Cadbury announced that it will be continuing their commitment to U21 Football by extending their sponsorship of the GAA Football U21 Championship for a further 3 years, building on a successful 4 year reign as the first sponsors of the U21 Football Championship. In 2005 Cadbury chose to support GAA at grassroots level to enhance a competition that fills such an important role in the development of young Irish players. Cadbury have awarded over 40 Hero of the Match Awards to date in recognition of the hard word and skills of players at this level. The Cadbury Hero of the Future Award has been presented to three outstanding players at U21 level to mark their potential for the future and their dedication to the game: Cadbury Hero of the Future Awards: 2006: Keith Higgins from Mayo 2007: Fintan Goold from Cork 2008: Killian Young from Kerry The Cadbury Hero of the Future Award has been selected by public voting on www.cadburygaau21.com and adjudication from Kildare Senior Footballer Dermot Earley and TG4 journalist Michael O Domhnaill. This year sees the introduction of Paul Caffrey, former U21 Football selector, as a third judge for these Awards which raises the stakes as the players will have a player, a former selector and manager and a TV analyst to impress. The winning player will win a holiday for himself, ?1000 for his club, ?1000 for his county board. Cadbury are now also offering each of the 15 Hero's of the Match a training kit for their club from this year. Paul Caffrey was a selector for the Dublin U21 Football team in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Under the Pillar as selector the team reached the All Ireland final in 2002 but were beaten by Galway. Undeterred, the team made the final again and beat Tyrone to take home the silverware - the only time Dublin have won the U21 Football Championships to date. He commented: " I'm very happy to come on board with Cadbury as a judge for the Cadbury GAA U21 Football Championship. I have fond memories as a selector at this level and I look forward to selecting a true Hero of the Future with Michael and Dermot. The U21 Football Championship gives us a great opportunity to see the stars of the future perform on the intercounty stage." Nickey Brennan, GAA President commented: "Confirmation that Cadbury is to extend its sponsorship of the U21 Football Championship is to be welcomed ahead of what is shaping up to be another intriguing competition. The company's arrival in the GAA's championship sponsors' stable was a boost when it was first announced and Cadbury have since gone on to prove themselves as innovative and imaginative supporters of our games through their 'Hero of the Future' award scheme, which acknowledges hard work and endeavour amongst our players over the course of the entire championship. The U21 grade is an important stepping stone and one that assists players to bridge the gap from the minor to senior grades, the importance of which was highlighted at last year's Special Congress when delegates voted to maintain our U21 competitions." Shane Guest, Cadbury Senior Brand Manager commented: " Building on the success of the last 4 years, we are delighted to renew our commitment to the GAA by extending our sponsorship of the GAA Football U21 Championship. With the Leinster Championship now underway, Wicklow, Kildare, Westmeath and Dublin are now through to the next round, with Kildare looking particularly impressive. We are encouraging all fans and media to log on to www.cadburygaau21.com, follow us on Twitter and become fans of our facebook page for updates and news during the championship." This season Cadbury has introduced a greater level of on-line interactivity for the U21 Championship which will allow fans and media to keep up to date with the latest news, fixtures and results . New elements have been added to the website www.cadburygaau21.com, including a video and photo gallery section. Fans can contribute their own comments and add their own content via the website, through the championship Twitter channel, http://twitter.com/CadburyU21 and through the Facebook fan page . A Flickr page www.flickr.com/photos/cadburyu21football, has also been created which allows fans to view a selection of photos from the previous three seasons, as well has dedicated sections on both Hoganstand.com and AnFearRua.com. Tweet

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