Month: September 2021

THE HEADLINE A few weeks back was a welcome sight: Kilkenny Ladies Gaelic adult team set for comeback.

It was indeed “exciting news,” as the social media post from Kilkenny LGFA read, with the Cats in line to return to the inter-county scene in the near future having last competed in 2019.

After a difficult year and a series of heavy defeats, the decision was made to withdraw the side from the All-Ireland junior championship and National League for the foreseeable.

But with incredible work done behind the scenes between structures and support networks, and outstanding efforts at underage level and in the 10 clubs on Noreside, the wheels are in motion to go again in a huge boost for the county.

“The recent social media post we put out, we want to bring people along with our story,” PRO Eléna Byrne tells The42. “It’s hugely important that we have everybody on board this time around.

“What we’re hoping to do in 2021 really is just get the roadmap in place for this adult team to get back together again. We wouldn’t be competing this year, but we’re really hoping to compete again in the very near future.

“So far, there’s been huge interest in it. We have a huge amount of volunteers involved this year, 2021, way more than previous years. It’s testament to the rising popularity of the sport, the work of the volunteers behind the scenes, and the underage levels — they’re really coming through now.

We’ve been discussing this adult team all the time behind the scenes. Even last year, it was discussed at county board level and it was decided no, we couldn’t do it. It’s important that this year it has been agreed that now is the time to get the process going again, to get the ball rolling so to speak.”

“But it has to be done properly,” Byrne adds. “We need all the support we can get going forward with this. It’s a big endeavour but we know that the talent is there in both management and players for this to become realistic for us again.

“We’re putting it together properly, with a good development team behind this. We were picked last year, as part of the national strategic plan of Croke Park, the LGFA. We were one of the first counties picked to be given support to develop a three-year plan.

“We’re coming very close to finishing it now, and the adult team is going to be a big, integral part of that three-year plan.”

Lifting the All-Ireland junior crown in 2007.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

The news of the inter-county team’s return comes a little over 12 years since Kilkenny lifted the All-Ireland junior title in 2007.

The Cats beat London in the Croke Park showpiece to claim the West County Cup for the first time in their history, and it capped a memorable season all round.

“That year was just incredible and I was so lucky to play with such a talented squad,” Caitríona Corr, a member of that All-Ireland winning team, says.

That talent is still here in Kilkenny in abundance and there’s no reason a Kilkenny ladies Gaelic football team can’t rise to the top once more.”

Byrne feels the same success can be achieved once again. “It’s hopefully the start of a fairytale story,” she nods, hailing the “really positive reaction” and “overwhelming outpouring of support” the news has resulted in.

She gives several examples; the standout one Cork LGFA PRO Peter O’Leary reaching out and offering a visit from the 11-time All-Ireland champions when the Covid-19 situation improves.

Excitement is through the roof for all involved in Kilkenny, particularly players at the minor grade who had no solid pathway to adult level for some time.

“You’re playing minor with your county and club but then if there’s no adult team to strive for, or no role models there for those girls to be looking up to, really they’re probably going to leave the sport after that age,” Byrne explains.

Now, the excitement is building up again. You can see on social media posts, girls tagging each other, saying, ‘Get the boots ready, this is brilliant.’ It’s lovely to see all of that again.

“I’m actually noting down all the names of the girls, I’m like, ‘Who’s she? She doesn’t play with a club, get onto her!’ There’s loads of girls out there who probably aren’t part of a club and could easily be, but they just aren’t aware.”

Originally from Dublin, and having played for Lucan Sarsfields and the capital’s junior squad until she moved to Kilkenny 10 years ago, Byrne’s passion for ladies football shines through with each and every word she utters.

🎺EXCITING NEWS🎺. @LadiesFootball @KKCityLGFC @GaelicPiltown @LeinsterLGFA @dunnamagginlgf1 @StCanicesCU https://t.co/bPugZ32h2t

— Kilkenny LGFA (@kilkennylgfa) January 30, 2021

Now a central figure of the Dunnamaggin club and still a Mothers and Others player at the age of 41, she played with Kilkenny for a year when she first re-located.

