The McGinley Foundation, a registered charity launched today by European Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley, has been announced as the fourth and final Official Charity of The 2014 Ryder Cup.
The Foundation joins the three Scottish charities announced earlier this year – Friends of St Margaret’s Hospital in Auchterarder, Perth and Kinross Disability Sport, and Scotland’s family charity Quarriers – all of whose fundraising opportunities will benefit from the direct association with one of the world’s most watched sporting occasions.
Speaking at The Gleneagles Hotel, where he will lead Europe’s defence of The Ryder Cup against the United States next September, McGinley said: “I am delighted to officially launch The McGinley Foundation today and there is no more fitting place to be able to do so than here at Gleneagles.
“We are very fortunate, as professional golfers, to enjoy wonderful lives and, therefore, it is vitally important to have the opportunity to give something back to people, in a wide range of circumstances, less fortunate than ourselves.
“The McGinley Foundation allows me to do that through my status as Ryder Cup Captain and I would like to thank Ryder Cup Director Richard Hills and all his staff at Ryder Cup Europe for giving me this opportunity. It is a tremendous honour and a fantastic way to start my Foundation’s charitable work.”
The Irishman also announced four specific charitable causes close to his heart, both on a personal and professional level, which will benefit from the exclusive support of The McGinley Foundation during its term as an Official Charity. These are Amber, CLIC Sargent, The Society of St Vincent de Paul and the Tour Players Foundation.
“These four causes are very important to me for a number of reasons and I am delighted to be able to support them and the vital work they do,” said McGinley.
“I have been aware of the work that Amber does for around 15 years now, and having seen the amazing difference they make to the lives of disadvantaged young people via their residential homes, I wanted to help them in any way I could.
“The same goes for CLIC Sargent who my wife, Ally, and I think it is such a great charity. Indeed Ally is on their Fund Raising Board and we have personal experience of friends who have benefitted the charity and its work. When you see the support they give to children, and the families of those children suffering from cancer, is truly uplifting.
“The Society of St Vincent de Paul, an Irish social injustice charity, is also very well known to me and my family back home in Ireland. They have a group of extremely dedicated volunteers and I look forward to working with them, helping in any way I can to drive this particular charity’s work across the country.
“Finally, as most people are aware, the Tour Players Foundation is the charitable arm of The European Tour that represents its Members via charitable giving. They do a superb job right across the year – a lot of it unrecognised – so I felt it was important for me to acknowledge the good work it does on behalf of the players, 12 of whom, of course, will make up my team right here in a little over a year’s time.”
European Ryder Cup Director Richard Hills said: “Everyone at Ryder Cup Europe is delighted that the McGinley Foundation has completed the set of Official Charities for The 2014 Ryder Cup. We have a strong tradition of working with the host nation and captain and this announcement continues the proud charitable legacy that The Ryder Cup presents.
“Indeed, next month on Sky Sports we will be airing a specially commissioned documentary entitled ‘The Ryder Cup – Beyond The Ropes’ which outlines the comprehensive programme of good work initiated by our charitable endeavours over the years – and it is something that the current captain and team, as well as the captains and teams to come, will continue.”
