Inter-county players from all over the country are coming together to support the heroic efforts of frontline workers during the COVID-19 crisis.

Players from all 32 counties are taking part in the first of its kind All-Ireland FIFA20 Charity Online Tournament which will take place across the May Bank Holiday weekend. All money raised will go frontline workers in the HSE and NHS across the island.

Disability Rights Activist and Irish Times Columnist Joanne O’ Riordan, the Gaelic Player Association (GPA) and Insomnia Dublin Gaming Festival have teamed up to organise the online tournament which will be streamed live from Friday, 1st May.  Details of the streaming can be found here: www.insomniagamingdublin.ie/all-ireland

The competition pits inter-county players including, Wexford’s Rory O’Connor, Kilkenny’s Paddy Deegan and Monaghan’s Conor McCarthy, against each other, allowing them to release some of their competitive energy at a time when games are on hold. The GPA have liaised with players to ensure all 32 counties are represented.

GPA CEO Paul Flynn commented; “This is a fantastic idea, and the GPA are delighted to be involved. It’s a great way for players to stay connected to each other at this time of isolation while it’s great to be able to raise funds for frontline workers. 

“There are many inter-county players, both male and female, among them. To be able to show our support for them in this way is something that we are delighted to be able to do. We are extremely grateful and extremely proud of their efforts”.

The tournament is a 1v1 knockout format, with senior inter-county hurlers and footballers facing off to be crowned the All-Ireland FIFA20 Champion. Each of the 32 counties is represented by a single player, with fixtures running across the May Bank Holiday weekend, with the final taking place on Sunday, 3rd May.

Leading Irish gaming community ‘The Republic of Players’ will also be involved with the delivery of the tournament, managing the live stream of matches and administration of the tournament.

The FIFA20 All-Ireland Charity tournament will be broadcast on Insomnia Dublin Gaming Festival’s Facebook and YouTube pages, free of charge, but viewers are asked to make a donation.

The 32 GAA players taking part will be released over the next number of days. 

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