Captain of Ireland’s 2022 European Team Championships for Golfers with a Disability success Gareth McNeilly believes Golf Ireland’s new partnership with ISPS HANDA will put the players in a new stratosphere.
McNeilly who skippered Ireland to European glory last year was speaking at the launch of the new partnership which will see ISPS Handa become the title sponsor of the ISPS Handa Irish Open for Golfers with a Disability. In addition ISPS Handa will become the lead partner of Golf Ireland’s Golf4All programmes.
The Antrim man feels Irish disabled golfers will be the envy of other countries as ISPS HANDA drives disability golf in Ireland.
“It’s absolutely fantastic, it’s something a few of us have dreamt of for the last three or four years as well as Golf Ireland getting involved in disabled golf that we would be able to get some sort of corporate sponsor involved who would be able to help us do what we knew was being done in other countries,” said McNeilly.
“This partnership with ISPS HANDA who are so well known around the world for their promotion of sport and inclusion, I see Irish players being the envy of other countries when we go away to tournaments. We were looking enviously at them.”
McNeilly feels the new partnership will help showcase disability golf and provide inspiration to others to take up golf as a sport and view it as an avenue for inclusion.
“What we can do at home is more opportunity to get out there and show what golf can do for people no matter if they were born with a disability, acquired a disability, or had an illness, that golf is open and accessible and there are lots of different ways to play it.
“You don’t need to play eighteen holes to be competitive, six holes, nine holes, get a cup of coffee afterwards and that camaraderie it can change lives. With the support of Golf Ireland including disability and inclusion in their pillars has been really huge for us.
“We are looking forward to more good days ahead and it’s really exciting times.’
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