Urban Programme Officers Host Gaelic4Girls Regional Blitz in Clonmel

The Ladies Football Urban Programme Officers hosted a Gaelic4Girls Regional Blitz in Moyle Rovers GAA Club, Clonmel, on Saturday 20th November 2010.

Since their appointment in July of this year, the Urban Programme Officers (UPO) have introduced over 1,000 new players to Ladies Football.

The task of the UPO’s is to increase female participation in existing clubs and to create new clubs in specific urban areas around the country. The UPO initiative is driven through two successful Ladies Football programmes – Gaelic4Girls and Gaelic4Mothers.

The blitz in Moyle Rovers GAA Club, Clonmel featured new recruits to the Gaelic4Girls programme. The Gaelic4Girls programme provides a safe and nurturing environment for girls to develop athletic and social skills in communities with little or no heritage of Ladies Football.

Teams from all as far afield as Dublin, Laois, Wexford, Offaly, Galway, South Tipperary, Cork and Clare participated in the Gaelic4Girls Regional Blitz and inter county stars of the game Cork’s Brid Stack and Elaine Harte and Laois’ Lorraine Muckian were present to lend a hand.

The success of the Gaelic4Girls Regional blitz is evident from the number of teams participating from non Ladies Football strongholds. 87 novices from Youghal took to the field whereas Birr entered a side in the absence of a parent club. Oliver Plunketts of Dublin entered three teams and they are just in the process of setting up a Ladies Football framework within their club.

Paula Prunty, National Games Development Officer for Ladies Football, commented, “The Blitz was a great success with so many teams taking part. The Urban Officer Programme was established to reach out to areas where ladies football had the
potential to grow and the enthusiasm and sheer numbers participating in the Regional Blitz is proof positive that the programme is already making great strides in increasing participation numbers.”

Blitz photography available from Niamh Kavanagh 0860228443

Competing Teams

COUNTY	CLUB/TOWN	No. of TEAMS
Dublin	Oliver Plunketts Eoghan Ruagha Ballyogan	3 1
Laois	Abbeyleix Borris in Ossory	2 4
Wexford	Enniscorthy Gorey	3 3
Offaly	Birr Edenderry	1 1
Galway	Renmore Westside	1 2
South Tipperary	Cashel Carrick on Suir	3 3
Cork	Youghal	7
Clare	Ennis Lisdoonvarna	1 4

Role of Urban Programme Officers
• Create opportunities to play Ladies Gaelic Football in specific urban areas
• Utilise existing initiatives to help facilitate participation (Gaelic4Girls &
Gaelic4Mothers)
• Strengthen existing clubs and establish new clubs over the next two years

Year 1 Urban Programme Officers Regions
Cliodhna O’Connor: Dublin, Laois, Wexford, Offaly
Eliza Downey: Antrim, Cavan, Donegal, Louth
Tara Ryan: Cork, Galway, Clare, Tipperary
Lisa Cafferky: Fermanagh, Longford, Mayo, Sligo

For more information:
Cliodhna O’Connor – 085 7749 483
Eliza Downey – 08* **** ***
Tara Ryan – 08* **** ***
Lisa Cafferky – 08* **** ***