“I’ve seen how it works in both set-ups: the Dublin squad where you have the money, you have the support, and then the difference with playing with the Kilkenny squad.

There’s very little. Even just not having a bag. You get your kitbags with Dublin, you get your gear, the Kilkenny girls don’t always have that. It’s much harder to source and there’s so much work going on in the background now, getting that right for adult team this year. That has to be right. It’s not going to be done right if you don’t put in that support beforehand.”

Dunnamaggin — set up five years ago, with 200 active members now — is one of 10 clubs in the county, six of those catering for adults at junior level.

The others focus on underage football; the nursery age group in particular where huge numbers are coming through; and Mothers and Others — non-competitive, social teams introducing women back into the sport.

The ladies football scene in Kilkenny, like everywhere across the country, has “a real family” feel to it, and Byrne is delighted to be so heavily involved.

She’s pleased to see it growing and growing, and the return of an inter-county adult side is another step along this journey, fuelled by hard work and dedication, and spurred on by support and belief.

“Sometimes when you’re the underdog you have to work that little bit harder and you can become a lot closer.

We need that belief in us. There’s an old mentality, ‘Ahhhh, it’s only football Kilkenny’. That perception has to go, and it is going with ladies football, 100%.

“Ladies football would be perceived as the second GAA sport of most girls and ladies here, so we have to work even harder to promote it and even harder to support the girls who are playing.

“I would point out though, even though we are perceived as maybe the underdog GAA sport, there’s many a player we have who it’s their first sport, first passion and it’s their only team sport. It’s so important for girls to have a team sport especially… you have them for life.”

Celebrating the 2007 win.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

The newfound healthy relationship with the camogie county board — “it hasn’t just happened overnight, that relationship wasn’t always there” — has certainly helped and going forward, players will be able to play both at adult level, like many have done underage.

“It’s in everyone’s best interest for us to support dual players, not only in Kilkenny but in the whole country really,” Byrne notes. “There’s never a time we should not be supporting women to stay in sport, and teenagers especially.”

That’s the big focus now, with the three-year plan in full flow and the returning adult team integral to that, with players at the heart of the process.

“We have people who have come forward with an interest in management, but there’s nothing at all set in stone yet,” she concludes. “We are open to anyone coming forward and we’ll talk to anyone.

“We are set on having a roadmap in place that will be followed so that it’s all done properly.”

THE GAA HAVE rejected the idea that the decision to postpone the return of inter-county action was financially motivated.

Speaking at the launch of the GAA’s annual report, director general Tom Ryan pointed out that the National Leagues are not major financial earners for Croke Park.

“The league in itself doesn’t really have a huge bearing on finances one way or the other,” he said.

“Most of the league got played [in 2020] but it’s not enough to make significant inroads income wise to the Association. Likewise, it doesn’t have a huge bearing on costs either.

“What happens hopefully over the next couple of months league-wise, is by and large cost neutral.”

While it reduces the costs of preparing county teams, Ryan says there are drawbacks in terms of profile and commercial opportunities.

“Most importantly,” he added, “long-term you lose a connection with the people we are very dependent upon to keep the association safe, in all respects, not just financially.”

“The course we mapped through last year, the finances were so bad so early on and looking so bad that we just tried our best to park that and compartmentalise that to one side.

“And thereafter try to do the best we could from a game promotion and calendar and playing point of view, and that’s the same as we are doing this year.”

Ryan is hopeful a small number of supporters may be allowed attend some inter-county games later this year, but unsurprisingly ruled out the prospect of a full house for All-Ireland final day.

“I’ve no particular expertise or insight over anybody else so all I’m giving you is a lay view of things. I would like to think we will have [fans at games]. I don’t think we will have grounds at full capacity, it’s hard to see anything anywhere near that.

