A new Irish non-profit has launched with the mission of giving support to injured athletes around the world, as well as to their family and friends who care for them.

World Sports Team, a volunteer-driven non-profit organization on a mission to provide sportspeople across the world with a supportive network, launched last week in Dublin.

The newly-established network aims to build a member base which will provide support to those who have suffered debilitating injuries through partaking in sport. Through global fundraising and awareness programs, the organization aims to reach out to the families and friends of sportspeople, amateur or otherwise, who have suffered catastrophic injury, and of course to the injured themselves.

Founder Eamonn Sayers, said: “World Sports Team is the team every sportsperson supports. We aim to provide those who suffer catastrophic injury playing sport with a willing hand to help them through whatever difficulties they face. My cousin suffered a catastrophic injury playing sport and from my experiences I realized there has to be a better way of supporting fellow sportspeople. I do not want any family to have to go through what we went through then. Ireland has given many gifts to the sporting world and we hope this can be another one that benefits people the world over.”

Sayers describes it as Ireland’s gift to the world of sport and said that they’re already seeing “top sports stars supporting us by asking their fans to join the team.”

World Sports Team already has the support of an array of sporting stars including former Leinster and Irish Rugby player Brian O’Driscoll, jockey Barry Geraghty and former Kerry inter-county star Paul Galvin, among others.

The organization is run on an entirely voluntary basis. Chief Executive of the Federation of Irish Sport, Sarah O’Connor called it a huge step in the right direction for sport in Ireland and abroad.

She said: “I must commend Eamonn on the establishment of an organization that is so crucial to sporting people here at home and abroad. Regardless of what code you play or what country you play it in, sporting injuries affect everyone and with World Sports Team, we hope to make a positive difference in the lives of those who are so unfortunate as to have to deal with a debilitating injury through sport.”

As part of the launch, World Sports Team debuted an accompanying video ‘Hurling around the World’ featuring some of Ireland’s top sports stars including Brian O’Driscoll, Paul Galvin, Paul McGrath and Diarmuid Lyng. Check it out below, and to learn more visit worldsportsteam.org.