Drumraney camogie club are the beneficiaries of the Westmeath County award in this year’s Texaco ‘Support for Sport’ initiative, receiving €5,000 to help fund the purchase of new equipment.
Located in South Westmeath, Drumraney camogie club is one of the only teams within the locality and draws a membership base from more than five rural parishes. The club caters for all female age groups from under 6 up to senior level and provides an outlet for young girls and women to participate in sport while building positive relationships with other women from the wider community.
Now in its third year, the Texaco Support for Sport initiative – organised by Valero Energy (Ireland ) Limited, the company that markets fuel in Ireland under the Texaco brand – sees a fund of €130,000 set aside annually for allocation in equal amounts of EUR5,000 to successful applicants chosen on a county-by-county basis. Previous Westmeath winners were Ringtown Camogie Club (2021 ) and Athlone’s Garrycastle LGFA Club (2022 ).
Congratulating the winners, James Twohig, Director of Ireland Operations, Valero Energy (Ireland ) Limited referred to what he called ‘the important contribution’ that sports clubs make within their communities and throughout Irish society as a whole. “Our initiative provides vital funding to clubs that have an important place in, and seek to enhance their contribution to, their local communities. Since its inception, we’ve distributed almost €400,000 to a wide variety of sports clubs throughout the country which has greatly helped them to continue to play an essential and positive role in their communities, something of which we are very proud,” Mr. Twohig added.
Overseeing the judging process was Texaco Support for Sport ambassador, former Irish rugby international and broadcaster, Donncha O’Callaghan.
“As adjudicator, the most uplifting aspect of the Texaco Support for Sport initiative is that it gives clubs rare access to funds which are not linked to popularity, membership size or success.
“Drumraney Camogie Club is focused on expanding its membership base and has been very successful in recent times, especially through its ‘mothers and others’ initiative. Its success in this initiative shows how much the club values its role and the position it holds within its community,” O’Callaghan said.
Entries for the 2024 Texaco Support for Sport initiative will open in the Autumn.
