All roads lead to The Scarvey in Buncrana on Friday night as up to 100 boys and girls will be joined by many parents and GAA supporters from around Inishowen and Donegal for the Donegal Animal Hospital sponsored U9 & U11 Invitation Tournament Finals, which are organised annually by the Inishowen GAA Board with all proceeds being donated to Childhood Cancer Foundation.
The Tournament which is now in its second year, donates all proceeds to Childhood Cancer Foundation as part of their LightItUpGold campaign during the month of September, which helps to raise awareness of childhood cancer and contributes to improved services for children with Cancer and their families.
The Inishowen GAA Board are delighted to acknowledge the support they have received from the Donegal Animal Hospital, Drumany Letterkenny and as a result of their generosity all proceeds raised on the night will go to Childhood Cancer Foundation, which has strong links in Inishowen and Donegal.
In the Under 9 final, which throws in at 6.45 pm host club Buncrana are sure to be cheered on by a big local crowd as they take on Glenswilly and with both sides having made it through the group stages unbeaten, something is sure to give. The boys from Glen emerged from a difficult semi-final against Carndonagh, but it took a massive second half performance before emerging with a two point victory.
The Scarvey boys under manager Marty Coyle also overcame a stiff semi-final test when they travelled to O’Donnell Park in Letterkenny where they defeated a fancied St Eunan’s side. There will be very little between the two sides when the final whistle goes and difficult to predict a winner in what is sure to be a ding dong affair.
The Under 11 final between Malin and Glenswilly which starts at 8.00 pm under the floodlights, will certainly have the crowd on their toes. Malin have been the kingpins of Inishowen football in the Go Games section for the past couple of years and have also performed well at tournaments in Newry and Bellaghy during the summer.
They see this as a big test of their standing within the county and know it will not be easy against Lee Gildea’s young charges. A trip to Muff in the semi-final for the Malin boys was passed with flying colours and they are raring to go against the mighty Glenswilly.
The influence of County players Michael Murphy and Neil Gallagher is clearly evident within the Glenswilly underage structure, they have massive numbers all wanting to progress in the same way as their heroes.
These boys from Glen sailed through their five group games while a semi-final journey to The Scarvey did nothing to upset their rhythm as they eased into the final to make it a double for the club. They too see this game as a big test of where they are at, both clubs play with great intensity, skill levels are high and it promises to be a fantastic game to finish off a great tournament.
Fixtures
Donegal Animal Hospital U9 Final 6.45 pm
Bun Cranncha v Gleann- tSuilí
Donegal Animal Hospital U11 Final 8.00 pm
Malainn V Gleann- tSuilí
Childhood Cancer Foundation:
Childhood Cancer Foundation comprises volunteer parents and family members whose children are currently in treatment for or in remission from various childhood cancers. Through the generosity of our donors and work of our volunteers we are funding play services on St John’s paediatric cancer day unit at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin.
The Charity is also funding a medical research project in the hospital, which investigates the benefits of complementary therapies for children receiving treatment for cancer. We will also be funding the roll out of the Internationally recognised Beads of Courage™ which is an arts in medicine programme provided to children with cancer in many paediatric hospitals in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and other countries which helps them to understand and cope with their cancer diagnosis.
Scarvey GAA say; “We will continue to run awareness campaigns including Light It Up Gold and to promote the recognition of the gold ribbon as the symbol of childhood cancer. We are advocating for the development of peer-to-peer support for parents and improved services for children with cancer and their families in the New National Cancer Strategy.”
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