'I'm blessed they asked me back' - Murphy on Donegal return
Donegal legend Michael Murphy admitted he did not believe he would win another Ulster title with his county after returning to the panel this year.
Murphy played his part with a few scores as Donegal retained the Anglo-Celt Cup with a 2-23 to 0-28 victory against Armagh after extra time in Clones.
The 35-year-old has now won six provincial deciders with Donegal, but the thought of playing a part in a victory like this was a pipe dream a year ago after retiring in 2022.
He worked as a pundit for BBC Sport NI during last year's final which Donegal won on penalties, but was delighted to be able to contribute this year after returning to the fold.
"I didn't think it would happen again," he told BBC Sport NI.
"It happened last year; I was a Donegal man supporting these boys last year and I was happy to watch them here last year.
"Today was a really tough game, nothing but respect for Armagh they are the All-Ireland champions and they're a good side, but credit to these young lads and their character, it's an hour to share a pitch and a dressing room with them again, I'm very blessed that they asked me back."
Murphy shared an emotional moment with his father on the pitch after the final whistle and said "bits of everything" were going through his mind as he fended off tears and exhaustion.
The forward also hopes that another Ulster victory can spur Donegal on for a big summer as they chase a first All-Ireland title since 2012.
They are in Group One for this year's round robin phase alongside Mayo, Tyrone and Cavan.
"It's a stepping stone, but we need to go again," added Murphy.
Meanwhile, Armagh keeper Ethan Rafferty described the county's third successive Ulster final defeat as "sickening".
"Even if you take the three in a row [defeats] out of it, we sort of kicked ourselves out of it for 10 minutes, both in the first half and second half," admitted Rafferty.
"Look we'll go back and look at it and be as critical as we can. That's all we can do."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Brera Holdings PLC (Nasdaq: BREA) and Toronto Blizzard Grassroots Soccer Partnership Targets Youth Sports, an Estimated $69 Billion Industry by 2030
Worth $37.5B in 2022, Youth Sports are Projected to Hit $69.4B by 2030 According to with Sports Tourism's Total Economic Impact $91.8B in 2021 Joe Parolini is the Owner and Coach of Toronto Blizzard Joe Parolini is the Owner and Coach of Toronto Blizzard Dublin, Ireland; Naples, Italy; and Toronto, Canada, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brera Holdings PLC ('Brera Holdings' or the 'Company') (Nasdaq: BREA), an Ireland-based international holding company focused on expanding its global portfolio of men's and women's sports clubs through a multi-club ownership ('MCO') strategy, commented on its advisory agreement with the owner of Canada's premier soccer scholarship program, Toronto Blizzard Corp., designed to tap into the $69 billion youth sports market as reported by The initiative intends to leverage the Blizzard Development Academy and Brera's network of pro football clubs and youth academies across three continents, targeting the $37 billion sports tourism market as also reported by Brera looks forward to going beyond Blizzard's preeminence in girls soccer to also provide a clear pathway for boys and eventually girls to rapidly progress into the professional ranks. The partnership aims to provide young soccer players aged 3 to 7 (Little Blizzard Kickers) and 8 to 18 the opportunity to learn and develop as players from exposure to talent at Brera's clubs, including 'the Second Team of Naples,' SS Juve Stabia in Italy's Serie B; North Macedonian first-division men's team Fudbalski Klub Akademija Pandev, now known as Brera Strumica FC; its related women's football club Tiverija Strumica, now known as Brera Tiverija FC, and other clubs in the Brera network from Mongolia and Mozambique. This goal will be achieved through sharing Brera clubs' coaching methodologies with the Blizzard programs and together creating pathways for young players, modeled after Blizzard's 2022 initiative developed with the record-breaking Bundesliga (Germany) champions FC Bayern Munich. Toronto Blizzard Corp. President and Owner, and Soccer Hall of Famer Giuseppe 'Joe' Parolini commented, 'Brera Holdings is the perfect partner to help bring new coaching philosophies to talented youth in Ontario. When I took over the ownership of the Blizzard in 1999, ensuring equal opportunities for women and girls to play and receive the same quality of training and development was very important to me. Through this partnership I believe we can identify talent, develop and create pathways to other opportunities such as Juve Stabia in Naples where I was born, Brera Strumica and Tiverjia in North Macedonia, the World Squad, and more.' Talent identification camps in metro Toronto, and European on-site experiences planned to bring Blizzard players to Brera's club academies are intended to begin in the summer of 2026 or sooner. Toronto Blizzard will promote and coordinate the camps and European academies, which will be delivered by Brera clubs' coaches and players in collaboration with Blizzard technical staff. Friendly matches between Brera clubs and Canadian professional teams are also in the planning stages for 2026 and beyond, subject to financial sustainability. According to some 88% of women's college soccer athletes have played first at the youth club level, with 77% of men coming from the same feeder system. With private college tuition and fees rising from $11,000 in 1981 to $33,000 in 2021, as public college costs went from $2,500 to $9,500 in the same period, the value of an athletic scholarship has never been greater. 