Barclays award £40,000 for local community support initiative

Gaelic4Girls, a grassroots community sport initiative
in Belfast will receive £40,000 funding over the next
three years as part of the £30m Barclays Spaces for Sports
initiative, a partnership between Barclays, Groundwork
and the Football Foundation to create sustainable sports
facilities across the UK.

The Belfast Gaelic4Girls programme has been organized
by North, West and South Belfast Sport Forums working
collectively under the banner of Belfast Community Sports
Development Network (BCSDN) in partnership with Ladies
Gaelic Football Association (LGFA). Over three years,
it aims to provide opportunities for 12 coaches to gain
qualifications with LGFA. Additionally 120 girls aged
8-13 years old from across Belfast will have the opportunity
to participate and receive LGFA coaching from coaches
specifically trained to work with Ladies Gaelic Football.
This weekend saw the completion of year ones programme,
finishing with seven teams from across Belfast participating
in the first Gaelic4Girls blitz held in Northern Ireland
hosted by North Belfast Sports Forum at the St Malachy,s
site (Antrim Road).

Girls proudly show off their medals after participating in Northern Irelands first Gaelic4Girls Blitz, also in the photo: Coaches, Co ordinators, Programme funders and representatives from the Ladies Gaelic Football Association

Special guests at the Blitz included, Paula Prunty (LGFA
National Games Development Officer), Helen O’Rourke (LGFA
Chief Executive) who both travelled up from Croke Park
Dublin for the occasion and Peter Watson representing
Barclays Spaces for Sport and Groundwork. The Blitz was
organised by Robert McQuiston who coordinated the North
Belfast site (St Malachys), Orlagh O’Hagan coordinator
of West Belfast (Whiterock site) and Ronan McKenna coordinator
of South Belfast (Queens PEC site). Robert McQuiston,
Community Sports Development Officer for North Belfast
said ” Now that the programme has high lighted there is
a demand for more opportunities to be created for young
girls and ladies to participate in the sport (Ladies Gaelic
Football) we hope to see more local GAA clubs proactively
engaging in the new integration process with the LGFA,
this would hopefully lead to emergence of new ladies teams,
more provision being made for the ladies at local GAA
clubs and coaches and mentors being trained through the
LGFA programs to work specifically with girls.

Some local clubs have already shown their interest in
developing the Ladies game which is encouraging for the
sport and those girls wishing to continue their development
and involvement in the game”.

For further information on the programme please contact:
Robert McQuiston (Community Sports Development Officer)
on 02890 756770.