Applications Open for Club-School Link Programme

The Ladies Gaelic Football Association is delighted to announce that this year’s Club-School Link Programme is now open for applications from clubs across the country. This initiative was developed as a recognition programme for club-school links, enabling clubs and schools to formalise the excellent work they are already doing and supporting them to develop further opportunities. The programme provides the opportunity for the pillars, club and school, to move gradually together and become closer aligned to promote healthy lifestyles, learning, as well as all round fun and enjoyment for all stakeholders. Varying resources, time and existing relations, clubs and schools may wish to firstly aim to achieve a bronze level of award in the initial year with the intention of progressing to a higher level of award in silver or gold in the proceeding years as the partnership develops and levels of engagement rise. The ability to choose the levels of engagement are one of the real strengths of this programme with each club having the option to reflect on what both they and the club will be able to offer in the initial stages.

We recently caught up with Stuart Banks of the Ranelagh Gaels club in Dublin who have created a network of schools across south Dublin who play small-sided blitzes against each other. This network has provided much valued and beneficial club-school links throughout South Dublin and created a Ladies Gaelic Football outlet for those who may not have traditionally taken part in our games. Here is what Stuart had to say about his own incarnation of the Club-School link…

Q. How did the idea come about to create such a club-school link initiative?

I coach the 2009 Girls in the club, and they loved the Cumann Na mBunscoil competition at the end of primary school. A number of the parents were saying it was such a pity they may not get a chance to play Gaelic football in secondary school, as the schools they were attending didn’t traditionally play Gaelic football. That gave me the idea to approach the schools with another coach in our club, Bill O Sullivan, and support from the parents of the kids and ask them would they be interested in setting up a team in their schools and entering the competition in 2023. Within a month working with these parents in the club and schools, we had 4 teams signed up and ran our first Scoop Cup in April 2023.

Q. How has creating such links between Ranelagh Gaels and the surrounding schools benefited all involved?

For the club it has benefited in two ways. First of all, if girls are playing for their club and also playing for their school, they are far more likely to stay in the sport. It becomes very much part of their sporting activities. Secondly it gives girls who have never played the sport before the opportunity to play and if they like join their local club. To evidence that, when we started the competition in 2023 we had 38 players in our 2009 group in Ranelagh Gaels club, but since the competition started our numbers have grown to 50 girls in 2025. So not only are we retaining players, but we are seeing an increase in playing numbers at a time where traditionally girls often drop out of sport. For the schools, it offers their students an opportunity to play another sport, and it can attract new students who are actively playing Gaelic football in their primary schools and clubs. The schools have been very supportive from day one of the Competition.

Q. The initiative has seen huge growth since its inception. Can you tell us a bit more about this growth?

In 2023 we launched the competition for 1st year students and had 5 schools entering. The first year we had approximately 160 players playing in the Scoop Cup. In 2024, the Scoop Cup saw significant expansion with a competition for 1st, 2nd and TY students. We also saw an increase in the number of schools entering to 9 and over 400 kids playing in the competition. In 2025, we will run a competition for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and TY years with at least 10 schools entering and with up to 550 taking part in the competition. We manage to do this with huge support from our sponsor Red Kennedy of Scoop, our club Ranelagh Gaels and very importantly Clan Na Gael, DCC and UCD. Clan Na Gael, DCC and UCD have allowed us to use their pitches and facilities and we would not have been able to expand the competition without them.

Q. What do you feel has been the biggest successes of the initiative?

The biggest success to date has been the fact that over 400 kids have had an opportunity to play Gaelic football with and against their friends for the first time.

Q. How do you feel this initiative could progress over the coming years?

I would like to see this continue to expand to local schools in the area and the Scoop Cup becoming a permanent date in the sporting calendar in these schools.

Q. What type of lasting impact do you feel this could have on the relationship between clubs and schools in terms of linking together?

All the schools and clubs we have worked with in setting up the Scoop Cup all have a shared objective to keep girls active in sport as long as possible. The Scoop Cup allows them to deliver this goal through the schools’ promoting and encouraging the kids to play in the competition and develop their Gaelic football skills while the clubs have an opportunity to bring the game to a group of players who may have never had opportunity to play the sport.

For further details on the LGFA Club-School Link Programme and how your club can get involved please visit https://ladiesgaelic.ie/lgfa-hub/clubs/club-school-links/ 

Further information is also available from Vinny Whelan, LGFA Head of Growth and Participation, Vincent.whelan@lgfa.ie 

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