Our 50 Miles Challenge might be on pause for the moment but you can still get the steps in this January !
The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge 2025 invites club and community members nationwide to get active, connect with their community and support their GAA club for 5 weeks, starting 8th January 2025.
· Irish Life’s Health of the Nation Report 2024 has found that as a population we’re becoming less active and feeling more isolated..
· The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge 2024, which was facilitated on the MyLife app, recorded an increase of one million steps vs 2023 challenge
· 970 GAA clubs registered for the challenge in 2024, an increase of 181 clubs from 2023, with 125 from Connacht, 317 from Leinster, 268 from Munster and 263 from Ulster
The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge, is back for a sixth year. The aim of the challenge is to create a healthier Ireland by encouraging people from all over the country to join together through their local GAA Club and get out walking over a five-week period. The challenge, which runs from the 8th January 2025 to 12th February 2025, is a country-wide initiative in partnership with Ireland Lights Up* and will be hosted on Irish Life’s health and wellbeing app, MyLife, allowing users to record and track their efforts and steps.
Findings from Irish Life’s 2024 Health of the Nation Report shows that 60% of Irish adults are now overweight or obese, with over 3 in 5 adults under 35 also reporting feelings of loneliness and isolation. Encouraging participation to combat these health issues, the Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge sees users partake in an organised walk around their local GAA facilities each week, fostering healthy habits and greater community engagement.
During the 2024 Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge, the campaign saw participation surge to an all-time high of 40,000, an increase of 10,000 people from 2023. Most notably, a promising uplift in new joiners in the 18-39 age category were seen, showcasing the efforts of this age group to improve their health and build connections. Together participants walked over 6.6 million kilometres throughout the 2024 campaign, an increase of one million kilometres completed from 2023.
The challenge offers the chance to win a share of €30,000 in GAA club funding from Irish Life. Each GAA Club that surpasses the 4,000-kilometre goal of collective steps recorded by their participants are entered into a draw to win one of three €2,500 donations towards club funding, across each province. The challenge was initially launched during lockdown to help people across Ireland get active and provide a social connection to others in their communities. Since 2021 the challenge has continued to evolve, with 970 clubs taking part in 2024 – a testament to the Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Programme commitment to improve health and wellbeing in communities across Ireland.
Claire Myers of Round Towers GAA, Lusk, Co. Dublin said of their club’s experience: “Each Monday we organised a walk around our GAA facility fields, followed by tea/coffee and biscuits in the club, and we often found the children were encouraging their parents to bring them along too. It was
fun checking the app to see our individual steps and ranking in the club, but more importantly, how easy it was to monitor how our club’s steps total was progressing compared to other clubs in Leinster.
“The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge is a great initiative and it encouraged a lot of people to come out and walk. I received a lot of positive feedback from our members, saying it got them out and some of them are going to continue their Monday group walks, which is a very positive outcome. We’ll be back next year.”
Kate Casey, Head of Wellbeing Propositions at Irish Life commented “Our recent Irish Life 2024 Health of the Nation Report highlighted a concerning decline in physical activity and increased feelings of isolation, especially among those under 35. However, the consistent rise in participation in our Every Step Counts Challenge over the past 5 years demonstrates the importance of creating the opportunity for people to take part in physical activity, fostering a healthier and more connected community. The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Programme, club officers and volunteers play a pivotal role in promoting health and wellbeing for communities all over Ireland and Irish Life are delighted to support this initiative through the MyLife app.”
Colin Regan, GAA Community and Health Manager said: “The Steps Challenge epitomises what the Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Programme is all about: it enables our inspirational club volunteers to put in place a health-enhancing intervention that benefits tens of thousands of people, while placing their club at the heart of their community. It brings to life the GAA motto ‘Where We All Belong’.”
The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Programme delivers health and wellbeing benefits worth €50M to Ireland, an independent Social Return on Investment (SROI) evaluation completed by Just Economics in 2023 confirms. The research highlighted the significant health and wellbeing gains for participants, including increases in physical activity and adopting of healthier behaviours.
As the initiative continues to gain momentum, Irish Life’s ambition is to grow the Every Step Counts Challenge to support communities becoming active through a fun and collaborative programme. The five-week challenge is not only an enjoyable way to get active within the community but can help participants track measurable improvements to their overall health through Irish Life’s MyLife App.
