Derry embark on new deal to grow football and hurling development squads

DERRY GAA have announced a new sponsorship deal for their football and hurling development squads.

Their deal with DECO Engineering is multi-year sponsorship agreement geared at backing the county teams at U15 and U16 level, in both football and hurling.

Derry GAA Chairman John Keenan says the deal represents an avenue for the county’s underage academy to help the Oakleaf County to excel on the national stage.

“I am delighted to welcome DECO Engineering as official partners of our underage player academies through their sponsorship of Derry U15 and U16 football and hurling squads,” he said.

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“As an Irish company with strong local roots in the community, DECO Engineering’s support represents a significant investment in the development of our young players, helping them to grow and progress both for club and county.

“This partnership will play an important role in ensuring Derry can continue to excel at national level across underage Gaelic games, and we look forward to working closely together in the years ahead.”

In the coming months the squads will be competing in a number of competitions including the Hibernia Cup (U15 Hurlers), Brian McLernon Cup (U15 Footballers) and the Buncrana Cup (U16 Footballers).

Above that, Derry minor footballers will face Donegal in Saturday’s Ulster MFC semi-final at Find Insurance Owenbeg.

It is part of a double header with the county’s minor hurling team to face Down (12noon) in the semi-final of the Celtic Challenge.

DECO Engineering, with facilities in Magherafelt and Navan, and was established in 2022 by local businessmen Declan Donnelly and Darran Monaghan.

“As a proud Derry man, I grew up watching our county teams compete at the highest level,” Donnell said.

“Having the opportunity to give something back to our local community in the form of this support for the next generation of county stars is a very important commitment for DECO Engineering.

“The level of preparation required for our county teams, even at the underage level to be successful has transformed over the last decade so it is important they have the appropriate resources and support in place to maximise their potential.

“DECO Engineering has grown significantly in a relatively short period of time. Looking around the leading-edge facilities at Owenbeg we have every confidence in the future of our Growing Oaks, and we wish them every success across all competitions.”