BT Expands Relationship with Ulster Colleges GAA

GAA enthusiasts and well known players and personalities were at BT Tower today (17 June 2009) for the announcement of BT's renewal and expansion of its sponsorship of Ulster Colleges GAA.

BT has supported Ulster Colleges under 16's competitions for the past eight years and is extending this partnership by supporting the under 18 level and through the creation of the 'BT Genius Bursary'. Each year five players, between the age of 16 and 18, will be each awarded the bursary based on personal demonstration of inspiration, a positive attitude, brilliant ability and generous sportsmanship.

Peter Morris, Consumer Director at BT formally announced the sponsorship, 'It is with a great sense of pride that I announce the further renewal of BT's partnership with Ulster Colleges GAA and highlight that we will now also be supporting the next level which includes the MacRory, MacLarnon and Mageean competitions as well as the All Stars scheme.

'BT is wholeheartedly committed to the GAA at a grassroots level and the community which surrounds it, and we are excited about building on our successes of the past eight years. Over the next three years we will not simply be putting our name to the cups and competitions, we are also launching a new and totally unique award scheme the 'BT Genius Bursary'. This will be awarded to five players each season who have shown excellence on the pitch and should help support the players as they move from second level education into their next tier.

'In addition BT will be supporting the administration of matches, of which there will be a staggering 1,400 during the next season. We have created and are today launching an innovative new website that not only showcases and reports on the college competitions, but which also features a unique homepage for each individual school and competition. This will be regularly up-dated with photos, reports and video footage, specific to that particular institution. This means that not only will BT be at the heart of the action, the students will be too,' concluded Peter Morris.

Séamus Meehan, Ulster Colleges Chairman commented, 'We are delighted that BT has decided, not only to extend its eight year relationship with Ulster Colleges, but also to expand and deepen that relationship by undertaking the sponsorship of our major senior competitions.

'During our eight year association so far and thanks in large measure to BT's support, we have been able to expand our playing base for every size and standard of school by multiplying our range of competitions. BT has already demonstrated its enthusiasm for this extended sponsorship, and we intend to match that enthusiasm as we move forward together in pursuit of our common goal of providing the best possible sporting experiences and opportunities for our young people'.

Criostóir Ó Cuana, Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael continued, 'I am delighted to be here today to mark the beginning of a new era in the relationship between BT and Ulster Colleges. BT and the Gaelic Athletic Association have significant mutual interests. In the first instance, BT has an honourable record of support for communities across this island, while the GAA is the foremost community-based sporting organisation in Ireland with 2500 club units and 650 affiliated schools.

'Secondly, BT has been closely associated with a variety of educational initiatives, most notably in the annual BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition which culminates in that extraordinary exhibition of youthful endeavour and ingenuity at the RDS in Dublin each January.

'Meanwhile, on the sporting front here in Ulster, BT has provided significant support to Ulster Colleges for the past eight years, and has now taken a strategic decision to extend that support. I want to applaud BT's vision in so doing, and endorse the implicit vote of confidence in Ulster Colleges whose reputation has persuaded BT to extend its involvement'.

BT is a champion of technological advancement and through this ambitious new partnership is keen to give student players the opportunity to do some ingenious thinking of their own. The partnership further highlights BT's commitment to supporting and engaging with local communities.