Kilkenny ladies football has seen a surge in participation rates in the past few seasons and membership numbers have more than doubled in recent years. One membership category that has seen a huge rise in involvement is that of female mentors. There are now well over 50 female ladies gaelic football coaches in Kilkenny. There are ten Ladies football clubs in the county and each is very well represented in regards females making up part of management teams.
One reason for the rise was clear after speaking to many of the mentors at a recent Kilkenny Ladies Gaelic website launch event in Nowlan Park.
Sandra Quinn, U10 Piltown mentor, first joined her local LGFC as a member of the non-competitive Mothers&Others group. She loved it from the get go and through the trainings and matches came to understand the skills and rules involved in ladies gaelic football. She commented how ‘This first hand experience of the sport gave me the confidence to volunteer as a coach in the club and be involved with my daughter Ciara’s group.’
Valerie Maher of Thomastown LGFC also found her path to coaching after playing with her Mothers&Others club team, ‘I’ve played Mothers&Others for 9 years and it is definitely a reason I felt able to help out with coaching my daughter Aoife’s group. It’s so nice to spend time together enjoying a sport that we both love.’
Collette Comerford of Erin’s Own LGFC moved from Limerick to Kilkenny years back and joined her local Mothers&Others group to get to know people in the area. She now finds herself completely immersed in the club as current player and U10 mentor and is enjoying every minute of it, ‘I love being part of the club and Ellen (8) has been playing since she was 4 years old. As a mother it’s great to have the opportunity to be a role model in sport as a player and coach for my own children.’
Ladies football in Kilkenny is a perfect platform for mothers looking to be more involved in their daughters team sport while also benefiting from the fitness and social side themselves! There are 5 clubs in the county that cater for Mothers&Others. Join a club with your daughter today and who knows you too could end up coaching from the sidelines!