The 2024 winners of the Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge were:
Connacht
· Kinvara GAA and Camogie Club, Galway – 4,099.7km tracked / 37 participants
· Club Iománaíochta Bearna Na Forbacha, Galway – 15,266.56km tracked / 76 participants
· Shannon Gaels, Roscommon – 8,900.5km tracked / 50 participants
Leinster
· Round Towers Lusk, Dublin – 19,080.9km / 110 participants
· Syddan GFC, Meath – 6,091.6km / 31 participants
· St Brendan’s Grangegorman, Dublin – 10,785.2km / 52 participants
Munster
· Ballydonoghue GAA, Kerry – 9,219.1km / 58 participants
· Ballygunner Hurling Club, Waterford – 17,527.6km / 106 participants
· Keel GAA, Kerry – 5,883.8km / 28 participants
Ulster
· O’Connell’s GAC Tullysaran, Armagh – 20,303.2km / 87 participants
· Kilrea GAC, Derry – 11,931.7km / 70 participants
· Omagh St Enda’s, Tyrone – 8,860.3km / 51 participants
Source: GAA.ie
Ticket & Match Package Information for Allianz Football League
County FootballTickets are now available to purchase online – please note the availability of 3 ticket options for the Football fixtures.
In addition to the standard match tickets there are options to buy a 4 Match Package and a 7 Match package – links below.
#Allianz NFL – Div 3 – Rd 1
Leitrim Laois
Sat, 25-Jan at 2:30pm
in Páirc Seán Uí Eslín, Ballinamore
Please Note:
Advance ticket sales only
Football*:
Individual Games: https://am.ticketmaster.com/gaa/fbleitrimleague
4 Match Package: https://am.ticketmaster.com/gaa/link-page/883
7 Match Package: https://am.ticketmaster.com/gaa/link-page/881
*Due to capacity restrictions imposed on the venue, all patrons, including U16s, are required to have a ticket.
Hurling:
Individual Games: https://am.ticketmaster.com/gaa/huleitleague
In-Stores:
Tickets also available to buy in selected Centra & SuperValu stores.
SuperValu: Ballinamore, Carrick On Shannon & Manorhamilton
SENIOR FOOTBALL PANEL ANNOUNCEMENT
County FootballPANEL ANNOUNCEMENT
Leitrim Senior Football Manager Steven Poacher has unveiled his panel for 2025.
A new look, a new season, new rules, and a new division ahead.
Best of luck to the players, Steven, and his backroom team for the year ahead.
Allianz Football & Hurling Leagues 2025
GeneralWe are 1 week away from the start of the Allianz Hurling and Football Leagues.
Tickets are now available to purchase online – please note the availability of 3 ticket options for the Football fixtures.
Football:
Individual Games: https://am.ticketmaster.com/gaa/fbleitrimleague
4 Match Package: https://am.ticketmaster.com/gaa/link-page/883
7 Match Package: https://am.ticketmaster.com/gaa/link-page/881
Hurling:
Individual Games: https://am.ticketmaster.com/gaa/huleitleague
In-Stores:
Tickets also available to buy in selected Centra & SuperValu stores.
SuperValu: Ballinamore, Carrick On Shannon & Manorhamilton
Never miss a moment with the GAA Digital Calendar – Add Leitrim’s fixtures to your calendar now
County FootballNever miss a moment with the GAA Digital Calendar !
Add Leitrim’s fixtures to your calendar now at https://ql.e-c.al/3DEi4cN
The GAA digital calendar pre-populates your digital calendar/diary with all of the county fixtures for the season ahead. The platform we’re using is Ecal, & all Leitrim League fixtures are live on the calendar and Championship, U20 & Minor fixtures will also be added as fixtures are confirmed. We want to encourage as many supporters as possible to sync our county’s calendar because it keeps them informed on fixture dates and more importantly, any fixture changes/postponements etc.
Annaduff’s Maxim Gilmartin shines in the Shannonside Handball League Finals.
HandballThe inaugural Shannonside Winter Handball League drew to an exciting conclusion on Sunday afternoon last with the grand finals up for decision in Fenagh alley. This new event on the local handball calendar saw 32 up and coming handballers from Leitrim and surrounding clubs compete for silverware in 2 divisions. Sunday last was the culmination of over 65 exciting league matches played during the Christmas break in Fenagh, Drumshanbo, and the Leitrim GAA Centre of Excellence in Annaduff.
The marquee A division finals lived up to their billing when four top juvenile players displayed amazing skills and astounding rallies, justifying their places in the finals. Annaduff club rivals Peter Cox and Maxim Gilmartin served up an enthralling match in the first semi-final. Despite Maxim winning these games were a lot closer than the score suggested. Meanwhile, the second semi-final saw Fenagh’s Ruairí McKiernan playing Drumshanbo’s Mark MacShera. These two skilful rivals served up some exciting rallies, but Ruairí edged the match to book his place in the final.
