New MD ball to challenge O’Neill’s GAA dominance

O’Neill’s Gaelic football monopoly is set to be broken in January when the MD match ball comes into circulation for the Allianz Leagues.

Dublin have already been using the ball produced by the myclubshop.ie company, owned by long-standing GAA patron Martin Donnelly. Launched last August by players including Dublin midfielder Michael Darragh Macauley, it is in line to make its inter-county season debut in the All-Ireland champions’ Division 1 opener against Kerry in Croke Park on January 30.

The Central Competitions Controls Committee usually supply the footballs for league as well as championship games and as an officially GAA approved ball, the MD product will now be accepted for use on match days providing both teams agree to it being used. The O’Neill’s branded ball has been synonymous with Gaelic football since the 1960s and has seen off several competitors such as the one manufactured by the now defunct Belfast-based Gaelic Gear company in the late 2000s. Although the MD match ball is priced at €40, €10 less than the O’Neill’s one, it has passed all the required tests set out by the GAA and DCU, who have independently verified it.