GAA ladies make their pitch!

Galway Ladies Gaelic Football Association is hoping to score fundraising from the public – to support the ongoing development of the sport in the county, and to realise its dream of developing training pitch facilities dedicated to the women’s game.

On the eve of the Galway Ladies Football team’s All-Ireland semi-final showdown with Mayo this weekend in Croke Park, the County Board has launched a fundraising initiative to allow supporters assist in running the organisation.

County Board chairperson, Betty Hernon, is spearheading the fiver-a-week campaign to raise ongoing funding from friends and supporters of ladies’ football.

“What we’re trying to do is to target anybody that would be interested in supporting ladies’ football, in whatever shape or form they could do so, be they businesses or somebody who’s niece plays or whatever. Whether that’s a one-off donation of maybe €50, or whether they sign up for a fiver a week, any support is welcome,” she said.

Ms Hernon, who took over the top job last December, said finances – or the lack of them – have dominated the organisations monthly meetings.

She said that Galway Ladies Football were grateful to Supermac’s, who are the main sponsors of the senior ladies’ team; and to Ward and Burke Construction, Hughes Supervalu Claregalway and County Galway Credit Unions, who are also corporate sponsors.

However, it costs €200,000 a year to run the organisation, she said.

“We get some gate receipts from matches and membership fees but with the fiver-a-week supporters’ fund we’re trying to get some more regular income. We were going to meetings and they were dominated by money. In order to eliminate the time spent at our monthly meetings talking about finances, we’ve come up with this plan to raise funding,” she said.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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