under the banner of our national games.”

The GaelicPerformance Camps are Ireland's only residential and non-residential camps for 12-16 year old boys and girls. The camps will run for one week on July 14-18 in Gormanstown College, County Meath and for two weeks in August in St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra from August 4-15. All the coaches are fully qualified, inter-county players.

Pictures from today's launch:







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