14 April: The GAA and Age Friendly Ireland – the national organisation delivering the government vision of an Age Friendly Ireland – have today announced a new partnership to enhance the GAA experience for older members and supporters.
In collaboration with Age Friendly Programme Managers, the GAA will invite a number of their county grounds across the four provinces to participate in an accessibility improvement programme, with a focus on accessible parking, toilets, viewing areas, and improved mobility throughout stadiums, including safe and easy access and exit.
In 2022, Croke Park became the world’s first Age Friendly Stadium, following a four-stage process aligned with WHO’s Global Network for Age Friendly Cities and Communities. Kingspan Breffni Park has also been recognised for its accessible facilities and the age-friendly initiatives led by the Cavan GAA Health & Wellbeing Committee.
The Age Friendly Ireland Shared Service will offer technical expertise, resources, staffing support, and communications to embed an age-friendly ethos across GAA operations. Rooted in community values, the partnership will also seek to enhance volunteering opportunities that deliver strong social benefits for older persons.
Commenting as an older supporter and Age Friendly Meath Ambassador, Meath football legend Sean Boylan said: “For generations, older GAA fans have filled the stands, followed their counties across the country, and passed their love of the games down through families and communities. I have no doubt that this partnership will provide an improved experience for older patrons and ensure that the vital social networks that Gaelic games provide older members of our communities are sustained.”
The partnership will also seek to capture some of the incredible work undertaken by many GAA clubs and counties in serving the needs of their older members, be that through the likes of the Irish Life Healthy Clubs programme, the GAA Social Initiative and more. Clubs such as Westmeath’s Rosemount GAA were last year awarded first prize at the National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards for their Social Initiative’s success in offering activities and events for older persons ‘specifically designed to enrich their lives and respect the important contribution they have made and continue to make to community life.’
GAA President, Jarlath Burns, said: “We know in the GAA that we are standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. We have so much to learn from our older generations, and they have so much to contribute to our great Association. I believe this partnership will support our counties in making our grounds more age-friendly and will shine a light on the incredible efforts our volunteers make to ensure we live up to our mission of ensuring as many people as possible participate in Gaelic games and culture, for as long as possible.”
Speaking on the partnership, Meath County Council Chief Executive Kieran Kehoe said: “I am absolutely delighted with the deepening of this partnership between the GAA and the Age Friendly Ireland Shared Service, one that will enhance the fantastic work already done by both of these organisations to make the GAA network more accessible, inclusive and supportive for our aging population.”
Participating GAA County Boards will benefit from an age friendly audit of their county grounds delivered by Age Friendly Ireland. They will also be supported in consulting with older people and people with disabilities to assess current accessibility and identify improvements that can be made.
In relation to positive ageing, Meath’s Age Friendly Ireland Ambassador, former Football Manager Sean Boylan, attending today’s launch said: “just keep telling me what I CAN do.”
As the first country in the world to adopt the Age Friendly initiative under the WHO, Ireland continues to lead in addressing the opportunities and challenges of an ageing population. For more information about Age Friendly Ireland visit agefriendlyireland.ie.