“You remember last year there was a brief period when we were allowed to have a few hundred people at club matches. That’s hopefully within the scope of the country to deliver and for us to implement. I don’t foresee 80,000 at an All-Ireland final.”

He also said that the GAA won’t rush back into games and training, noting the spike in injuries claims despite the truncated season in 2020

“We saw that manifested in, unbelievably even though the playing season was shorter and more truncated we actually had more player injuries last year than the previous year.

This included “more injury claims and so on. There’s an argument for when we get the green light we’ll still be careful and we’ll still be cautious about it, because what that will mean is a huge burden of responsibility on us to make sure we do the thing right.”

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AMAZON PRIME VIDEO could become a new home for GAA coverage in the future.

The American subscription streaming service was name-checked by the GAA’s commercial director, Peter McKenna, as the Association launched its annual financial report yesterday.

McKenna suggested that Amazon could be a possible bidder for some GAA action in the future, with media rights proving a valuable commodity at a time when revenue is needed.

The GAA reported a combined deficit of €34.1m after the Covid-19-hit 2020 season yesterday, with Director-General Tom Ryan describing the past year as “very damaging to the Association from a financial point of view”.

While the biggest fall came in gate receipts, commercial income — generated through media rights, agreements and sponsorship — fell from €19.92m to €8.65m as contracts were renegotiated on a one-off basis to reflect the changed league and championship formats.

While thankful to existing partners and current rights holders, RTÉ, TG4, Sky Sports and eir Sport, for their recent accommodation, McKenna envisages more changes in the future.

New players such as Amazon, who have been covering some Premier League action [in the UK] of late, may be interested in getting involved in the next round of broadcast rights when the current deals expire at the end of this year, McKenna says.

“There are some positives in the media rights landscape,” he noted. “We certainly got huge support from TG4 and RTÉ in allowing streaming to occur even though it was contrary to the contracts we had with them. 

“Streaming and digitisation are going to be a bigger part of the contracts. The importance of sport in a national broadcast sense is far more important now when you see what other content is available and where it is available.

“We have a very good product for media rights negotiation and I think there are a lot of players in the market now and new ones coming into it.

“So I would be very confident that we’ll have a very healthy discussion with the existing partners but there are newcomers coming into that frame too, like Amazon for example.”

– Additional reporting from Fintan O’Toole.

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TIPPERARY FOOTBALL MANAGER David Power is our next coaching expert to feature on How To Win At Dominoes with host Shane Keegan.

Power guided the Premier County to Munster glory last November, shocking Cork in the final to secure their first senior provincial football title in 85 years.

Their achievement was particularly poignant as it coincided with the Bloody Sunday 1920 commemorations that were taking place that weekend. 

In this week’s epsiode Power reflects on Tipperary’s 2020 season as a whole and remarked on how the return of some key players helped inspire them to become Munster champions.

“We played Cork,” he begins, “and then the following week, we went up to Longford and we didn’t perform at all. We were absolutely dreadful, probably our worst performance.

“I went home and went, ‘What the hell are we doing?’ How do we go from playing really good football to… my style of play is that we play attacking football. I will never go into a dressing room and say, ‘Right, we’re going to have 14 men behind the ball and try to counter-attack.’

“We try to move the ball fast because we have some really top class forwards [and] we can score. I suppose that was really driving me mad.

“But I suppose Covid came in [at a time when] we weren’t going well. We had Offaly at home and Leitrim away and if that was played maybe before Covid, we could have been in serious bother. We could have been relegated and that’s being truthful about it.”

Power says that the aftermath of the county final between Clonmel Commercials and Loughmore-Castleiney was a pivotal time for his team.

He permitted the players from those clubs to have the night off when training took place the following Wednesday before welcoming them back into the fold on Friday.

• ‘I will never forget the first day my session got torn to shreds. That was the start of that learning process’

Power says that seeing those players return brought a huge boost to the squad, particularly after losing John Meagher after he was invited to join the senior hurling panel.

