Refcam Announced for 40th All Ireland Championship

The Ladies Gaelic Football Association and Championship sponsors, TG4, today launched the 2013 Ladies All Ireland football Championship and also announced that RefCam will be used for the first time during the 40^th TG4 Senior Ladies Football Championship.

TG4 will pilot the RefCam throughout this year’s championship with the first use to occur at the Senior Championship Qualifier on July 27^th. The Refcam is a head mounted unit with the camera above the ear connected to a transmitter on a light weight vest that is worn under the standard jersey. The picture is then available live to the viewer at home to give a refs-eye view of the action. The new piece of technology will also be a hugely valuable piece of technology for the education and development of referees and has already proven to be a huge success in other codes. RefCam will also be used at the 40^th Ladies All Ireland Finals that will be played at Croke Park on September 29^th.

This year’s historic championship has already gotten off to great start with Kerry reinforcing their credentials by giving Cork their first taste of defeat in championship football since 2010, the two sides met again in the Munster Final on Saturday and it was the Kingdom that again emerged victorious preventing Cork from recording a 10 in a row. In the West Galway and Mayo will both be hoping to make progress through the championship but the momentum will be with Galway who overcame their old rivals in the Connacht final retaining their provincial crown. Monaghan have been touted as the team to break the Rebels dominance in recent years and will hope to launch their campaign on the back of their Ulster title win over Tyrone. 2010 All Ireland Champions, Dublin have endured some difficult years in recent times but they have shown signs of a return to their form of three years ago and after reclaiming the Leinster title they will now be eyeing a return to Jones Road in September.

The draws for the first qualifying round of the TG4 All Ireland Championships also took place with this afternoon. In the Intermediate championship Antrim have been drawn to play Leitrim with the winner joining Wicklow, Limerick and Cavan in round 2. The TG4 Senior Round 1 Qualifier Draw saw Westmeath drawn to take on Donegal and Clare will play Kildare. Both matches will take place at a neutral venue on July 27^th. Armagh and Laois received a bye to Round 2 and they will join the Round 1 winners where they will be drawn to play against the provincial runners up.

Speaking at the Championship Launch the President of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, Pat Quill, said ‘This is a very special year for the Ladies Gaelic Football Association as we celebrate our 40^th All Ireland Final. We are a young sport and have come a long way since 1974 to get to where we are today. Some great players and people have come through the ranks of ladies football and we will celebrate their achievements by inviting every player that represented their county in an All Ireland Final to return to Croke Park to take part in our celebrations. We will also mark the 40^th anniversary of the first meeting of the LGFA by returning to Hayes Hotel in Thurles on Thursday with the original officers to mark the date of our foundation.’

Pól Ó Gallchóir, Director General of TG4 said “We at TG4 would like to congratulate Ladies Football on 40 years of the sport. We are looking forward to another Championship year and very excited about the introduction of RefCam” TG4 Director General, Pól Ó Gallchóir said that the channel was looking forward to a great season of Championship football and that the enhanced TV coverage would add to it further. “We are keenly aware that our coverage is of enormous interest to all those who follow this great sport, whether on live TV  or catch-up in Ireland  or live or on catch-up on our Player www.tg4.tv   Wherever in the world there are Irish people, there is a following for and participation in Peil na mBan – and TG4 makes it available to all, globally, ”  he said.

 

TG4 have been title sponsors of the Ladies Football Championships since 2000 and have committed to showing 15 matches this season beginning with the 1^st round qualifiers on July 27^th at 2pm. The first round qualifier draw is now available on www.ladiesgaelic.ie

 

TG4 LADIES FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP 2013

Saturday 27 July:           TG4 Senior Championship Qualifiers                                                             Round 1 Game 1:  2:30pm        Game 2:  4:15pm

Saturday 10 August:TG4 Senior Championship Qualifiers,                                                        Round 2        Game 1:  4:15pm        Game 2:  6:00pm

Saturday 17 August: TG4 Senior Championship Quarter Finals                                                 Game 1:  4:15pm        Game 2:  6:00pm

Saturday 24 August:TG4 Senior Championship Quarter Finals                                                  Game 1:  12:30pm              Game 2:   2:15pm

Saturday 31 August:TG4 All Ireland Senior & Intermediate Semi Finals                                     Intermediate Semi-Final at 2:15pm                                                                Senior Semi Final at 4:00pm
Saturday 7 September: TG4 All Ireland Senior & Intermediate Semi Finals                                Intermediate Semi-Final at 2:15pm

Senior Semi Final at 4:00pm

 

Sunday 29 September: TG4 All Ireland Finals (Junior, Intermediate & Senior)                            Junior Final:  12:00pm,

Intermediate Final:  2:00pm,

Senior Final:  4:00pm