'We've seen the incredible soccer talent coming from Canada, as well as at the NCAA programs of U.S. universities where Blizzard alumni have distinguished themselves,' commented Brera Holdings Executive Chairman Daniel J. McClory. 'Our partnership with Toronto Blizzard will allow us to share our clubs' coaching philosophies as well as identify and help develop young talent in Toronto. We look forward to introducing this partnership to the Province of Ontario with the Blizzard, and bringing players to train at the academies of our clubs in Italy and North Macedonia, as these countries enjoy longstanding and particularly strong cross-cultural ties with the Toronto metro area,' he added. ABOUT TORONTO BLIZZARD CORP. AND BLIZZARD DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY CORP. Toronto Blizzard Corp. is a premier youth soccer organization under the continuous ownership, coaching and management of Soccer Hall of Famer Giuseppe 'Joe' Parolini since 1999. Along with its affiliated entity Blizzard Development Academy Corp. (collectively 'Toronto Blizzard'), they serve girls and boys playing soccer from age 8 to 18. Focused initially on ensuring equal opportunities for women and girls to play and receive the same quality of training and development available to boys, Blizzard is now going beyond its historical preeminence in girls soccer to also provide a clear pathway for boys to rapidly progress into the professional ranks. Noted for its competitive youth teams, talent identification clinics, and alumni match tours featuring college players developed by Blizzard competing against NCAA squads, among other innovations pioneered by Joe Parolini and his staff. Blizzard in 2022 developed a youth initiative with the record-breaking Bundesliga (Germany) champions FC Bayern Munich. In 2025 Joe Parolini was named an advisor to Nasdaq-listed Brera Holdings PLC, the first multi-club owner of soccer teams to IPO on a stock exchange. He is developing a strategic Brera-Blizzard plan to establish a comprehensive grassroots program for boys and girls in North America and beyond. The initiative intends to leverage the Blizzard Development Academy and Brera's network of pro football clubs and youth academies across three continents. ABOUT BRERA HOLDINGS PLC Brera Holdings PLC(Nasdaq: BREA) is dedicated to expanding its social impact football business by developing a global portfolio of emerging football and sports clubs. Building on the legacy of Brera FC, which it acquired in 2022, the Company aims to create opportunities for tournament prizes, sponsorships, and professional consulting services. Brera FC, recognized as "The Third Team of Milan," has been crafting an alternative football legacy since its founding in 2000. The club also organizes the FENIX Trophy, a nonprofessional pan-European tournament acknowledged by UEFA. This tournament, which has been referred to as "the Champions League for Amateurs" by BBC Sport, has garnered significant media coverage, including from ESPN. In its efforts to broaden its reach, Brera expanded into Africa in March 2023 by establishing Brera Tchumene FC in Mozambique, which quickly rose to the First Division after winning its post-season tournament. In April 2023, the Company acquired a 90% stake in the North Macedonian first-division team Fudbalski Klub Akademija Pandev, now known as Brera Strumica FC. Additionally, in June 2023, Brera made a strategic investment in Manchester United PLC, realizing a 74% gain. The Company has further diversified its portfolio by acquiring a majority stake in UYBA Volley, an Italian women's professional volleyball team, in July 2023, assuming control of Bayanzurkh Sporting Ilch FC, a Mongolian National Premier League team, which became Brera Ilch FC, in September 2023, and establishing a joint stock company for the North Macedonian women's football club Tiverija Strumica, now known as Brera Tiverija FC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brera Strumica FC, in June 2024. On December 31, 2024, Brera executed an agreement to acquire majority stake of the corporate capital of Juve Stabia srl, the company which manages the Italian Serie B football club Juve Stabia, also known as 'The Second Team of Naples'. The acquisition will be conducted in a multi-step process and marks a significant expansion of the Company's MCO model. As of February 12, 2025, Brera