Offaly GAA

Celtic Challenge – GAA have launched a new U17 Hurling competition for non exam students that will run starting on 4th May 2016 with the finals on 18th June 2016.
The Offaly team is now in training and is being coached by Eunan Martin St Rynagh’s and Eamonn Hoctor Shinrone.

The Celtic Challenge

The Celtic Challenge is the only competition in hurling that has teams from all 32 counties participating and, in total, 110 games will be provided to 912 players on 38 teams.

•The Celtic Challenge is a competition for players, aged 16 and 17 years old, who are not participating in State Examinations during May and June 2016. 38 teams will participate in the competition.

•The programme will run from Wednesday 4th May to Saturday 18th June 2016.

•The ethos of the competition is a developmental one, where a 7 week programme of meaningful games is supplemented by a 1 to 1 ratio of games to training.

•Each team will play a minimum of 5 games through a programme that is structured on the basis of Group Stages, Qualifiers and Play Offs.

•The Group Stages will consist of 7 Groups of teams selected on a geographical and developmental basis. Matches at the Group Stages will be played on Wednesdays.

•After the Group Stages, teams will be graded on foot of their performance and will be assigned to 1 of 5 Divisions prior to participating in the Qualifiers and Play-Offs where they will play against opposition of a comparative developmental level.

•5 Finals will be played on Saturday June 18th, 2016.