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LADIES FOOTBALL

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THE BACKGROUND

St Mary’s joined the LGFA in 2014 with the principles of retaining and developing footballers from within the local community. The 5-year plan exceeded all targets ensuring ladies football is secure for many years to come with increased numbers joining year on year, trained coaches, qualified referee’s, great volunteers and a progressive club committee.

Key objectives such as participating in the Gaelic4Girls programme, developing school links, securing sponsorship, having a one club policy, giving girls a sense of purpose, taking advice from Meath LGFA, having young whistlers’, ensuring female role models attending Meath Co Board meetings, organising fundraisers and having all teams attending the LGFA All Ireland Finals by bus etc etc makes the journey enjoyable for the players, coaches, parents and our club.

 

St Mary’s has had its successes such as girls playing and representing their club at County U12, U14 and U16 level. St Mary’s may be seen as a small club in Meath, but they have the biggest personalities.

 

In 2018 St. Mary’s entered Féile Peile na nÓg with the U-14 Girls (and U-14 Boys). St Mary’s hosted Bellerin from Derry and the boys hosted Hertfordshire from England for the weekend of competition. 

 

The last Ladies club in Meath to win a Cup was Simonstown in 2012. On Sunday 2nd July 2018, St Mary’s joined the All Ireland history books by winning the Ladies Division 7 Féile Peile na nÓg Cup in a weekend of football, fun and new friendships. St Mary’s has one of the smallest club numbers in the County but their passion, determination and hard work ensured they were crowned All-Ireland Féile Peile na nÓg Champions.

 

Comhghairdeas mor to players, Beate Kadaka, Yasmin O’Brien, Emma Tully, Layarose Barnett, Kayla Kennedy, Louise Craven, Meaghan Greene (captain), Katie Greene, Julie Greene, Emma Flynn, Ava McCormack, Erin Hughes, Kadie Gallagher, Ciara Moonan, Ellen Jackson, Katelyn O’Brien, Katie Rose White, Ainé Farrell and Kelsie Bishop-Cudden; Coaches, Denagh Hughes, Aisling Hill, Barry Hughes & Eugene McLaughlin.

 

St Mary’s LGFA places great emphasis on the development of its young players who in turn appreciate the importance of fun, friendships, health and fitness.

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St Mary’s has many qualities. It’s exciting, fun, dynamic, open to all ages and abilities and possesses a willingness to innovate and progress. It is played by young girls and ladies who have developed a love of the game, of the camaraderie that comes from being part of a team and of the sense of belonging from allegiance to the club and community of Donore and Rosnaree

When this club opened the new facilitates with 4 changing rooms, referee’s room, meeting room and a new hall, it has become the envy of many another clubs in Meath and further afield, our ladies facilities are second to none. 

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GOING FORWARD

St Mary’s is now preparing a new 5-year plan (2021 - 2026) with a focus on the transition from U16s to Minor & Adult football. Many people have contributed to the development of the initial 5-year plan and this group is still as energetic for the next 5-year plan.

A big thank every single person who has contributed at any stage such as administrators, coaches, players, referees, parents, committee members and general volunteers to our club. The combined efforts have given St Mary’s a strength and a presence that has endured throughout the years and years to come. 

 

Ladies football is a national sport in which participation is rapidly rising at the grassroots level in all clubs locally and whose profile is rapidly increasing through media exposure for County Games. Gaelic football in our community needs to continue to catch this wave, and preferably, be ahead of the curve. 

There are many barriers to progress, and these need to be understood and addressed.

 

WHY DO WE NEED TO DO THIS?

  • Team sports build so much more than teams. They build a solid foundation for the future. 

  • Half of young women drop out of team sports by the beginning of secondary school.

  • 1 in 2 girls will drop out sport before the age of 13, despite this high dropout level, 64% of women would agree that girls are more likely to achieve their full potential by playing a team sport.

  • Almost 2 out of 3 girls report experiencing peer pressure every day and that pressure to look a certain way accounts for almost 3/4 of all peer pressure. 

  • Research shows that girls that play sport have better tools to help them cope with this pressure. 

  • Girls that play sport report having better body confidence and mental wellbeing than girls that don’t play sport.

  • There is also a disparity in the encouragement given to boys and girls when it comes to playing sport and when it comes to continuing to play sport.

  • 71% of girls agreed that girls are more likely to give up sport because they are not encouraged as much as their male counterpart.

  • 56% of men report being strongly encouraged to play sport v 36% of women.  

 

Amongst the key findings of the research are the following: 

  • Girls that play sport report a higher body confidence.

  • Girls that play sport report better mental wellbeing (80% of girls who played sports rated their metal well-being at a score of 7-10 vs 67% of girls that don’t play sport)

  • Girls that play sport report feeling less depressed, less lonely, happier and more supported (0% of girls that play sport report feeling lonely daily, 10% of those that don’t play sport do report feeling lonely daily)

  • Women that play sport report greater body confidence (51% women who play sport rated their body confidence 7-10, compared to 32% of women who don’t play sport)

  • Greater mental well-being (70% of women who play sport rated their mental well-being 7-10, compared to 52% of women who don’t play sport)

  • Greater ability to cope with pressure in life (73% of women who play sport rated their ability to cope with pressure in life vs 50% women who don’t play sport)

  • Women that play sport report feeling more inspired, less overwhelmed and less depressed

Research, https://ladiesgaelic.ie/lidl-research-highlights-benefit-sport-young-girls/

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St. Mary’s LGFA Committee: Robert Victory, Chairperson; Eugene McLaughlin, Secretary; Committee members, Emmet Nulty, Emer McDonnell, Elaine Clarke, David Smith, Barry Hughes, Denagh Hughes & Aisling Hill.

Give it a Go

All new players at all ages are welcome, from 5 years upwards and we welcome girls/ladies who have never played football before to join our " introduction programme". Contact us on 086 8137898 or meath.ladies@lgfa.ie 

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