2020 GFP HEC Third-Level Ladies Football Championships Launched

Gourmet Food Parlour celebrates the passion of Ladies Footballers at launch of 2020 HEC Championships.

Finals weekend confirmed for Kerry GAA Centre of Excellence on March 13/14

The 2020 Championships were launched today (Wednesday January 29) at GFP’s Northwood (Santry) outlet – with leading players Laura McGinley (DCU/Dublin), Muireann Atkinson (DCU/Monaghan), Eilish Ronayne (UL/Mayo) and Hannah O’Donoghue (UL/Kerry) present to represent each of the four provinces as GFP ambassadors, and to reveal their passions away from the playing fields.

Former Kerry Footballer and GFP ambassador Tomás Ó Sé was also on hand to conduct a Q & A session with the players and look forward to the top-class action that lies in store before the competitions reach a conclusion on Friday/Saturday March 13/14.

It has also been confirmed that GFP O’Connor Cup weekend will be hosted by the spectacular and newly-built Kerry GAA Centre of Excellence in Currans.

This state-of-the-art Centre is the training hub for Kerry’s various inter-county teams, and GFP O’Connor Cup weekend will be the first official adult tournaments to be held there.

The GFP O’Connor Cup Final will also be streamed Live on the Spórt TG4 YouTube page, and is down for decision on Saturday March 14.
This is Gourmet Food Parlour’s third year working alongside the LGFA, with GFP sponsoring the prestigious O’Connor Cup, while also acting as title sponsors of the Giles, Lynch, Moynihan, Donaghy and Lagan Cups.

Speaking at the launch today, Gourmet Food Parlour CEO Lorraine Heskin said: “This continues to be a hugely exciting time for Ladies Football and the LGFA, and in the year 2020, we are delighted to continue our sponsorship of the HEC Championships for a third year.
“We are extremely passionate about sport for women and our relationship with the LGFA is a wonderful fit for us. Our fuelling passion theme this year really resonates with us in GFP as we are truly passionate about all we do and we also love being involved with the HEC competitions.
“I’m excited about the Championships that lie in store, and I would like to wish all of the competing teams the very best of luck as they set out on their journeys.”

The Ladies Gaelic Football Association’s Higher Education Committee (HEC) will showcase the talents of 56 teams, representing 34 colleges, during the 2020 GFP Championships. The stunning growth of Ladies Football in Third-Level Colleges has coincided with Gourmet Food Parlour’s sponsorship of the Ladies HEC Leagues and Championships.

The 2019 Gourmet Food Parlour O’Connor Cup Final was a thrilling affair at Grangegorman, as University of Limerick defeated UCD to record a 12th title win. In defence of their crown, UL, who also won the GFP Division 1 League title before Christmas, will face stiff opposition from a number of opponents, including DCU, UCD and UCC.

LGFA CEO Helen O’Rourke commented: “We are very pleased to welcome Lorraine Heskin and the entire Gourmet Food Parlour team on board for the third year of our partnership.
“The GFP O’Connor Cup weekend is one of the most high-profile and firmly-established on our annual calendar, and we look forward to many exciting games along the way, before our 2020 Champions are revealed.”

Speaking on behalf of the Ladies HEC, Chairperson Donal Barry said: “Once again, we have an extremely healthy number of teams and colleges competing in the 2020 GFP Championships.
“We are very much looking forward to what the coming weeks have in store, as we prepare for Finals weekend, hosted this year Kerry GAA’s Centre of Excellence.
“This magnificent centre is a fitting venue for our players to parade their skills, and we’re very much looking forward to welcoming all of the competing teams to the Kingdom of Kerry.”

In the GFP O’Connor Cup, holders UL find themselves in Group A alongside UCC and Queen’s University. In Group B, Ulster University, DCU and UCD will battle it out for the two semi-final spots on offer from each group.

The GFP O’Connor Cup action gets underway on February 6, when UCC host UL in Group A, and University of Ulster entertain UCD in Group B.

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