Tullow Rugby Club has been named the winners of Texaco Sports Initiative award in Carlow

Tullow Rugby Football Club has been chosen winners of the Carlow County award in this year’s Texaco Support for Sport initiative. EUR5,000 has been presented to the Club to help upgrade the female dressing room facilities and cater for the growing numbers enjoying the sport.

Founded in 1928, Tullow RFC serves a large geographic area and encourages participation in the sport by people from all sections of society and the community. The club has a particularly strong women’s rugby division, including a youth section with a growing number of girls participating from under 12s up to under 18s.

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Now in its fourth year, the Texaco Support for Sport initiative – organised by Valero Energy (Ireland) Limited, the company that markets fuel in Ireland under the Texaco brand – sees a fund of EUR130,000 set aside annually for allocation in equal amounts of EUR5,000 to successful applicants chosen on a county-by-county basis. Previous Carlow winners were Bagenalstown Swimming Club (2021) and Bennekerry’s Palatine GAA Club (2022). In 2023, no eligible applications were received from Co. Carlow, and, for that reason, it was not possible to disperse the award that would have been due to a club in the county.

Congratulating the winners on what he termed ‘the invaluable contribution that sports clubs make to the heart of community life in Ireland’, James Twohig, Director of Ireland Operations, Valero Energy (Ireland) Limited praised the unstinting work of club officials and volunteers, stating that “since its inception, in excess of €500,000 has been distributed to a variety of more than 100 sports clubs under the Texaco Support for Sport initiative”.

Overseeing the judging process was Texaco Support for Sport ambassador, former Irish rugby international and well-known broadcaster, Donncha O’Callaghan. Commenting, he said, “As adjudicator, the most heartening aspect of the Texaco Support for Sport initiative is the benefit it brings to Irish sports clubs by providing rare access to funds which are not linked to the popularity, membership size or success of any given club.”

Describing the Carlow club as ‘a very deserving recipient’, he went on to add: “Tullow RFC has a very clear vision of what it wants to achieve and has seen huge growth, especially in its girls and ladies’ teams. Hopefully, with this support, it will go on to produce more players who will follow in the footsteps of their great clubmate Seán O’Brien.”

Entries for the 2025 Texaco Support for Sport initiative will open in the Autumn for all clubs, including those whose application may have been unsuccessful previously.