Club Rossie International, our latest engagement and fundraising initiative, was formally launched at a Club Rossie Business Members event in the Abbey Hotel, Roscommon, yesterday evening.
Club Rossie International (CRI) aims to bring Roscommon supporters around the world together in a consistent and meaningful way, creating an international network of individuals and businesses who want to stay connected with the county and support the continued development of Roscommon GAA.
The objective is to establish a strong base of members and business supporters across North America and other international locations with strong Irish connections, providing steady and dependable annual support for Roscommon GAA.
The event followed an initial soft launch of Club Rossie International at a Roscommon GAA event at the Irish American Historical Society in New York in April.
Since then, 17 businesses and individuals have joined CRI, while a network of eight Regional Ambassadors has been established to actively promote the initiative and recruit new members in their respective locations.
The current members are drawn from the San Francisco area, Oregon, Chicago, New York and Melbourne, with a target of reaching 100 members by the end of 2027.
The first person to join Club Rossie International was Jim Collins of Chicago, formerly of St Croan’s and Ballintubber.
The formal launch in the Abbey Hotel was attended by Club Rossie Global Brand Ambassadors Fergal Guihen, serial adventurer and endurance cyclist, and Rebecca Collins, the 2026 Roscommon Rose.
Speaking at the event, Club Rossie Business Members Liaison John Mee outlined the progress made to date, the financial contribution of the initiative and the ambitions for its future development. He also confirmed that Club Rossie is seeking additional Regional Ambassadors in the Boston, Toronto and Sydney areas.
Thomas Murray, Chairperson of Roscommon GAA, said:
“This is a vital new initiative for Roscommon GAA, and we’re delighted to have our Global Brand Ambassadors, Fergal and Rebecca, here with us tonight.
“We are also very appreciative of our Regional Ambassadors, who are playing an important role in promoting Club Rossie International and growing our network across the globe.
“Roscommon GAA is in a good position financially, and as we move to invest in the Dermot Earley Centre of Excellence, we need to keep innovating and building the global Rossie community.
“Thank you, as always, to the Club Rossie committee, whose professionalism and energy are critical to the success of Roscommon GAA.”
Speaking following the launch, Club Rossie liaison for CRI, John Mee, said:
“Club Rossie has been a major success and an important source of funding for Roscommon GAA since its launch in 2014, raising more than €6 million net.
“The ambition now is to build a global network as we prepare for the next phase of development, both on and off the pitch. The Dermot Earley Centre of Excellence is a huge project, and we will need our diaspora to support us.”
Club Rossie International will continue to expand its network of members, businesses and Regional Ambassadors over the coming months, strengthening the connection between Roscommon GAA and Rossies living and working around the world.
For further information, including the list of founding members and regional ambassadors, click here and if you would like to get involved, email business@clubrossie.com