By Barry McConville, Down Ladies PRO

Ladies football is in transition, never before in the history of the sport has speed and agility been so much to the forefront in inter county football and Down are among a number of teams in the country including Cork and Galway who have looked outside of the traditional parameters of Gaelic football for inspiration for their Ladies teams and it seems the key could lie in Multisporting,  and like multitasking, it seems women are much better at than their male counterparts.

In comparison to their male intercounty counterparts, female Gaelic footballers are more likely to play a second and even third sport at a competitive level than men. There is an emerging trend within Ladies football to bring in Multisport Coaches to work with county teams and Down are getting to grips with it early.

Multisport coaching has been around as long as sport itself however the GAA and Ladies football in particular have been slow adopt the concept. When Louis Van Gaal was the Netherlands team manager had two former professional hockey players on his coaching staff and former Netherlands star Edgar Davids contributes the success of the Dutch game down the years to the introduction of Hockey tactics and play to their game. Recently the Ireland Hockey team recruited former Ulster and Ireland Rugby player Gary Longwell to their backroom team. Capped 26 times for his country Longwell will be working closely with the Ireland Hockey team drawing on his experience as a professional rugby player.

Down have drawn inspiration from this concept and have brought in Sara Rankin a former member of the Fermanagh Ladies backroom team as Joint Manager along with Conor O'Neill from Down GAA, to rejuvenate Down Ladies football in the coming years. Whereas O'Neill comes from the traditional GAA background, having been involved in Down County football for a number of years as a Coach of the Development squads and Club teams. Rankin however is among a micro group of Multisport Coaches recruited into the ranks of Ladies Gaelic Football to bring an added dimension to the team dynamic. As well as being a P.E teacher in a County Down school, Rankin is a Hockey Coach and player with Banbridge Town Hockey Club. A Down native she is at home on the Hockey pitch as she is the GAA pitch

O'Neill and Rankin have come together and developed a plan for Down ladies which draws on both traditional aspects of Gaelic football and Multisport techniques. Rankin explained their approach.

"We must be respectful and learn from the history of the game while blending it with modern day approaches, techniques and science; it's as simple as that.

"Last year I watched from the opposition benches with Fermanagh as Down lifted the Ulster title and then the All Ireland. There were a number of aspects of the Down game that stood out but it wasn't until much later when I sat down and analysed the Down set up that it became clear to me their strength was in the dynamic of the team. There were a number of multisports players including 2 dual players, 2 international soccer players and a number of club soccer, netball and rugby players. They all brought their own style of play to each game and it was impressive football to watch.

"When Down approached both Conor and I with the concept of Multisport Coaching for the Down Ladies we sat down to discuss the options for the upcoming years and we all agreed that this had to be the way forward for Down, it makes total sense. It's something we promote in schools and encourage younger people to participate in different sports as it gives them a better awareness of game play, helps their overall skills and can increase long term participation."

Conor O'Neill also sees the advantages in the GAA widening its coaching outlook: "Working with a top coach in Sara who shares my belief in a multisport coaching philosophy has been very refreshing. Having a traditional GAA background, I find that players thrive on new approaches to fitness, gameplay and sport psychology. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience available to us from other sports and teams across the country are availing of this. The GAA is evolving all the time and with so much emphasis rightly being placed on player welfare, it is vital that the management of our players, particularly our elite athletes, is at the forefront of our thoughts.

"We have a great opportunity as a new management team in Down to lay the foundations of a player centred approach blended with expertise from across the sporting world, that will produce great Down teams for years to come."

This year's Down panel has quite a number of  multisports athletes. Laura Mason from Loughinisland also lines out for the Northern Ireland Netball team, Rostrevor's Clara Mulvenna plays International soccer with Northern Ireland, and we have three inter county Camogs on the panel, with club soccer, rugby and even volley ball all represented on the Down Ladies team.

Rankin comments: "It's a dynamic mix of sports within the squad and while all the girls' have ambitions to compete to the highest level in LGFA we have to ensure that the training we and they put themselves through to achieve that dream is managed correctly. We take player welfare very seriously and we co-ordinate with the coaches of the other sports the girls are involved in to make sure they are getting all the guidance and support they need and would expect as athletes first and foremost.

"The other benefit of having multi sport players is it makes us raise our game off the pitch. I have my own experiences of playing sports and the treatment we receive as girls both good and bad. Thankfully with the formation of the WGPA female players have finally got a platform from which they can voice their concerns and lobby for better treatment of female athletes.

"The research and work carried out by the WGPA along with communication between management and players allowed Down to evaluate their provisions to their female players and make adjustments where needed. E.g Training facilities for the entire Down set up from underage to Seniors were evaluated and changes made for the better so the horror stories of changing in cars or no toilet facilities is thankfully in the past.

"The County Board recognises and supports the need to raise the standard by which their female athletes should expect to be treated. We are fortunate to be able to avail of the Abbey CBS Newry's training facilities which we share with the Down men's squads and where all our Ladies County teams from underage to Senior now train.

"Training in the Abbey allows us to stay together as a county giving players a real sense of belonging to Down Ladies. Having a state of the art base like this allows coaches from different squads to meet regularly and coordinate on training, young players get to chat with the senior team and watch them play or train, while the facilities are all there for the girls under one roof, fitness suite, icebaths, meeting rooms, physio area, it's a fantastic set up."

Facilities however are only one aspect of a good County set up and both management and executive strive to provide all our ladies teams with the same support network, with regards transport, nutrition, personal support and assistance during times of hardship: "We value our players and it's important to us they feel their contribution is recognised by having a good support network in place. Conor and I are player centred, we are there for the players,we both see the commitment they have for their county so we have a duty to meet their needs both as county players and as people on and off the pitch.

"Multisporting within Ladies football is clearly becoming more prevalent. As coaches we need to be flexible with our approach to training and player welfare and Gone are the days where a coach can demand a player turns out for one team over another. It simply doesn't work in today's society. Players cannot be treated like circus acts for our own gain. That strategy is doomed to failure and it will only drive a player away from us completely and into a sport they feel they are part off or away from sport entirely, that's not the new Down way. We see it as an advantage to our game that players are fit, healthy and above all enjoying their sport(s)".

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