In pictures: More than 250 teams turn out for Passage West annual ladies football blitz 

More than 250 teams and up to 15,000 people descended on Passage West GAA Club over the weekend for the annual ladies football U8, U10, and U12 blitz.

The two-day event took place across the weekend, and was the largest annual blitz held at the club to date.

The hugely popular event, which has been taking place at the Passage West grounds for more than 15 years, first began in 2008, and saw only eight local teams taking part.

Since then, the event has grown massively, with widespread support from event sponsors including Childline, Lidl, Ballyhass Adventure Centre, The Kick Company from Monaghan, Rochestown Park Hotel, and more.

Friendly games

The event sees children’s teams from all over the country, within their specific age bracket, come to Cork to play in friendly games. No scores are kept, ensuring everyone involved can enjoy their day out and not worry about being competitive.

The two-day affair also saw the return of the annual parade, face painting, an evening disco, a visit from an ice cream van, and live on-site music, which encouraged kids and adults alike to sing and dance while enjoying each other’s company.

Over the weekend, the event also saw special guests making an appearance including Lord Mayor of Cork councillor Dan Boyle and Deputy Mayor of the County of Cork councillor Martin Coughlan.

Other local councillors were also in attendance, alongside members of the board from sponsoring companies, and members of the RNLI, who taught the children about water safety and CPR.

Volunteers

Each year the blitz requires a large amount of hands to put together, and sees local volunteers band together to bring the event to life.

Among those who work to bring the event to fruition is long-time event organiser, Francis McEveney, who spends months on end coming up with new ways to improve the annual festivities.

Speaking to The Echo, Mr McEveney said: “It’s all about making contacts and memories.

“There was a huge amount of people helping to set up this year, including 25 to 30 local transition year students, who helped to decorate and get the place ready. 

“We’re blessed up here, the place looked fantastic," he said.

“It’s run like clockwork, teams have to be registered by 10am, and then the parade starts at 11am on the dot.

“Over the years people have said they love the dancing, the mixing, and the parade. Even teams from Dublin have said it was better than the Féile,” Mr McEveney said.

“I’ve been told by hundreds of people from different clubs that it’s the best blitz around.

“Locally, the hotels, petrol stations, and shops get a lot out of it from people coming down to stay, and I reckon it raises anywhere between €1.5m and €3m [in revenue].

“The only thing we don’t have control over is the weather, but it’s all fun, and everyone really looks forward to it each year,” he said.

“It’s fantastic to see all the smiles. It’s about diversity and inclusion, so it’s brilliant.”