Volume 1 (1999/2000)
Issue 1 (March 1999)
Issue 2 (Nov. 1999)
Issue 3 (Dec. 1999)
Issue 4 (Feb. 2000)
Issue 5 (March 2000)
Issue 6 (April 2000)
Issue 7 (May 2000)

Volume 2 (2000/2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2000)
Issue 2 (Oct. 2000)
Issue 3 (Jan. 2001)
Issue 4 (March 2001)
Issue 5 (April 2001)
Issue 6 (May 2001)

Volume 3 (2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2001)
Issue 2 (Nov. 2001)

Categories
Sport: 1 2 3
Lifestyles: 1 2 3
Commentary: 1 2 3
Review: 1 2 3
Writing: 1 2 3
Event: 1 2 3

Football - Who said it’s just a man's game?

Anne Burke
St. Joseph's SS, Newtownforbes, Longford

It all happened back in early October when the idea of forming a Girls' Gaelic Football team in our school, first entered my head. I thought it would never materialise but thankfully, I was proven wrong. Many of the girls had never played Gaelic football before so they saw it as a chance to learn the skills and the rules of the game. For many others, we had played on a regular basis at club level as opponents. Now, we were going to join forces. The interest and enthusiasm among the girls was very strong and all that was left to do was to find a trainer. I was a little reluctant, at first, to approach the teachers, as I wasn't sure what the response would be, as there had never been a Gaelic football team before and we thought our idea would be dismissed. To our delight, all the teachers readily accepted the idea and Mr. Garvey was very pleased to train us. It looked like my dream was now becoming a reality.

Training took place every Tuesday evening. All the girls made a huge effort and it made the training worthwhile. The sessions were hard but, despite the aching limbs, the panel of players grew in number each week. We never expected to collect any silverware or even to figure in any of the competitions, but as the championship drew near, we "upped" the pace and we started to train at lunchtime and also after school.

Our first match was away to The Bower, Athlone. We were anxious, nervous and the excitement was overwhelming. It was a closely fought contest and the standard of football was surprisingly good. We truly amazed ourselves! We managed to pull off our first win and we now felt confident of going a step further.

Our next match was at home to Mullingar Community College. We all thought our first match was a fluke and that our success would be short lived. Much to our amazement, we took an easy victory on home soil and our coach, Mr. Garvey, was delighted. It looked like we had underestimated our own ability! Was there any stopping us???? With two more victories under our belt, we topped the table and booked ourselves a place in the Leinster quarter-final! At this stage, we were soaring with confidence and we were not going to accept defeat. Carnew from Wicklow were our next challengers. Although we were minus some key players, we pulled together and yet again we snatched victory by a solitary point. It was like living in a fantasy but we were waiting for reality to bite!

As we travelled to Mountmellick, Co. Laois the bus was full of anticipation and pre-match jitters. We were to play a strongly favoured Ballyhale from Kilkenny. After beating the strong Carnew side, we were not going to underestimate our talents this time!

The first half was a ding-dong battle. Two goals from Ballyhale without reply lifted the Kilkenny side and their confidence was up. We put up a gutsy fight and managed to pull back a goal and a point before the break. The half time score was 2-2 to 1-1 in favour of Ballyhale. The second half saw some good spells of football from both sides. Ballyhale were "firing on all cylinders" and their experience gave them the upper hand at the final whistle. We did, however, get two more goals but with many wides in the first half we let victory slip and we had to settle for second best on this occasion.

Our run of success had come to an end. It was heartbreaking and very disappointing. It had been an enjoyable campaign and we had surprised many people - including ourselves!

At the start of the school year the Girls' Gaelic Football team had only been a pipe-dream. Four months later, it was a successful reality. With the determined character of the girls, I know that we'll be back fit and ready for more action next year.

"Beidh la eile ag an bPaorach"

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