Cadbury officially launch U21 FC
February 23, 2010
Pictured at the launch of the 2010 Cadbury GAA U21 Football Championship were Rory O'Carroll (Dublin), Donie Shine (Roscommon), Shane Guest (Cadbury Ireland) and Barry John Walsh (Kerry)
Speaking at the launch Shane Guest from Cadbury Ireland said "This is Cadbury Ireland's sixth year as sponsor of the Cadbury GAA Football U21 Championship and I am delighted to say that it continues to go from strength to strength. This year we are bringing even more support to the sponsorship with in-store activity, digital interaction, and on-street activity as well as looking at innovative transport solutions to bring supporters across the country to Under 21 games."
Christy Cooney said: "I am delighted to note that our involvement of our partners and GAA U21 Football Championship sponsors Cadbury enters its sixth year and I fully expect this year's competition to be every bit as exciting as other years, and indeed last year when my native Cork pipped Down in a Portlaoise final thriller.
"I have seen the exciting initiatives that Cadbury has planned for our 2010 championship and I have no doubt that it will bring energy and passion to the competition and generate even more interest in a championship that is keenly followed by football lovers on the lookout for emerging talent."
After last year's thrilling contest which saw Cork reign supreme after a last minute goal against Ulster Champions Down, the 2010 championship promises to be packed full of excitement. The Cadbury GAA Under 21 Football Championship is widely regarded as an important stepping stone to senior success with a large number of Under 21 players already starring for their senior county teams in the National League.
Indeed last year's senior All- Ireland Final saw three previous Cadbury Heroes of the Future line-up with Killian Young's (2008) Kerry getting the better of Colm O'Neill (2009) and Fintan Goold's (2007) Cork.
Cadbury have sponsored the championship since 2005 and are delighted to announce a number of new initiatives aimed at further rewarding GAA players and supporters across the island of Ireland.
"Shout For Your County"
Earlier this month Cadbury launched its first in-store activity to support the sponsorship with their "Shout for Your County" promotion asking the Irish public to show their support for their county to be in with a chance to win €1000 or a top class training session for their county team. There's €1000 up for grabs in each of the 32 counties across the island of Ireland meaning a total of €32,000 will be given out by the end of the promotion. The promotion is supported by a large scale media campaign and experiential activity.
Online interaction
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.
To mark the 2010 season Cadbury are asking fans who they think have been the best U21 players of the past five years. Fans can simply log on to www.cadburygaau21.com and vote for their players to make up the Cadbury 15. At the end of this year's Championship Cadbury will reveal the 15 players who receive the most votes and make the cut to be on the Cadbury 15!'
Additional elements have been added to the website, www.cadburygaau21.com, include an enhanced 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 or by becoming a fan 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 seasons.
Scholarship Extension
The Cadbury Scholarship programme has been extended this year to include Cork Institute of Technology bringing to 8 the number of third level institutions benefiting from Cadbury support with 13 students receiving awards of €1000 so far in 2010.
Donal Shine - Roscommon (DCU)
Jonathan Cooper - Dublin (DCU)
Donal O'Currain - Donegal (UCD)
John Heslin - Westmeath (UCD)
Christopher Murphy - Wicklow (UL)
Stephen Mann - Wicklow (UL)
Aidan Walsh - Cork (CIT)
Mark Collins - Cork (UCC)
Paul Honohan - Cork (UCC)
Conor Doherty - Galway (NUIG)
Jason Doherty - Mayo (NUIG)
Eoin Fanning - Dublin (TCD)
Tomas Corrigan - Fermanagh (TCD)
Cadbury Hero of the Future Awards
The Cadbury Hero of the Future Award is selected by public voting on www.cadburygaau21.com and adjudication from Kildare Senior Footballer Dermot Earley, former Dublin Manager Paul Caffrey and TG4 journalist Micheal Ó Domhnaill. The winning player will win a holiday for himself, €1000 for his club and €1000 for his county board. Cadbury also offer each of the 15 Hero's of the Match a training kit for their club.
2006: Keith Higgins from Mayo
2007: Fintan Goold from Cork
2008: Killian Young from Kerry
2009: Colm O'Neill from Cork Tweet
