Declan Fitzpatrick Looking Forward To 'game For Anto'

He is more used to playing sport in Kingspan Stadium than watching it, but on Saturday night, Ulster prop, Declan Fitzpatrick will swap the pitch for the stands as he watches Gaelic Football played at the home of Ulster Rugby for the first time in living memory.

The occasion is the ‘Game for Anto’, a historic Gaelic Football match between Dublin and an Ulster All Star select that will see the two sporting codes come together to help raise funds and awareness of Motor neurone disease, the disease suffered by former Antrim GAA player Anto Finnegan.

Despite growing up in England, Ireland international Fitzpatrick is a keen GAA fan with a strong family association with the sport:

Declan says: “It’s a sport I started playing when I was a very young age. My dad was a Gaelic Footballer. He won multitudes of trophies in England during the 70’s and 80’s. He was a Mayo man. He played Mayo minors, so I loved Gaelic Football growing up. Unfortunately, as I got a bit bigger, I was forced down the rugby route as it wasn’t a sport that suited a guy of my size!”

Despite having been a professional rugby player at Ulster for almost a decade he has always stayed in touch with the amateur GAA game:

“I have an association with a club down in County Down - Kilcoo GAC. I have been down to do a bit of coaching and to pass on any knowledge that I can. They are sponges for information. Their level of training sometimes exceeds what we do. It’s an extremely passionate sport."

And Declan is looking forward to the game on Saturday and to seeing funds raised in the fight against MND:

“It’s a great cause,” he says. “Anything that brings people together in Ulster is fantastic. It’s great to have it here at Kingspan Stadium. It’s for charity and for the right reasons and it is amazing how sport can cross divides.

“Hopefully I will be able to get down and watch it. I am sure that I will have to explain the rules to a few of the guys but I am looking forward to it!”

To buy tickets for the Game for Anto – click here.