They were also able to bring in AFL star Colin O’Riordan to strengthen their outfit even more.

“We got Michael Quinlivan back, Liam Casey, Paudie Feehan came in as well. And all of a sudden then, things started to roll.

“I was aware that Colin was at home and we’d be texting over and back over the last couple of years anyway and we’d be fairly friendly.

“He said he’d come in on the Friday night and it gave me a great lift. That training when Colin and all the Clonmel Commericals lads came back in… like we would have had a small number at training on the Wednesday because there’s 10 of the Commercials team on our panel.

“Colin and Michael Quinlivan coming back in gave us a great lift. Training was really good from that night. We played Laois in our first practice match and played really well that night and won.

“I said to myself, ‘Things are going the right way now.”

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CPA CHAIRMAN MICHEÁL Briody says the decision to remove inter-county GAA from Level 5 exemption was ‘accepted too easily,’ but adds that the association is in a difficult position in relation to Covid-19 restrictions.

The Government informed the GAA of the move last week while it was also announced that there will be no Gaelic Games activity until “Easter at the earliest.”

Minister for State of Sport Jack Chambers later explained that the GAA’s exemption status as an elite sport concluded at the end of the 2020 championship, with GAA president John Horan also clarifying that there was an issue over GAA players operating in ‘bubbles.’

“I would say [it] was accepted too easily and it really restricts what can be done with the overall amount of time that’s there for the GAA,” Briody told The42 today when asked for a comment about the GAA’s response to the news.

“I think the GAA are within their rights to make representation and ask why that is because as far as we’re aware, there were no cases from last year of clusters within inter-county teams that haven’t been in other elite sports from time to time.

“In fairness, they’re being guided by NPHET and they have their own Covid advisory. They’re doing it right in that they’re following medical [and] public advice. I do think there’s a small bit there that they eased up too much on that and need to make stronger representation as regards the elite category.

“It’s very difficult and I do have a lot of sympathy for them. It’s not for us to stand up and say we no a better way. At the moment they’ve got to follow public advice primarily.”

With no clear starting point in sight for the 2021 season, there is plenty of ongoing debate regarding the format that should be put in place this year.

A split season model was introduced in 2020, with club competitions being played off first before the inter-county games followed later in the year.

Many suspect that this will be repeated in 2021 while the GAA says it remains their intention to complete the inter-county league and championship this year.

The club championships finished up at the county final stage last year and Briody argues that the inter-county schedule should be completed first this time to give the club competition a better chance of reaching provincial and All-Ireland stages in 2021.

“I think allowing inter-county first is the most sensible approach,” he says.

“The only thing is it would have to be down to Level 2 before we have club season. So we can all sit here and say, ‘Club scene [should] go back first.’

“But Tony Holohan and NPHET might not be allowing that. Where does that leave us then? So that’s the dichotomy.

“I do understand that it is a difficult one because you have to haul club players and club people back. There’s a major money issue with running the inter-county season with no crowds.

“I fully appreciate that and that is an issue and all the money filters down to each county and each club so it impacts everyone and we can probably see the financial strategy laid bare that the GAA give it all back.

“If you run club first you won’t get the provincial or All-Ireland club season run. If you were to do that, you only have a small amount of players involved in that so that would make sense [to do] at the end of the season.”

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LIMERICK GAA HAS paid tribute to one of its long-serving backroom team members, physiotherapist Mark Van Drumpt, who died today after an illness.

The Dutch native worked with Limerick inter-county teams for over 15 years and was a key behind-the-scenes figure for both the senior football and hurling sides, helping the latter to All-Ireland glory.

Van Drumpt was initially involved with the footballers, acting as lead physio for three Munster senior football finals and two league deciders.

He then joined the Treaty’s hurlers in the same role, involved under the watchful eye John Kiely for two All-Ireland wins, two league titles and three Munster championship crowns.

Van Drumpt also assisted with underage teams, helping players achieve two All-Ireland and three Munster U21 hurling victories, four minor Munster title victories and two All-Ireland hurling final appearances at that same age grade.

