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GAA players raise £4,000 for health staff in All-Ireland FIFA 20 tournament

A total of 32 inter-county players representing their county colours participated in the competition
A total of 32 inter-county players representing their county colours participated in the competition A total of 32 inter-county players representing their county colours participated in the competition

GAA players have helped raise more than £4,000 for health workers by taking part an online All-Ireland FIFA 20 gaming tournament.

A total of 32 inter-county players representing every county participated in the challenge in support of frontline staff across Ireland.

Players from across the island faced off in provincial tournaments over the weekend, before Laois were eventually crowned All-Ireland champions.

Fans saw classic clashes and GAA rivalries come to the fore on the soccer field with Donegal beating Tyrone in the first round and Cork defeating Kerry in the Munster semi-final.

The provincial finals saw Laois’s Eric Kileen take home the Leinster title against Meath’s Jordan Morris, while Waterford’s Aaron Jones had a convincing victory over Cork’s Sean O’Donoghue to claim the Munster title.

In the west, Sligo’s Niall Feehily beat Roscommon’s Donie Smith 4-3 to become the Connacht champion and Donegal's Oisin Gallen narrowly lost out to Antrim’s Patrick McBride in Ulster.

The semi-finals saw Laois sail through to the final with a 6-2 defeat of Sligo but it went down to the wire between Waterford and Antrim, with Jones winning by a single goal.

The tournament came to a close with Eric Kileen beating Jones 5-4 in the All-Ireland final, which featured live commentary by Marty Morrisey.

The charity tournament, organised by the GPA and journalist Joanne O’Riordan, was broadcast on Insomnia Dublin Gaming Festival’s Facebook page, with supporters donating more than £4,000 via the event’s Go Fund Me page.