Gaelic gave Ugochukwu an escape from pressure cooker

Collins Ugochukwu, a former professional footballer in England, became the first Nigerian to represent Laois earlier this year

Pictured is Collins Ugochukwu, the first Nigerian-born player to play for Laois Senior Football, at the launch of SuperValu’s #CommunityIncludesEveryone campaign. Now in their thirteenth year of supporting the GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, SuperValu is once again calling on each and every member of GAA communities across the country to do what they can to make their community more diverse and inclusive.

Collins Ugochukwu was only supposed to be coming home to Newbridge, Kildare for a short holiday last year.

He'd been living in the UK for five years, playing professional football, and was waiting to see if Crawley Town would offer him a fresh contract.