The Gaelic4Girls programme in Enfield has been a tremendous success, with 58 girls taking part over the 8 weeks. This LGFA national programme was held in association with Na Fianna Ladies Football Club. The programme targeted girls between the ages of 9-13yrs who were not part of a Ladies Football Club and introduced them to the sport in a fun environment. The girls were taught the basic skills of Ladies Gaelic football and then demonstrated their new skills through a series of mini games.

The Gaelic4Girls programme concluded on Saturday 15thJune in Enfield with the presentation of t-shirts and certificates to all participants. The Co-ordinator of the programme recognised the effort put in by all involved to ensure the programme was a success in particular the coaches (Trisha Hanley, Mikey Lawlor, Ann Wall, Rachel Walsh, Sarah-Jane Farley, Leanne Farley, Ges Hanley, Nikki Kelly and Sarah Scully) for all their work over the past number of weeks. The girls were individually presented with their t-shirts and certificates by Meath Ladies County Manager Lar Wall and Na Fianna/Meath Ladies Senior players, Shauna Ennis and Meabh Downey.

It has been clear to see for all involved what a fantastic initiative this programme was and the consistent turnouts every Saturday were justification that the girls enjoyed the 8 weeks. It was fantastic to see the dramatic improvement in the girls' skills levels throughout the programme and all the participants really enjoyed the programme.

Prior to the commencement of the programme, schools in the Enfield/Rathmolyon were visited by Trisha Hanley and Mikey Lawlor to promote the initiative amongst girls in this age group. The girls made many new friends through the programme, another important benefit of participating in Ladies Gaelic Football. The Gaelic4Girls programme provided a safe and nurturing environment for the girls to develop their athletic and social skills. Most importantly, all the girls got the opportunity to play Ladies Football, with all different abilities descending on the pitch on a weekly basis. Gaelic4Girls has also served to integrate members of the community, with many different nationalities taking part and trying Ladies Football for the first time, with great results! All girls have been encouraged to join Na Fianna CLG and hopefully all the girls will come out to the club training Thursday evenings in Enfield GAA grounds at 6.30pm
The girls now look forward to a trip to Croke Park on July 15th to partake in a National blitz.

Ann Healy
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