TESCO Club Person of the Year announced

The Tesco Club Person of the Year Awards is an initiative which recognizes the extraordinary efforts of the unsung heroes of the ladies football club scene.

The four provincial winners are Patricia Keady (Connacht), Jessica Carroll (Leinster), Mary Finn (Munster) and Eileen Brown (Ulster).

Patricia Keady of the Glenamaddy club in Galway has been involved in the club since its foundation in 2000. Patricia has fulfilled the role of Welfare Officer since the club’s inception and has played a key role in managing teams over the years. In 2009, she managed the club’s intermediate team to All Ireland Sevens success.

Jessica Carroll of Blessington Ladies in Wicklow is recognized for her unwavering support of juvenile teams under difficult circumstances. A former inter county player, Jessica was forced into premature retirement from the game due to a serious back injury. However this set back did not stop her from playing a key management role and ensuring that Blessington Ladies continued to compete in the juvenile leagues.

Mary Finn of the Clonakilty club in Cork played a key role in establishing the fledgling club. Mary is the club secretary and plays a major role in fundraising and team management. Mary orchestrated the successful logistics and support for the Clonakilty team that won last year’s All Ireland Junior Club championship.

Eileen Brown is from the Rory O’Moores club in Belturbet, Cavan and is one of the founding members of the club. Over the last 20 years she has carried out many roles including club secretary, club chairperson and team manager. Apart from playing a key role in club fundraising and coaching she has also served as County Secretary and represented her club at county and provincial and national level.

The Tesco Club Person of the Year 2009 was named as Eileen Brown of the Rory O’Moores club in Belturbet, Cavan. Eileen received a special commemorative trophy and a €500 Tesco gift voucher.
Pat Quill, president of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, said, “The club scene is the lifeblood of our game and its success has enabled ladies football to become the fastest growing female sport in the country. But our success is born out of the hard work of the selfless club members who go that extra mile. The Tesco Club Person of the Year award allows us to salute these unsung heroes and recognize their contributions at a national level.”

John Prendergast, Head of Trade and Local Marketing for Tesco Ireland commented, “Congratulations go to all of the winners at the Tesco Club Person of the Year Awards. These awards value the unsung heroes of Ladies Club Football and the tremendous support that is provided by our winners to their respective clubs. We at Tesco are delighted to award Patricia, Jessica, Mary and Eileen today for their hard work behind the scenes in Ladies Club Football.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:
Ladies Gaelic Football

• Ladies Football is the largest female team participation sport in the country with over 135,000 registered ladies footballers in the country. There are a Ladies Football 1000 clubs
• Ladies Football has affiliated leagues in North & South America, the UK, Australia, Asia, and across mainland Europe.
• Ladies Football sponsors include: TG4, Bord Gáis Energy, Tesco, Lucozade Sport & O’Neills Sport

Tesco

• Tesco is Ireland’s leading retailer.
• The company employs 12,500 staff in 119 stores throughout the country
• Each year Tesco buys €2 billion worth of Irish food and drink products. €655m of these purchases are exported to Tesco stores around the world making Tesco a bigger export destination for Irish food and drink than France, Germany or the US.
• Tesco sponsor the Ladies Football All Ireland Club Championships and Club Person of the Year Awards
• The 2010 Tesco for Schools and Clubs scheme has just launched and will run until May 9th. The scheme provides schools and clubs throughout Ireland the opportunity to collect vouchers in Tesco’s 119 stores and exchange these for IT, sports, creative, educational and environmental equipment. Since 1998 over €15 million worth of equipment has been donated to almost 3000 schools and clubs in Ireland.

For More Information:
Helen O’Rourke, CEO, Ladies Gaelic Football: TEL: 01 836 3156
David O’Síocháin, Pembroke Communications TEL: 087 936 2440 / 01 649 6322
Seamus Banim, Tesco Ireland, TEL: 086 600 1149
www.ladiesgaelic.ie
www.tesco.ie