EirGrid, the state-owned company that manages and operates Ireland’s national grid, has today launched the ‘EirGrid Moments in Time’ campaign as part of its timing partnership with the GAA.

The campaign will culminate with a club in each province winning a digital clock and scoreboard.  To launch the initiative EirGrid has conducted research amongst 300 GAA supporters to establish some of their best and most memorable GAA moments.

The GAA Family

92% of GAA fans said that their first time in Croke Park stood out as a childhood memory, with 57% stating it was their father who brought them. Dads remain top of the pops when it comes to attending GAA matches as a quarter (25%) of people surveyed said their favourite person to go to a match with was their Dad. 21% most enjoyed going with their friends, meanwhile 20% said attending a game as a family is what they most enjoy.

The most popular pre-match rituals include getting breakfast together (27%), or having a drink together (27%) and enjoying a packed lunch together (23%).

Family clearly plays a key role on the pitch as well as in the stands, with the image of Alan Brogan being consoled by his son Jamie following Dublin’s defeat to Donegal in 2014 voted the most iconic GAA family moment of recent years (37%). This was followed by Clare’s Podge Collins celebrating with his Granny (32%), while Laois’s Mark Timmons carrying his daughter in her communion dress and football boots came in third place with 19% of votes.

**The Championship so far…. **

The 2017 Championship, while still at the early stages, has produced some seriously magic moments to date.

Unsurprisingly, Down beating Monaghan (54%) and Wexford’s victory over Kilkenny (57%) have been noted as the most memorable wins of the Championships to date.

The Wexford supporters’ pitch invasion following their unexpected win over The Cats in the Leinster semi-final was noted as the ‘most memorable moment’ of the Hurling Championship to date (49%), while the pick up and point from young hurler and hurler of the year, Austin Gleeson in Waterford’s Munster encounter against Cork came in second (30%).

Commenting at the launch of EirGrid 2017 GAA timing partnership, Fintan Slye, CEO of EirGrid said: “At EirGrid we put communities throughout Ireland at the heart of what we do and so this makes the GAA an ideal partner for us. We are very proud to support the GAA through our official timing sponsorship which began last year, and also as the official sponsor for the Under 21 All Ireland Football Championship over the last three seasons.

“The GAA has given so many people such happy memories and we want to recognise and celebrate this through our EirGrid Moments in Time campaign. So we are delighted to be in a position to offer fans the chance to win a digital clock and scoreboard for their local GAA club, through a photo competition which will run throughout the Championship.”

Commenting on the launch of the competition, GAA Commercial Director Peter McKenna said: “It’s fantastic that EirGrid are again showing great support to grassroots GAA by way of running this competition for the second consecutive year. As our official timing sponsors, what better way to reward the GAA community than by once more offering four clubs the chance to win digital scoreboards for their own ground. I’d to once more like to extend our thanks to EirGrid for their continued support of Gaelic Games.”

GAA fans who want to take part in the EirGrid Moments in Time competition can enter by posting a picture highlighting a special GAA moment from the championship on their Twitter or Instagram using #EirGridGAA & tagging the specific provincial board. Be it as a fan making the trip down Jones’ Road to support their county, or the pre-match discussion over breakfast, or a Dad bringing his daughter to her first ever game, we want to see them all.