Two-time Olympic Gold Medallist and Irish boxing legend Kellie Harrington has teamed up with SPAR Ireland to announce the winners of SPAR Ireland’s Stay in the Game competition. This is a key initiative of the SPAR Ireland Community Fund 2024, launched in May and aimed at empowering teenage girls in sports and addressing the challenges they face in sustaining their participation.

Two-time gold medallist Kellie Harrington will meet with teenage girls from sports clubs around Ireland for a workshop on how teenage girls can sustain their sports participation, fostering confidence, providing life skills and lifelong wellness among young female athletes.

Stay in the Game

The competition invited the public to nominate a local club or school making a difference in the participation and empowerment of young girls in sport. There was a chance to win one of five €2,000 prizes and a unique opportunity to engage with Kellie Harrington in an interactive SPAR Stay in the Game workshop.

A total of 279 clubs entered the competition from all over Ireland and from a diverse array of sports. The five clubs that have won the SPAR Ireland Stay in the Game competition are Aglish Boxing Club in Co. Mayo Flesk Valley Rowing Club in Co. Kerry, Kildallan LGFA in Co. Cavan, Kevins Hurling and Camogie Club in Co. Dublin and Rathdrum Girls Rugby Club in Co. Wicklow. Each club will receive the prize fund and two members of each club also took part in the interactive workshop with Kellie.

Commitment to local communities

With over 400 SPAR branded stores, the nationwide network of local community retailers have always been a major supporter of sport at national and local level. This campaign is an extension of the ongoing commitment that SPAR Ireland has to the communities in which it operates. Established in 2021, the SPAR Ireland Community Fund Programme has distributed nearly €100,000 to local clubs, groups, and associations across the country over the past three years.

SPAR Ireland Sales Director, Colin Donnelly said: “It has been fantastic to see the engagement from schools and clubs in the SPAR Stay in the Game competition and to hear about and see the work being done around local communities. The winners are creating real change for teenage girls in sport in their local areas. This is the aim of our campaign here at SPAR Ireland and to see such positive impacts on lives from sport this summer has being special. We are so proud to have Kellie Harrington as our ambassador, she is a real role model for teenage girls across Ireland. To be able to give young girls across the country an opportunity to meet her and interact with her will inspire them and show the possibilities of sport if you stick with it and work hard.”

Brand ambassador

Kellie Harrington has been a SPAR brand ambassador since 2021 and this is the fourth collaboration with SPAR Ireland as part of their community programme.

“I am incredibly proud to work with SPAR as a brand ambassador and to support the Stay in the Game competition. The work that is being done in local communities is remarkable to see and to be able to play even a small part in that is a privilege. Investment and support given to community funded sports clubs is something that is very important to me. It is a huge part of why I am where I am today and why I get to represent Ireland on the world stage,” Kellie said.

For more information on the SPAR Community Fund, please visit www.spar.ie/communityfund.

Source: SPAR Ireland

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About SPAR Ireland

The SPAR brand is one of Ireland’s largest convenience retail organisations, and has been serving communities in Ireland for over sixty years. From the time it opened its first store in Dublin in 1963, SPAR Ireland has been a leader in Irish convenience retailing, bringing consumers the most innovative products and in-store offerings. The SPAR and EUROSPAR brands are part of BWG Foods UC and, with a presence in every county across Ireland, SPAR and EUROSPAR’s over 400 stores provide employment for 14,000 people locally.