Maxim’s greater age and strength came to the fore in the final as he controlled proceedings for most of the match, however Ruairí did give him plenty to think about at stages with some great serve and return play. Maxim took gold this time, but with continued training Ruairí will be a strong contender in years to come.
Collooney’s Lochlan Walsh played Annaduff’s Enda Sharkey in the B league final with Lochlan taking home the gold to Sligo after a very entertaining match. These are two names to watch out for in the future. The B Plate final was an all Annaduff affair with Padraig Mahon and Rhys Glancy vying for the gold medal. Playing to Cumann na mBunscol rules, Padraig took some early scores off Rhys’ serve to push himself into the lead. Rhys came back strong with some brilliant return play down the centre, however Padraig did just enough to hold him off and take gold.
Although winning medals was a nice bonus, the core aim of this league was to give players an opportunity to improve their skillsets and confidence in a competitive environment ahead of their upcoming 4-wall championships. Both beginner and experienced players alike achieved this objective, and it was especially heartening to see so many new players grow in confidence as the league progressed.
A special word of thanks to everyone who helped set up and run the League in Fenagh, Drumshanbo and Annaduff over the last number of weeks. Also thank you to the referees, and to the club committees for arranging food, heat and light in all the venues. Finally, a huge thank you to all the competitors, coaches and parents for making this new league such a big success.
Best of luck to everyone as they go into their respective championship competitions.
Congratulations to all the Shannonside Handball League winners and finalists.
A League:
1st – Maxim Gilmartin (Annaduff)
2nd – Ruairí McKiernan (Fenagh)
3rd – Peter Cox (Annaduff)
Runner Up – Mark MacShera (Drumshanbo)
B League:
1st – Lochlan Walsh (Collooney)
2nd – Enda Sharkey (Annaduff)
3rd – Abbie Kane (Fenagh)
Runner Up – Doireann McKiernan (Fenagh)
B Plate:
1st – Padraig Mahon (Annaduff)
2nd – Rhys Glancy (Annaduff)
3rd – Joe Canning (Drumshanbo)
David Mahon
13/01/2025
Handball News: European 1-wall title for Fenagh’s Sophie Kane
Handball2025 is less than one week old and Leitrim Handball is already celebrating a rare multiple medal success at international level! Building on their recent World Championships titles, Fenagh’s Kane family augmented their growing reputation in1-wall circles bringing back a gold, silver and bronze medal from the European 1-wall Tour – Junior Open which took place in Menaldum, Netherlands on Friday and Saturday last.
Sophie Kane made short work of a packed international field to claim the girls u13 European title. Entering the arena at 7:30am Friday morning, she put in a sterling performance to cruise through her 4 group and 2 playoff games in under three hours, dropping no more than 4 points in any of her sets! This result cements Sophie’s status as the top u13 girls 1-wall player at European and world level.
Not one to rest on her laurels, on Saturday Sophie renewed her successful world championship doubles partnership with Tipperary’s Molly Joyce. Playing in an U15 category, Sophie and Molly fought off older pairings for a place in the European doubles final. Up against a strong Belgian & English doubles combination in the final, Sophie and Molly gave it their all but finished in second place claiming the European silver medals.
Older sister Katie competed in the European girls u17 singles competition. Flying out of the traps, Katie topped her group beating England’s number 1 player along the way. Despite playing well, Katie bowed out in the semi-final to eventual winner Eloise Clément from Belgium. A European bronze medal is a magnificent achievement for Katie.
Katie’s younger brother Daniel also participated in the European boys u15 competition. He played exceptionally well, doing enough to exit a tough group and make it to the quarter final stage. A highly commendable achievement in a very packed field. Well done, Daniel.
Sophie, who is also shortlisted for the Leitrim Junior Sports Individual 2024 award, is the first Leitrim Handballer to achieve international title success since Donal Wrynn back in 2009.
Congratulations and well done to Sophie, Katie, Daniel and all involved in Fenagh Handball. Exciting times ahead.
David Mahon
PRO Leitrim Handball
Quid Games – Would you like to be a contestant ?
GeneralQuid Games – Would you like to be a contestant ?
Leitrim GAA and Leitrim LGFA are currently recruiting contestants to participate in Quid Games which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 16th.
If you would like to be a contestant you should contact secretary.leitrim@gaa.ie or secretary.leitrim@lgfa.ie to be in with chance of sharing the €10,000 first prize.
