Spa GAA online poker fundraiser
PlayUs GAA decided to check in with clubs around the Country to see
how they were dealing with the Covid Lockdown and share any ideas
that may help other clubs in these strange times. So next up on the
PlayUs GAA journey is Spa GAA Club, based in Killarney, who turned
their hands to a different fundraiser.
Spa GAA turns to poker
Spa GAA is a thriving Club on the outskirts of Killarney with top class facilities to cater for a
strong Gaelic football and Scór tradition.
When Spa wanted to create a bit of fun and raise some money during the Covid lockdown,
Club man Shane Cronin along with 3 others decided that an online poker tournament was the
way to go.
Shane said “that using a third party can be quite helpful for some fundraisers. So we set up
the Poker Club on Pokerstars.eu and then set up the tournament within it”.
Basically a link with step by step instructions (screenshots etc) of how to enter was sent far
and wide requesting a deposit of €20 paid via Revolut or Bank transfer to the nominated sellers distributing the link.
There was also an €11 entry fee to register on pokerstars €10 went to the pot and €1 went to pokerstars so all together it was €30 to play in the tournament. They created a What’s App
group so they could contact everyone at the same time to share information with them. Shane
says “it is very important to involve adult players in the fundraiser, so they asked their senior
players to get 3 players each to play in the tournament”.
This wasn’t Shanes first attempt at organizing an online poker tournament. He started a poker
club with 50 members during the first lockdown on pokerstars to keep people some bit sane
and he says it was a good way to socialise from your home and thought it was worth a go as a
fundraiser”
The event raised a handsome profit of €1350, and more importantly created a great buzz.
Shane says “It was something completely different to the normal fundraiser ideas so people
were delighted to take part. People didn’t see it as a fundraiser, they saw it as something to do
during the boring days while in lockdown”.
The response from people was that they’d love to do it again says the enthusiastic Shane.
