Players gear up for Kick Fada
More than 30 inter-county Gaelic football stars are set to compete for the prestigious All-Ireland title at the fifth annual MBNA Kick Fada competition, which will take place on Saturday, September 18, at Bray Emmets, Co Wicklow.
The MBNA Kick Fada competition, football's equivalent of the Poc Fada, determines the champion "long and accurate kicker" of Gaelic football.
The 2004 competition was launched today at Croke Park by Kerry star Liam Hassett and Derry's championship quarterfinal hero Paddy Bradley.
The current All-Ireland record is an impressive 72 metres, kicked over the bar from the ground by four-time Kick Fada champion Mark Herbert from Co Kildare.
The inter-county players and former greats will shoot it out in three divisions - senior men, senior ladies and the masters division.
Mark Herbert is sure to face a stiff challenge from inter-county stars as he seeks his fifth title in a row this year.
In 2003, Herbert's 59-metre effort was enough to beat Gerry McGill from St Vincent's, Dublin by two metres.
The Sheridan family from Seneschalstown, Co Meath made it family affair, when father Damien and daughter Mary, took the Master's and ladies title, with kicks of 49 and 40 metres respectively.
