Ms Tricia Nolan:

Some 70% of the people who come to us are under 35, yet that is not the breakdown of volunteering in Ireland if one looks at research done in the census.

It is that middle-aged group who traditionally have volunteered to the greatest extent. What we are capturing is young people who may not know how to get involved in a local sports club. We are tapping into younger people a great deal of the time. We have a significant number of non-Irish nationals who come to us to volunteer. They are not connected to their communities in many ways and see volunteering as a way to become connected. They come to it through their local volunteer centres rather than by knowing about a GAA club or other local sports organisation.