Hurling All-Stars Singapore bound

Singapore has been confirmed as the venue for the Vodafone GAA All-Stars tour next January.

The All-Star hurlers of 2004 and 2005 will fly to Asia on Wednesday, January 18 and will return a week later.

The highlight of the visit will be an exhibition game between the two selections to be played at the Singapore Polo Grounds on Saturday, January 21.

The All-Stars of 2005 will be announced on Wednesday November 23.

The visit is being hosted by the local GAA club, the Gaelic Lions, which has been in existence for ten years and has been central to the growth of Gaelic games in Asia. With a multi-national membership, the Club enjoys an excellent profile in Singapore and works closely with other local and Irish Community groups.

Singapore is the latest venue to host the All Stars since the tours were revived under Vodafone's sponsorship in 2000. The All Star hurlers have travelled to Buenos Aires, Phoenix and Las Vegas, while the footballers have visited Dubai, San Diego and Hong Kong.

Announcing the news the President of the GAA Sean Kelly said that All Stars had enjoyed a wonderful first visit to Asia when the footballers played in Hong Kong last January. He said: "It was a wonderful experience to witness the enthusiasm and the drive of the Irish community and indeed the local community in Hong Kong for Gaelic Games and I am assured that we will enjoy an even more rapturous reception in Singapore."

Some of the other events planned for the week include hurling coaching workshops and demonstrations at local schools, a number of networking events for local and Irish business people and a strong charity focus.

The Gaelic Lions has a strong track record of raising funds for charity, in particular for the Special Olympics athletes in Singapore and most recently for victims of the Asian Tsunami.