GAA Clubs Can Win €10K for Their Unsung Heroes

Ireland's grassroots sports clubs are getting the chance to celebrate their hardest working volunteers while winning serious money for their communities.

EirGrid's GAA Community Heroes Campaign 2026 invites clubs across Ireland to nominate the volunteers who keep their communities thriving. The winners' clubs can take home up to €10,000 to support their local programs.

Former Donegal footballer Eamon McGee launched the expanded campaign at Croke Park with a simple message. "Volunteers are really what makes the GAA, and without them the GAA would not be the successful organization that it is," he said.

The competition recognizes that behind every thriving sports club stands someone who shows up early, stays late, and rarely gets thanked. McGee knows these people well from his own club in Gaoth Dobhair, where he watched volunteers shape not just teams but entire communities.

This year's campaign has grown significantly from 2025, when Mary Cooke of Naomh Bríd GAA in Laghey, County Donegal, took home the top prize. Now four provincial winners will each receive €5,000 for their clubs, with four runners-up earning €1,500.

The overall national winner selected from the provincial champions will bring their club an additional €5,000, totaling €10,000. That money goes directly back into supporting youth programs, facilities, and community activities.

The Ripple Effect

The campaign does more than reward individual volunteers. It strengthens entire communities by providing crucial funding to clubs that often operate on tight budgets and pure dedication.

As McGee watches his own children get involved in GAA, he sees the same spirit of giving back that shaped his youth. "Everyone involved in a GAA club will know someone who is a GAA Community Hero," he said. "Often it is the person who gets the least recognition."

EirGrid, which operates Ireland's electricity grid, created the campaign as part of its commitment to supporting local communities. The company understands that strong communities need more than reliable power—they need people willing to invest their time and heart.

Clubs can nominate their heroes at eirgrid.ie/gaa, giving those quiet champions the recognition they deserve while boosting their communities.