GAA PLAYS BALL AROUND WORLD

A PIONEERING scheme that will see schoolchildren playing Gaelic games in Britain is being exported to Canada and eventually around the world.

A team from the Bishop Challonor School in Birmingham, which pioneered the scheme, has already had success in Ireland and is now set to repeat the idea in Canada.

Challonor GAA football and hurling coaches Eddie O'Connor, Brian Roberts and Lorraine Gallagher took their knowledge of the games to schoolchildren in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.

Canadian GAA clubs joined the coaches during a seven-week trip to Canada. About 250 children were coached in 48 schools that the coaching team targeted in just one long day.

The next step will see at least 36 children and coaches from Britain fly to Canada to take part in a GAA tournament.

Organisers are trying to raise pounds 23,000 to finance the transatlantic jaunt to take place next June.

St Dunstans GAA players and coaching staff have organised a string of fundraising events.

The coaching initiative has already seen more than 3,500 children taking part in Irish sports throughout the British Midlands.

Croke Park bosses have given the shme its blessing after officials visited Birmingham to monitor its success.

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