Clubs are now invited to apply to Phase 3 of the GAA Green Club Programme.
Club DevelopmentGAA, LGFA and Camogie Clubs are now invited to apply to Phase 3 of the GAA Green Club Programme. The programme which was established in 2020 is designed to support Gaelic Games clubs in taking simple and effective sustainability actions in their grounds and activities. The Programme is structured around the themes of Energy, Water, Waste, Biodiversity and Travel & Transport and is resourced with an online toolkit produced in partnership with local authorities and expert partners, including the Sustainable energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), the Local Authorities Water Programme (LAWPRo) and the Regional Waste Authorities. The toolkit is available at https://learning.gaa.ie/GreenClub and includes numerous case studies of Clubs who have successfully implemented actions, improving their facilities and reducing their impact on the environment.
Clubs who completed Phase 2 were recently presented with their awards at a ceremony in Croke Park where Uachtarán CLG Jarlath Burns described how Green Clubs are reinforcing the GAA’s social leadership, improving club facilities, and helping ensure a better future for their communities. “The breadth of initiatives being celebrated here, speaks volumes about the innovative and community-focused spirit of our clubs. The diversity of these projects demonstrates how clubs are finding creative ways to address local challenges while contributing to a national movement.”
The event was also attended by guest speaker Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin who spoke of the positive legacy Green Clubs are creating for future generations.
The GAA, LGFA and Camogie Associations are now inviting new clubs to apply to become Green Clubs. Applications are open from now until January 26th for the next round of the Green Club programme.
Interested clubs can apply at: https://greenclubs.gaa.ie/ .
Successful clubs will be guided through a series of steps over 2025 and 2026, supported to access funding, plan, implement and report on initiatives.
You can also contact Gerry McGovern, Leitrim GAA Safety and Facilities Officer, for more information.
Also see:
Green Clubs feature on the GAA Learning portal on YouTube
Source: GAA.ie
Aoibhinn Ní Shuilleabháin pictured addressing the attendees during the GAA Green Club Event at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen Marken/Sportsfile.
Leitrim Handball Juvenile Christmas League reaches knockout stages
HandballThere was some great action served up in the Handball Juvenile Christmas League – Round 2 qualifiers and B-Plate matches in Fenagh earlier this evening.
————————–——————-
Original News Item:
The Leitrim Handball Juvenile Christmas League reaches knockout stages this weekend in Fenagh, and competition is sure to heat up with some very exciting 2nd round and quarter final fixtures down for decision.
First game at 5pm this evening.
Good Luck to all competing.
Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge 2025 – starting 8th January.
Health and WellbeingOur 50 Miles Challenge might be on pause for the moment but you can still get the steps in this January !
The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge 2025 invites club and community members nationwide to get active, connect with their community and support their GAA club for 5 weeks, starting 8th January 2025.
· Irish Life’s Health of the Nation Report 2024 has found that as a population we’re becoming less active and feeling more isolated..
· The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge 2024, which was facilitated on the MyLife app, recorded an increase of one million steps vs 2023 challenge
· 970 GAA clubs registered for the challenge in 2024, an increase of 181 clubs from 2023, with 125 from Connacht, 317 from Leinster, 268 from Munster and 263 from Ulster
The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge, is back for a sixth year. The aim of the challenge is to create a healthier Ireland by encouraging people from all over the country to join together through their local GAA Club and get out walking over a five-week period. The challenge, which runs from the 8th January 2025 to 12th February 2025, is a country-wide initiative in partnership with Ireland Lights Up* and will be hosted on Irish Life’s health and wellbeing app, MyLife, allowing users to record and track their efforts and steps.
Findings from Irish Life’s 2024 Health of the Nation Report shows that 60% of Irish adults are now overweight or obese, with over 3 in 5 adults under 35 also reporting feelings of loneliness and isolation. Encouraging participation to combat these health issues, the Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge sees users partake in an organised walk around their local GAA facilities each week, fostering healthy habits and greater community engagement.
During the 2024 Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge, the campaign saw participation surge to an all-time high of 40,000, an increase of 10,000 people from 2023. Most notably, a promising uplift in new joiners in the 18-39 age category were seen, showcasing the efforts of this age group to improve their health and build connections. Together participants walked over 6.6 million kilometres throughout the 2024 campaign, an increase of one million kilometres completed from 2023.
