On 26 April, FRS Recruitment was announced as the official title sponsor of the 2023 GAA World Games at the launch in at Croke Park. The 2023 GAA World games will bring some 1 300 players from 10 regions around the globe back home to play in Derry this summer.
This will mark the fourth-ever staging of the competition since 2015, with the 2023 FRS Recruitment GAA World Games set to be the biggest and best yet. Previous GAA World Games festivals were held in Abu Dhabi in 2015, in UCD in 2016 and in Waterford in 2019.
“The FRS Recruitment GAA World Games will be one of the most significant events in the GAA calendar in 2023,” said GAA President Larry McCarthy.
“Thousands are planning to flock to Derry for what will be a spectacular festival of Gaelic games activity, and which will show people just how strong Gaelic games are outside of Ireland.”
Derry’s Owenbeg, Centre of Excellence will host the initial stages of the event from July 24 to July 27 and the finals will take place on July 28 at Celtic Park, Derry City.
In keeping with the tradition of other GAA festivals, visiting teams will be twinned with local clubs throughout Derry to enhance the social and cultural elements of the Games.
There are now more than 500 GAA Clubs in existence outside of Ireland with 105 teams confirmed for the FRS Recruitment GAA World Games and representing clubs from across Europe, New York, USGAA, South Africa, Argentina, Canada, Britain, Australasia, India, Asia, and the Middle East.
World titles for Football, Ladies Football, Hurling and Camogie will be on offer with competing teams made up specifically of native-born or Irish-born players.
There will be eight finals in all on a hectic day of international activity at Celtic Park and with four finals staged for Irish-born players in Football, Ladies Football, Hurling and Camogie and then another four finals for native born players competing across the four codes.
Approximately 5,000 people will be involved in this year’s Games between players, team officials, administrators, families, and supporters.
“For those who make a home from home outside of Ireland and for many others as well, their local GAA Club is of vital importance to being able to put down roots, make new friends and create new opportunities and celebrate a culture and identity by playing our great games,” McCarthy said.
“Increasingly, the presence of almost 500 GAA Clubs outside of Ireland is growing the interest and participation in Gaelic games among people in many countries who are embracing the chance to play Gaelic football, hurling and camogie.”
“We are eagerly anticipating the forthcoming festival of Gaelic Games in Derry in July. The 2023 FRS Recruitment GAA World Games will attract unprecedented levels of interest and we are delighted that the Ladies Gaelic Football Association is strongly represented once again,” added LGFA President Micheál Naughton, a view also expressed by Hilda Breslin President of the Camogie Association.
“The GAA is such an integral part of communities across Ireland and around the world, as demonstrated by the success of the GAA World Games, and we look forward to a successful Games in Derry in late July, concluded Colin Donnery, CEO of the spoonsors FRS recruitment.
O’Neill’s will once again create bespoke kits for the competing teams.
