Sports Direct Research Finds that 98% of participants believe that Gaelic4Mothers&Others is a benefit to their club

Sports Direct, proud sponsors of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association’s Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme, has today unveiled the results from their second annual ‘My Reason Why’ survey, conducted with over 1,100 participants.

Now in the second year of their Gaelic4Mother&Others sponsorship, Sports Direct launched the ‘My Reason Why’ survey ahead of the 2022 Sports Direct Gaelic4Mothers&Others National Blitz, which took place at Naomh Mearnóg and St Sylvester’s GAA clubs in Dublin on September 3^rd. The survey aimed to uncover the reason why women across Ireland take part in the Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme, with a total of 1,157 participants partaking in the survey. Of those respondents, 56% had never played Gaelic Football prior to joining the programme.

 

Key insights were once more unveiled through the ‘My Reason Why’ survey as, when asked what their greatest barrier to sports participation was, 34% of those surveyed cited a lack of time as their biggest obstacle, with 20% listing confidence as a barrier to participation. 96% of those surveyed agreed with the statement that the Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme is beneficial for relieving stress, while a further 98% said that being involved in the programme helped them to reconnect with friends.

 

Over 96% of those surveyed meanwhile, said that their partners and/or families are supportive of their participation in the Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme, while 76% of those surveyed said that they felt like a sporting role model in their family since getting involved. 30% of participants however said that they felt pressure to be a positive role model for their family – a 12% increase from last year’s findings.

 

Further insights saw a 10% increase from 2021 in the number of participants who answered ‘For Themselves’ as the reason why they participate in the programme, while having fun, improved fitness and a widened social circle were found to be the top three benefits for participants since joining the programme.

 

This year, Sports Direct continued to build out their ‘My Reason Why’ platform, which showcases the benefits of the Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme on physical and mental health, as well as the opportunity to learn the skills of Ladies Gaelic Football in a fun, non-competitive environment. For this year’s campaign, Sports Direct teamed up with well-known podcaster, Laurita Blewitt, who joined her local Gaelic4Mothers&Others club at Knockmore LGFA, Co. Mayo to experience the programme first-hand. Laurita tracked her journey with the programme, revealing her own reason why, as she returned to playing Ladies Gaelic Football for the first time in nine years, which has also been documented in a newly-released video that is available to view here.

 

Since its inception, Gaelic4Mothers&Others has proven immensely popular, with almost 400 clubs from all 32 counties currently involved, with the aim to grow this further in the coming years. Since the beginning of the 2022 campaign, a total of 22 new clubs have registered to be part of the programme, as this year saw the return of the National Blitz, with 132 clubs from all four provinces signing up to be part of the event.

Speaking this week, Leonard Brassel, Managing Director at Sports Direct Ireland said: “At Sports Direct, we wanted to hear from participants of the Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme and get the all-important insights to ensure we can provide the best experience possible for everyone and uncover what their reason why is. We are delighted that the feedback from our survey has once again been overwhelmingly positive. There has been a steady growth in the number of clubs participating in the programme since Sports Direct came onboard in 2021, and we are delighted to partner with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association for such a fantastic initiative. We look forward to continuing to champion the Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme.”

 

As proud supporters of grassroots Gaelic Games in Ireland now for a number of years, Sports Direct not only understands the power and positivity of sport and participation, but also the necessity for equal play in our sporting landscape. The brand is committed to mobilising its customers to embrace physical activity in a fun and social way, while ensuring that women have equal opportunities in order to make this current era of sport a fairer and more equal one for all.

 

For more information on the Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme, please visit: https://ladiesgaelic.ie/lgfa-hub/games-development/gaelic4mothersothers/