Hurling knows no borders as GAA launches Musco HDC Starter Pack
In attendance at the Musco Hurling Development Committee (HDC) Club Starter Pack Launch is Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Jarlath Burns, centre, with from left, Ulster GAA President Michael Geoghegan, GAA National Head of Hurling William Maher, Musco Lighting Sales Executive Stephen Baker and Hurling Development Committee (HDC) Chair Terry Reilly at Belcoo O'Rahilly's GAA Club in Enniskillen, Fermanagh. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
The GAA has officially launched the Musco Hurling Development Committee Starter Pack for 2026. The launch in Belcoo O’Raghallaigh GAA Club is part of the Hurling Development Committee's target to support 90 GAA clubs to restart hurling or introduce the game for the first time, with a wider ambition to give every GAA member the opportunity to play.
The location for the launch has been chosen to highlight a novel cross county initiative to encourage hurling in the Fermanagh and Cavan region.
Sponsored by sports lighting specialists, Musco, the HDC’s approach is also closely aligned with the recommendations of the GAA’s National Demographics Committee. The Committee’s report, published in December 2025, highlighted significant demographic changes across Ireland and the different pressures being experienced by rural and urban clubs. Its recommendations include targeted growth of new and existing clubs and the establishment of a Club Support Unit at national and provincial level to support the growth, management and viability of clubs.
Additionally, as part of Budget 2026, the Government announced just under €750,000 to support the growth of hurling in non-traditional areas. The investment represents an important recognition of the need for a strategic approach to developing hurling beyond its traditional strongholds. This funding provides an opportunity to turn strategy and consultation into practical action on the ground, supporting the creation of new pathways, stronger clubs and greater access to the game.
HDC analysis indicates that approximately 50% of GAA clubs currently provide access to hurling for their members. That represents one of the biggest untapped opportunities for Hurling growth in the Association.
Therefore, the Musco HDC Starter Pack builds on the Committee’s existing programme of practical support for clubs looking to establish or
strengthen hurling. Last year the GAA provided 45 starter packs to support new hurling units and refresher packs to existing clubs, with the HDC using feedback from its national roadshow programme to shape further support.
On the Fermanagh-Cavan border, the communities around Belcoo and Blacklion have come together to create Mac Néan Hurling Club, a pioneering collaboration between Belcoo O’Raghallaigh and Shannon Gaels and a real-life example of the philosophy behind the HDC programme. Where there had been no established Hurling pathway, local people created one and when Mac Néan held its first training session in 2025, 120 children turned up.
Uachtarán CLG, Jarlath Burns, said: “Mac Néan is a brilliant example of what the GAA can achieve when people think beyond traditional boundaries. The hurley does not know which side of a county border somebody comes from. A child simply wants the opportunity to play.
“What the people here have done is create that opportunity. That is the ambition we need to take across the Association. The GAA should be about opportunity. Where there is an appetite for hurling, we should sup port clubs and communities in creating it.
“The Government’s investment in the growth of hurling is a welcome recognition of the importance of that work. Our challenge now is to turn
ambition into participation and participation into sustainable clubs.”
Hurling Development Committee Chairman Terry Reilly said: “We have to change the way we think about Hurling development. Our responsibility is not simply to protect the Hurling that exists. It is to create the Hurling that does not yet exist. If approximately half of our clubs currently provide access to Hurling, then there is a huge opportunity within the GAA itself.
“We have members who may never have had the opportunity to play Hurling because their club does not offer it. We have communities where people would love to establish the game but do not know where to begin.
“The Starter Pack is about making that first step easier. But it is only one part of a wider strategy. We need the support of counties, provinces and clubs. We need coaching. We need games. We need strong club structures.
“The 90-club target is ambitious, but it is entirely consistent with what the GAA has said it wants to achieve in terms of club growth and participation. This is about creating opportunity – and then putting the support around that opportunity so it can last.”
National Head of Hurling, William Maher, said: “Our work with the HDC has been about understanding where the opportunities are, where the barriers exist and what support clubs actually need.
“The message we have heard repeatedly is that club development has tobe at the centre of Hurling development. If around half of our GAA clubs do not currently provide access to Hurling, then the potential is enormous.
“The members are already there. The communities are already there. In many cases the facilities are already there. What is missing is the support, structure, confidence or expertise to get started.
“We are not simply trying to establish 90 teams. We are trying to establish or re-establish 90 sustainable club environments where children can learn hurling, coaches can develop, games can be played and volunteers can build something for the future.”
Speaking on behalf of Musco Lighting, Stephen Baker said: “The success of initiatives like Mac Néan shows what is possible when communities are given the opportunity and support to introduce hurling. Musco is proud to partner with the GAA to help reduce barriers to participation, broaden access to the game, and ensure more young people have the chance to pick up a hurley and play.”