The challenge offers the chance to win a share of €30,000 in GAA club funding from Irish Life. Each GAA Club that surpasses the 4,000-kilometre goal of collective steps recorded by their participants are entered into a draw to win one of three €2,500 donations towards club funding, across each province. The challenge was initially launched during lockdown to help people across Ireland get active and provide a social connection to others in their communities. Since 2021 the challenge has continued to evolve, with 970 clubs taking part in 2024 – a testament to the Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Programme commitment to improve health and wellbeing in communities across Ireland.
Claire Myers of Round Towers GAA, Lusk, Co. Dublin said of their club’s experience: “Each Monday we organised a walk around our GAA facility fields, followed by tea/coffee and biscuits in the club, and we often found the children were encouraging their parents to bring them along too. It was
fun checking the app to see our individual steps and ranking in the club, but more importantly, how easy it was to monitor how our club’s steps total was progressing compared to other clubs in Leinster.
“The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge is a great initiative and it encouraged a lot of people to come out and walk. I received a lot of positive feedback from our members, saying it got them out and some of them are going to continue their Monday group walks, which is a very positive outcome. We’ll be back next year.”
Kate Casey, Head of Wellbeing Propositions at Irish Life commented “Our recent Irish Life 2024 Health of the Nation Report highlighted a concerning decline in physical activity and increased feelings of isolation, especially among those under 35. However, the consistent rise in participation in our Every Step Counts Challenge over the past 5 years demonstrates the importance of creating the opportunity for people to take part in physical activity, fostering a healthier and more connected community. The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Programme, club officers and volunteers play a pivotal role in promoting health and wellbeing for communities all over Ireland and Irish Life are delighted to support this initiative through the MyLife app.”
Colin Regan, GAA Community and Health Manager said: “The Steps Challenge epitomises what the Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Programme is all about: it enables our inspirational club volunteers to put in place a health-enhancing intervention that benefits tens of thousands of people, while placing their club at the heart of their community. It brings to life the GAA motto ‘Where We All Belong’.”
The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Programme delivers health and wellbeing benefits worth €50M to Ireland, an independent Social Return on Investment (SROI) evaluation completed by Just Economics in 2023 confirms. The research highlighted the significant health and wellbeing gains for participants, including increases in physical activity and adopting of healthier behaviours.
As the initiative continues to gain momentum, Irish Life’s ambition is to grow the Every Step Counts Challenge to support communities becoming active through a fun and collaborative programme. The five-week challenge is not only an enjoyable way to get active within the community but can help participants track measurable improvements to their overall health through Irish Life’s MyLife App.
The 2024 winners of the Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Every Step Counts Challenge were:
Connacht
· Kinvara GAA and Camogie Club, Galway – 4,099.7km tracked / 37 participants
· Club Iománaíochta Bearna Na Forbacha, Galway – 15,266.56km tracked / 76 participants
· Shannon Gaels, Roscommon – 8,900.5km tracked / 50 participants
Leinster
· Round Towers Lusk, Dublin – 19,080.9km / 110 participants
· Syddan GFC, Meath – 6,091.6km / 31 participants
· St Brendan’s Grangegorman, Dublin – 10,785.2km / 52 participants
Munster
· Ballydonoghue GAA, Kerry – 9,219.1km / 58 participants
· Ballygunner Hurling Club, Waterford – 17,527.6km / 106 participants
· Keel GAA, Kerry – 5,883.8km / 28 participants
Ulster
· O’Connell’s GAC Tullysaran, Armagh – 20,303.2km / 87 participants
· Kilrea GAC, Derry – 11,931.7km / 70 participants
· Omagh St Enda’s, Tyrone – 8,860.3km / 51 participants
Source: GAA.ie
Club Officer Training 2024/25 – Webinar date is 8th January
GeneralImportant diary date for next week !
The Club Leadership Development Programme (CLDP) provides learning opportunities for new and existing Club Officers in GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association Clubs to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to fulfil their roles. It focuses on the practical aspects of the primary roles on a Club Executive.
Familiarise yourself with the key knowledge and skills needed to get started in your Club Officer role. Connacht Council will provide of role-specific webinars for Chairpersons, Secretaries, Treasurers, PROs and Coaching Officers on Wednesday 8th January.
All webinars will last for approximately 90 minutes and will be delivered in an interactive way by experienced facilitators.
Some webinars are available for other roles, so please refer to the events calendar for more information.
https://learning.gaa.ie/club_leadership
Happy Christmas and have a wonderful New Year for 2025
GeneralWe would like to take this opportunity to wish our players, clubs, mentors, officials, administrators, supporters and sponsors a Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year for 2025.
Beannachtaí na Nollaig agus Athbhlíaín faoi shéan is faoi mhaise daoibh go léir
..