Kingspan gifts Christmas cheer to Louth athlete and sports clubs
Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund
Two amateur sports clubs and an athlete based in Louth have each received a €1,000 uplift ahead of the festive period courtesy of building materials company, Kingspan.
The Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund launched earlier this year, with support from Irish professional golfer, Shane Lowry, to provide support for grassroots level athletes and community sports clubs, and has already awarded a total of €90,000 to successful applicants across Ireland.
As part of the fund, footballer Shay Casey from Dundalk, has been awarded €1,000, alongside sports clubs, Naomh Mairtin CPG, Drogheda, and Drogheda Special Olympics, which will help to provide sporting equipment, training and other necessary resources, alongside offering assistance with any campaigns that are currently underway.
A keen footballer, 15-year-old Shay, has been passionately involved in the sport from a very young age. Last year, Shay was selected to represent Dundalk in the League of Ireland (LOI) at U14 level and more recently, he has represented his club in France and Denmark, where he helped to secure a highly commendable third place finish with the U15 team.
Planning to utilise the Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund to further develop his performance, Shay will invest in purchasing analytic software and employing a personal trainer to help him reach his goal of transitioning to the U17 level next year.
Meanwhile, Naomh Martin CPG is the hub of the local community and alongside providing GAA games for all ages, the club also boasts a special inclusion group known as the All Stars programme as well as a Mothers and Others and health and wellbeing group. The fund will be used to upgrade the centre and to install LED sensor lights.
Marking 20 years next year, Drogheda Special Olympics is a sports organisation for individuals with intellectual disabilities and works to promote fun and friendship amongst its members.
Over the years, the club has enjoyed huge success including winning 12 medals in last year’s regional games and a silver medal at the 2015 Olympic Games.
Hoping to remain an integral part of the local community for many years to come, Drogheda Special Olympics will be able to purchase new sports equipment, thanks to the Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund.
Speaking about the Fund, Hannah Fidgeon, Kickstart Marketing Manager at Kingspan said: “We are a long-standing supporter of Irish sports through our sponsorship of Ulster Rugby and Cavan GAA, so establishing the Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund was an important initiative for us.
“Professional level sport is largely well bolstered, however if it’s to continue to progress and thrive, support for grassroots level athletes, sports clubs and facilities is essential.
"It’s well known that competing at an amateur level can be extremely tough, especially in terms of finances, and we hope that this Fund will help to make a huge difference to clubs, facilities and athletes in their sporting journey.
“We have an immense amount of home-grown sporting talent here in Ireland,” Hannah continued. “If our rich sporting culture is to continue to evolve and develop, we must do all we can to support the grassroots levels, which hopefully the Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund will help to achieve.
“Congratulations to all the recipients. We’re looking forward to seeing how your clubs and athletes grow in the near future.”
To apply for the Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund, you must be an amateur athlete, sports club or a community sports facility open to all and based on the island of Ireland.
Applications for the next round of funding will open in 2024. Visit: www.kingspangroup.com/en/ about/communities/kickstart- sports-fund/ for further information.