Hurls and helmets aren’t cheap, so if you happen to have old ones knocking about your bedroom, back hall, car boot or shed, Carlow GAA and Carlow County Council are hoping you can help out.
Ah Camán is a ‘reuse and repair pilot project’ asking those who live, study and work in Carlow to root out old hurls and helmets, once used but now long sitting on the sidelines.
In an effort to relieve financial burdens on families, who may have several children looking to take part in hurling, any hurls and helmets received will be repaired, reused and put back in the game, in the hands of a new generation of hurlers and camógs.
Carlow GAA, through its Coaching and Games programme, continues to develop positive relationships with all of the primary schools across the county through the development and delivery of a wide variety of initiatives.
“One of the programmes we offer to all primary schools throughout the County is a six-week block coaching programme,” says Brendan Hayden, Carlow GAA games development administrator.
“In recent years, however, a shortage of funding combined with increased COVID safety measures has impacted the programme and resulted in a decrease of the availability of hurls and helmets for use in schools.”
“Schools in our county struggle to finance the cost of new equipment for their existing or potential players. The cost of a new hurl can vary from €35 to €50 with helmets costing up to €70 each. Both Schools and Carlow GAA endeavour to eliminate the financial burden on families, who may have several children wanting to try our native sport, by accessing grants and looking for other funding opportunities.”
How can you help?
Helping seems the easy part with Carlow GAA calling on people to organise a collection in your area or workplace, with designated drop-off points also available.
For full details, contact Jannette O’Brien at Carlow County Council via email to [email protected] or by phone at 059 9136232.
