Venue Casement Park, Belfast | Attendance 18,662 | |
Date November 3, 2012 (2012-11-03) | ||
Match for Michaela was a Gaelic football match played under floodlights at Casement Park in Belfast on Saturday 3 November 2012. The match was held in memory of Michaela McAreavey.
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Background
All-Ireland Senior Champions Donegal played a team comprising players from the rest of Ulster in an event intended to raise funds for The Michaela Foundation. Match for Michaela was launched on 25 October 2012.
Match for Michaela marked the first occasion that the Donegal senior football team played since winning the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final on 23 September. The game took place ahead of a planned redevelopment of Casement Park.
Donegal
Donegal manager Jim McGuinness named a squad featuring six All Stars—Paul Durcan, Frank McGlynn, Karl Lacey, Neil Gallagher, Mark McHugh and Michael Murphy. The position of Lacey, the 2012 All Stars Footballer of the Year, was in some doubt ahead of the game after he picked up a hamstring injury playing for his club Four Masters. As the final of the 2012 Donegal Senior Football Championship was the following day, players from the Naomh Adhamhnáin and Naomh Conaill clubs were excused. Among these were Rory Kavanagh, Leo McLoone and Anthony Thompson.
Ulster
Ulster manager Joe Kernan named a squad containing at least one player from every county in Ulster, apart from their opponents Donegal. Four players from Tyrone were named in the squad.