GAA star Sarah Rowe: 'If I could be reborn as someone else for a day I’d be a man'

Sarah Rowe has teamed up with Bord Bia to promote potatoes as fuel for optimum sports performance

GAA star, Sarah Rowe. Picture: Marc O'Sullivan

I’ve loved sports ever since I can remember.

I grew up in Ballina, Co Mayo, with two older sisters.

I began playing association football when I was seven and Gaelic football aged eight.

It’s all down to Hugh Lynn the school principal at The Quay National School for encouraging me to develop my sporting potential. I hated cross-country, for example, and used to moan and say 'it’s not fair, don’t make me do this'. But he taught me about the benefits of discipline, and of training. Now, running is one of my strengths. Although, yes, sport is in the family! My grandfather, Paddy Jordan, was a member of the Mayo squad that won the 1951 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, and dad’s heavily involved with our local club.

When I left school I went to Dublin City University on a sports scholarship and trained to be a  PE and Biology teacher. At the moment, I’m teaching up in Dublin and training six days a week, before or after school. I’m down to Mayo twice a week for training so it’s hectic.

I’m really hopeful about how women’s sport is developing in Ireland, thanks to more media exposure. It’s great for younger girls to see older girls achieving so much, and to know that they can follow that path.

The best advice I’ve ever received is that you can’t achieve anything on your own. I’m a firm believer in team work. That’s one of the life lessons you learn from football.

I’ve been lucky to have strong role models, like my dad, whose work ethic is incredible. He runs a textile company, working to Chinese time, so he’s up at 4am most mornings. He’s taught me that success in business, as in sports, is all about people. And my coach, Steve Symonds, was another big influence. He made me see the importance of mindset. Sulking or being in a bad mood is simply not tolerated.

My biggest challenge in life has been from sport. I found it hard to cope when I felt I’d played badly. Sport is a game so, of course, there are always going to be ups and downs. The trick is finding that the answer is all in your head — it’s how you handle those ups and downs that counts. I’ve become better at coping with the setbacks.

NLP (neurolinguistic programming) really helped. It deals with our subconscious minds and the moment I came across it in Australia, I was hooked. I’d been involved with sports psychologists before that but NLP helped me understand how to communicate more effectively with myself and with others. I was so intrigued that I went on to study it and also studied hypnosis. I do sessions in both online and can hardly keep up with the demand from clients since lockdown.

The trait I look for in friends is having an open mindset.

My main fault is my inflexibility. As a sports person, you have to have a routine during the season. It’s tunnel vision and that’s it. But I see it can be hard for others to understand.

My idea of misery is anything technical or to do with life admin. It stresses me out.

My idea of bliss is good company and good coffee.

My biggest extravagance is definitely really good coffee. I’m fully addicted. That’s from living in Melbourne.

If I could be reborn as someone else for a day I’d be a man — to see how their minds work. They seem to think in black and white. Whereas women seem to think in multicolour.

Ambition is definitely more important than talent.

So far has life taught me that you’re not going to get anywhere without a good attitude.

• Sarah Rowe has teamed up with Bord Bia as a potato ambassador for this year as part of its annual National Potato Day celebrations. Potatoes play a key part in an active diet, and Bord Bia has created a new suite of recipes to showcase modern ways to enjoy the vegetable. See bordbia.ie/potatoes for further details.