Comber cross-community cricket event rescheduled for Stormont after Orange GAA objection

ITV News

16-07-2025

Cricket Ireland and the Northern Cricket Union have said they are 'dismayed' by the events that led to a cross-community summer camp in Comber being pulled over opposition to GAA involvement.
The cricket bodies have announced their plans to reschedule the event in the grounds of Stormont after MLAs, including the First Minister Michelle O'Neill, expressed their disappointment at the cancellation.
North Down Cricket Club had planned the sport summer camp for young people from different backgrounds, with the involvement of 10 different groups. However, the involvement of East Belfast GAA was highlighted by the Local Orange lodge.
Organisers were forced to call off the event after the lodge, Goldsprings of Comber, said residents were concerned about the 'perceived move of the GAA in the local community'.
In a statement, North Down Cricket Club said: "The Sport Summer Camp was created to give young people from different backgrounds a chance to enjoy cricket....
"The plan was to involve 10 different local sports and community groups .... with the aim of building friendships through shared activity.
"A small group of children from a GAA club was just one part of that broader mix.
"As reaction to the event grew, we felt the spirit of the camp was at risk of being lost. With regret — and out of respect for all involved — we chose not to proceed."
Goldsprings of Comber Orange Lodge said that while the promotion of sport is widely supported across the community, some locals had objected to the GAAs involvement.
In a Facebook post it said: "Many local residents have raised reservations about the GAA's cultural and historical affiliations.
"Specifically, there is unease regarding aspects of the organisation that have, in the past, celebrated or commemorated individuals associated with paramilitary activity.
"Residents have made it clear that until the GAA takes meaningful steps to ensure it is fully inclusive and sensitive to the history and identity of the Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist (PUL) community, its presence in Comber would be viewed with regret and opposition by many in the Comber area."
Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong said children were losing out.'It is not just the children that play GAA, it is the children that play for [North Down Cricket Club],' she told UTV.'It could have been a opportunity for the [cricket club] to attract new players....
"Unfortunately those boys and girls have been denied that opportunity."
In a tweet, First Minister Michelle O'Neill expressed her disappointment.
"These developments are deeply worrying and unacceptable. Sport has the power to unify," she said.
UUP Leader Mike Nesbitt said: "There are legitimate ways of expressing concerns about how any organisation conducts itself, including the GAA. Dragging children into the debate is not one of them."
UTV received no response from the DUP.
Brian MacNeice, chair of Cricket Ireland (CI), said they were calling on all community leaders to show leadership and actively support this initiative.'Cricket Ireland and the Northern Cricket Union (NCU) are dismayed and disappointed at the events which have led to the cancellation of the youth sports camp at North Down Cricket Club,' he said.'North Down has been at the forefront of youth development in recent times. Participation in multiple sports by young people has been recognised as having considerable benefits both in sporting terms and mental wellbeing. It can only be to the detriment of the children concerned that this cancellation has occurred.'Cricket is a sport for all and both CI and NCU actively encourage diversity, inclusion and equality in our game. Working with other sports in the sharing of facilities and the creation of opportunities for young people is a key aspect of this strategy.'Mr MacNeice said Cricket Ireland applauded North Down Cricket Club's initiative in planning the sports camp.'We are committed to following through on the initiative and Cricket Ireland and the Northern Cricket Union are making plans to run a similar sports camp at Stormont,' he said.'We have therefore approached East Belfast GAA and offered an opportunity to participate in this alternative sports camp which will also include other sports clubs.'We look forward to further engagement with the GAA, and other governing bodies, for the benefit of all.'We call on all community leaders to show leadership and actively support this initiative. Sport can bring communities together and we must all act in partnership to ensure this is the case.'