St Mary's, Convoy benefiting from National Club Draw

By Cian O'Connell

The planning and plotting has commenced for the 2026 National Club Draw.

St Mary's, Convoy sold the most tickets in Ulster this year and are fully aware of the benefits and financial rewards.

With no cost involved for clubs to take, and prizes and printing of tickets provided by Croke Park, the National Club Draw, which has been ongoing for 12 years, continues to offer valuable assistance.

In 2025, a total of €1.9 million was raised by clubs. It has proven to be a real success story in the progressive Donegal club St Mary's, with secretary Breid-Ann McHugh acknowledging the community effort involved. "Not that we've a set committee, but we've always the stalwarts that drive it every year," she explains.

"They go around the houses, and some people in the community, they'd be expecting you. They enjoy that interaction, and they mightn't get that many people around the house anymore that they know.

"So, they enjoy that, they look forward to seeing somebody coming. The community does give great support to it, they'd be asking, when are you coming up our road, where are you type thing, they expect it."

With an extension development being carried out by St Mary's, other fundraising initiatives were explored too. "This year, we didn't think it'd get as good a response because there'd be a bit of an overlap with families donating, and times are hard," she says.

"Thankfully, it did really well. The sellers that sell every day, not that they don't do anything else for the club, but that is their main role, they do it quietly.

"You don't see or hear them, they're constantly doing the ticket sales. We'd a big fundraiser this year, a Quid Games, because we're starting an extension development. The draw was coming alongside it at roughly the same time.

"When we looked at the people buying the tickets for the fundraiser draw every year, they're not the younger generation that'd be going to the Quid Games. We decided we'd go for it."

The National Club Draw has provided a steady income stream. "It is necessary for the club, it is the everyday stuff it covers," she replies. People don't see that. They don't see the insurance costs, the upkeep of the grounds, they don't see the grass cutting prices, all the stuff that is needed.

"We don't charge a huge fee for kids to play, the underage give two euro a week. That is just to cover the costs of the equipment, there is no profit from it. The fundraisers are what drives the club."

The consistency of the National Club Draw is relevant too. "I know, even before I joined the club, and my family wouldn't be a big GAA family, but it was one ticket in my area at home that was bought," she responds.

"It was the GAA ticket, they'd wait for the results. It is something in families, there is a bit of a locality thing with it, too. People are winners. It isn't just something up or down the country, it is a local draw too, as much as anything else.

"If you think you've that chance, it is a mindset thing. It isn't a gimmick. Names are coming out of the hat. When the club got the award for being one of the best ticket sellers, that was a great boost to hear."

Ultimately, the draw continues to be an important source of revenue for St Mary's. The fact that people collaborate adds to the sense of fulfilment. "We've a man in his 80s, who sells tickets for the club, he's great in the parish as a whole, not just the club," she adds.

"It is that age group, who're winning it for us, they're the ones buying it, chatting about it. He'd stop the bus and a bus driver would buy a ticket.

"The outcome is definitely worth it because you see the benefit for the clubs. We're applying for grants left, right, and centre to try to get stuff done. At the same time, you do need something to be running your club."