Ballymore has announced its renewed commitment to Gaelic football at Dublin City University for the 2023/24 academic year. The agreement extends a successful partnership between Ballymore and DCU’s men’s and women’s football teams that commenced in the 2021/22 season.
Ballymore is a property developer with vast and varied experience, acknowledged as pioneers of some of Europe’s largest regeneration projects. It is owned by Seán Mulryan.
DCU Dóchas Éireann is the largest university Gaelic games club in Ireland, with 800 members representing DCU across 28 men’s and women’s football, camogie and hurling teams in 2023/24. In partnership with Ballymore, the club’s footballers enjoyed a rewarding season last year, with the ladies’ team winning the O’Connor Cup, the top competition in women’s collegiate football for the fifth time, in addition to winning the HEC Cup. This success was also mirrored on the men’s side, with DCU teams winning the Intermediate, Junior, Fresher A and Fresher C football titles.
This season, DCU’s ladies’ footballers have retained their league title and remain in contention to retain the O’Connor Cup. This week, DCU will also contest the men’s Fresher A football championship final against University of Galway, in a game that will be hosted at DCU’s St Clare’s Sports Campus.
Ballymore’s support is vital to enable DCU to invest in nurturing talented young players, providing the university’s elite student athletes with cutting-edge supports that enable them to combine the highest standards of sporting performance and academic achievement.
DCU Dóchas Éireann provides a recognised development pathway for young intercounty players across Ireland, with the successes of the Dublin senior men’s team and Dublin and Meath ladies’ teams in recent years featuring a strong contingent of players who also excelled academically and on the pitch for DCU.
Linda Mulryan, Deputy Managing Director of Ballymore said:
“Ballymore is committed to investing in initiatives that catalyse positive societal impacts and cultivate the communities where we provide homes. We firmly believe that sports are fundamental to society, fostering a sense of belonging within communities while significantly improving overall health and wellbeing, so I am thrilled to renew our partnership with DCU for 2024. DCU’s emphasis on talent development through its sports scholarship programme perfectly aligns with our overarching mission to effect positive transformations in Ireland, and we are proud to stand in support.”
Prof Dáire Keogh, President of Dublin City University stated:
“We welcome Ballymore’s renewed commitment to Gaelic football at DCU. Our ongoing partnership has enabled significant investment in the development of our talented student athletes and has ensured that our men’s and women’s teams have the support they need to excel, both on and off the pitch. We look forward to building on this success in the year to come.”
Jason Sherlock, Director of Development with DCU Educational Trust said:
“At DCU Educational Trust, we are proud to build strong partnerships that advance DCU’s mission to transform lives and societies. Our collaboration with leading organisations like Ballymore enables us to drive societal change and to enable talent to excel, including through our sports scholarship programme which enables high performing student-athletes to excel in sport and in life.”
