Newly elected Laois GAA chairman Peter O'Neill believes that they GAA needs to tap into the diverse range of nationalities living in the county in order for them to embrace Gaelic games.

Speaking after being elected as the new Laois chairman, O'Neill is in no doubt that going forward, the county needs to explore every avenue in order to increase the numbers playing Gaelic games in Laois.

"Allow me to give you some stark facts, and these are facts; 12.5% of the population of Laois are non-Irish born, 27% of the population of Portlaoise are non-Irish born," the Leinster Express reports O'Neill as stating.

"Forty two different nationalities are in the schools of Laois, and the other figure which is an advantage to us, is that 25% of the population of Laois are under the age of 14.

"This provides a great opportunity to get new people involved in our games, but it also means we have to work very, very hard in our clubs and in our schools to get the minds and bodies of these young people.

"The people are there to be got, and we have to work to get them. We can work together between the clubs and the county, through the GAA structures, through the coaching and games and the club school links."

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