Marie Hickey believes GAA merger would ease pitch problems

The newly inaugurated Ladies Football president says merging with the GAA would end the plight of senior inter-county teams without a training base.

Pitch availability, according to Laois native Marie Hickey, is the big issue facing the LGFA at present and accepts integrating all aspects of Gaelic games into one organisation would ensure greater access to training facilities for their flagship teams.

A Galway ladies football official estimates they fork out €6,000 annually in the renting of pitches. Hickey insists county boards simply cannot afford to purchase and maintain their own ground. “A big problem and big issue for us is various counties don’t have their own grounds and have to seek the generosity of the GAA,” she said.

“We all want to train on the same nights then which causes problems. Nearly every senior team, with players returning from college and elsewhere, trains on Friday and that is prime-time for pitch availability. Purchasing grounds would require huge financial commitment and the maintenance thereafter would cost a lot of money. Some counties do have their own grounds such as Cork. It is not the norm, though. Our inter-county players deserve to train at good facilities and have the facilities afterwards where they can shower and have a bite to eat. That is a basic requirement we want to see.

“As there are more teams and more and more players playing our game, the availability of pitches is going to become a bigger issue. Therein lies an obvious benefit [of merging with the GAA].”

The LGFA president does not expect a one-family association to materialise during her three-year tenure. Retaining their voice and identity, she added, is an important proviso of a catch-all association.

“We do have to find a common ground as to where we all fit within each other structures. That is not something that will happen overnight. It is a step-by-step process which we’ll continue to work on to bring things together more to benefit everybody. It will be more a natural integration.

“We do have a large cohort of players who recognise they are part of this association. I think for our development, for the development of the player and for the development of ladies football moving forward, we do have to have a certain amount of autonomy.”

Increased coverage in the national media also figures strongly on Hickey’s agenda. “There is great coverage of the club scene in local papers. When you get to the next stage then of an inter-county player you expect greater recognition which just isn’t there. That is something we will look to improve. At certain times there is excellent coverage and then other times there is little or no coverage. It is token in some ways.”

On the recently established Women’s Gaelic Players Association, she added: “They are very much looking after the welfare of players, something we are keen to ensure as well.

“We would have far inferior finances compared with the GAA and so the money isn’t there to reimburse players for the long miles clocked to training. Every county looks after their own players to the best of their ability. In some cases, players are refunded for bus tickets, train tickets and petrol, but it isn’t the norm.”