Bertie kicks off Ladies Football championship

THE Ladies Football Championship was launched in Croke Park yesterday with the news that TG4 will continue their sponsorship until 2006.

A measure of the increased profile of the code was evident in the fact that An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was in attendance, along with a representative from each of the 32 counties.

Last year was the most successful year yet for the sport, now in its 29th year. 33,000 supporters attended the All-Ireland finals in Croke Park while 175,000 watched them on television, a record audience for TG4 programming.

Cumann Peil Gael namBan expect that popularity to increase even further this year.

“The TG4 exposure has really lifted the profile of the game in the past couple of years,” said Geraldine Giles, President of the Association.

“As a means of getting a profile out there, it has been superb what it has done for our game. And TG4 is seen as a sports channel, with shows like Ard San Aer. People tune in to catch up on the Gaelic action and I think the game has benefited from that.”

In recent years, the ladies game has managed to open a number of avenues for exposure. For a long time, the Association was accused of not doing enough to promote the game properly, but, like attitudes in the GAA, that is changing.

“When we were trying to build an association, we were accused of not doing enough to promote the game, not being aggressive enough in that regard. Certainly, in the last few years, we have improved in that regard and the hard work is starting to pay off,” Giles admitted.

It helps when you have talent like Cora Staunton spear-heading the drive for an increased profile.

The most common expression from those who sit down and watch Ladies Football for the first time is surprise at the skill and fitness levels.

“With teams like Mayo, and in the past teams like Monaghan and Laois, we are able to show how talented our teams are,” said Giles.

“Obviously, there are still problems. The gap between some teams is still big, but we are working on bridging that and we are hoping to get development officers all over the country in coming years.”

Ladies football and camogie are putting in ground-work to come under the umbrella of the GAA within the next couple of years.

When the Association was founded in 1974, it was independent of the GAA, and was thought to have suffered as a result. Now with all 32 counties represented at some level in the game, ladies football can claim to be the fastest growing sport in the country and this year the All-Ireland finals will also be streamed live on the TG4 website.

“Ladies Football is going from strength to strength,” said Mr Ahern.

“It has been hugely successful in attracting large numbers of supporters. The popularity of the sport is clear when more than 33,000 supporters attended last year’s football final.”

Information on the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football championship can be obtained on the website, www.ladiesgaelic.ie, and on Aertel Page 248.