holds a 38.46% equity ownership interest in Juve Stabia. With a strategic emphasis on bottom-up value creation, innovation-driven growth, and socially impactful outcomes, Brera Holdings has established itself as a forward-thinking leader in the global sports industry. For more information, visit Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such statements include statements regarding the Company's ability to grow its business and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements which may be accompanied by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including without limitation, the Company's ability to continue as a going concern, the popularity and/or competitive success of the Company's acquired football and other sports teams, the Company's ability to attract players and staff for acquired clubs, unsuccessful acquisitions or other strategic transactions, the possibility of a decline in the popularity of football or other sports, the Company's ability to expand its fanbase, sponsors and commercial partners, general economic conditions, and other risk factors detailed in the Company's filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update such forward-looking statements except in accordance with applicable law. Company Contact Information: Dan McClory, Executive Chairman, Brera Holdings PLCEmail: dan@ Joe Parolini, President, Toronto Blizzard joeparolini@ Joe Parolini is the Owner and Coach of Toronto Blizzard
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ireland aim to 'turn big results into series wins'
Ireland assistant coach Gary Wilson says the team are aiming to turn big one-off wins into series successes as they prepare to face the West Indies in three T20 internationals at Bready. The teams drew their ODI series in May, with Ireland winning the first match, the second ending in a draw after a lengthy rain delay and the tourists running out convincing winners in the third game. Advertisement The Irish side has won three and lost three of their previous T20Is against the West Indies and triumphed by nine wickets in the last meeting between the sides in the T20 format in a World Cup encounter in Hobart in 2022. Ireland also secured a shock nine-wicket win on the last occasion the West Indies visited the north west, after bowling their opponents out for just 25 runs at Sion Mills back in 1969. "We have had a decent record against the West Indies over the past number of years and it's a great place to play cricket here. The locals really get behind it. It's a hotbed of Irish cricket," observed Wilson. "Obviously we know how good they are in this form of cricket - it's definitely the format they feel most comfortable in but we're looking forward to the challenge and hopefully the weather plays ball. Advertisement "We've shown a big ability to get big results, especially on the global stage over the last number of years, now we're looking to put that into series wins rather than one-off games." The T20 games take place on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. 'We'll get after it' - Adair West Indies lost all three of their T20Is against England in recent days, but returning pace bowler Mark Adair knows they will be formidable opposition. Adair returns to the squad after missing the ODI series through injury but Craig Young, Curtis Campher and Gareth Delany have been ruled out. "They're one of the best teams in the world in my opinion. I think they've got some of the most exciting cricketers and are one of the most entertaining teams to watch," observed Adair. Advertisement "This is a fresh challenge and we'll get after it. Hopefully we can do the business." "The aspiration is to win the series. I think we match up pretty well and I'm looking forward to getting back out there." In addition to Adair's return, Tim Tector, younger brother of experienced batter Harry, comes into the squad for the triple header, along with Stephen Doheny and spin bowler Gavin Hoey. "Mark is a big player for us and has been for the past 24 months, if not longer," said assistant coach Wilson. "He's plying his trade around the world now and it's great that he's getting that recognition because he has put in some match-winning performances for us. Advertisement "Tim is here on merit and he's shown over a period of time in interpro cricket that he's got good run-scoring ability in this form of the game and I'm sure he's looking forward to the opportunity."
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Washington Post
Fagerson becomes first injury casualty for Lions as Bealham called up for Australia rugby tour
DUBLIN — Scotland prop Zander Fagerson was ruled out of the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia because of injury on Monday, with Ireland international Finlay Bealham called up as a replacement. It adds to the growing concerns about the tighthead prop situation with the Lions, because Tadhg Furlong is nursing a calf injury and Will Stuart will only link up late with the squad as he is playing for Bath in the English Premiership final on Saturday.
