Ladies final 'must stay at HQ'

Cork's latest All-Ireland winning captain Juliet Murphy believes that it would be a disaster if the ladies’ final is not staged at Croke Park for years to come.

Ladies’ Football Association president Geraldine Giles has warned that attendances will have to increase by at least 50% to ensure that their blue-riband final is held at GAA headquarters in years to come.

To take the final out of Croke Park would, according to Murphy, be nothing short of a disaster for the game.

“It is a player’s crowning moment to play at GAA headquarters and it is a fitting reward for teams who have trained and played hard all year.

“It would be a disaster and a huge disappointment to see the final staged anywhere but Croke Park at this stage.

“Just before I received the cup last Sunday I remember looking down from the Hogan Stand and seeing a sea of red and white. That was extra special and is something that every captain and All-Ireland winning team should experience.

“We had over 23,000 people at the finals last Sunday and all four teams put on a great spectacle. I would hope to see ladies’ football continue to grow in popularity now,” said Juliet.

Geraldine Giles has warned that the numbers supporting ladies football would have to increase to ensure the financial viability of staging the final at Croke Park.

“If the numbers don’t grow then I don’t think that it would be viable in years to come.”

That is something Juliet desperately hopes won’t happen.

“It is such a thrill to play in Croke Park. It is such a fantastic stadium that you almost feel like a professional to be playing in such surroundings,” said Murphy.

Meanwhile, Amanda Murphy, who was recently named the Munster Young Player Of the Year said it would be an honour to receive the award at the ladies’ football All-Star awards night in November.

She said: “It’s a super achievement and I am delighted to get it because I know there are a lot of girls my age out their who would love to get the award.

“It’s great being able to add it to my All-Ireland medal which was my ambition since I was a child.”

Article courtesy of the Evening Echo