Limerick GAA paid tribute with a statement today: “Mark’s contribution to Limerick GAA will long be remembered by all who he worked with, and all involved with Limerick GAA express their sympathy to his wife Leonie, daughter Paris and extended family.”

With sadness in our hearts everyone involved in Limerick GAA pay tribute to the work that Mark Van Drumpt did for Limerick GAA.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

https://t.co/uflZCuCGyd pic.twitter.com/xRVDXBKX84

— Limerick GAA (@LimerickCLG) February 18, 2021

Kiely, county board chairman John Cregan and secretary Mike O’Riordan led the tributes.

“He was a legend in our group — there are no two ways about it. He was great company,” Kiely told the Limerick Leader. “He was an incredible character. We are very saddened by his passing.

“He was an ever-present presence on the sideline for all our matches and training sessions.

He was an expert in his field, a fount of knowledge with gifted hands. He was just a top-class physiotherapist. We would trust his opinion very, very much indeed.”

“Mark took great personal interest in each hurler and footballer and always went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure every player was fit for match day,” Cregan added.

“He was a larger than life character and we are all deeply saddened at his passing.” 

And O’Riordan noted: “He was an unbelievable individual who gave sterling service to Limerick GAA. He was not only one of the best physios in his field but he was also a very good friend to everybody involved and had a great relationship with everybody.

“He was held in high regard by all and was an absolute credit to his profession. Mark was the best of the best.”

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CORK FOOTBALL BOSS Ronan McCarthy’s 12-week ban for a training guideline breach has been upheld by the GAA’s Central Hearings Committee [CHC].

A hearing last night found that McCarthy’s charge of discrediting the Association was proven and the proposed suspension — in relation to a team gathering in January that was in contravention of the GAA’s ban on collective activity — was confirmed.

The three-month ban commenced yesterday, and will expire on 14 May.

It is likely that McCarthy will miss little of the inter-county season as a result, with uncertainty reigning over the return to GAA activity, and the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in general.

McCarthy’s Cork footballers were filmed engaging in a collective fitness exercise — a “team building” session, as he told The Irish Examiner – on a beach in Youghal last month; a rule breach of the GAA’s ban on collective winter training, rather than breaking Covid-19 rules for elite sports.

“Ronan McCarthy requested a Hearing which took place on 18.02.2021,” a statement reads.

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“An Lár Choiste Éisteachta (Central Hearings Committee) found the Infraction – “Misconduct Considered to have Discredited the Association” proven and imposed the following penalty: 12 weeks suspension from 18ú Feabhra 2021

“Ronan McCarthy has the option of appealing against the decision of An Lár Choiste Éisteachta to the An Lár Choiste Achomhairc.”

Down football boss Paddy Tally had his suspension for the same offence cut to eight weeks at a hearing last week, the ban relating to a gathering at Abbey CBS in Newry in January.

THE FOUR ALL-Ireland semi-finalists make up the entire All-Star football selection, one that’s predictably dominated by six-in-a-row champions Dublin.

Dublin’s Ciaran Kilkenny and Oisín Mullin of Mayo both picked up All-Stars.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Dublin had nine players selected and even then Stephen Cluxton, Robbie McDaid and Sean Bugler made decent cases for inclusion.

It’s only the third time a side have enjoyed such a high representation the All-Star team, summing up the current state of the Gaelic football landscape.

Kerry (1981) and Dublin (1977) were the other two teams to have nine players chosen.

The Kingdom’s four-in-a-row winning season concluded with awards for Jimmy Deenihan, Paudie Lynch, Paidi O Se, Jack O’Shea, Sean Walsh, Denis ‘Ogie’ Moran, Pat Spillane, Mikey Sheehy and Eoin Liston. 

Four years earlier, Dublin’s second straight Sam Maguire victory saw Paddy Cullen, Gay O’Driscoll, Robbie Kelleher, Tommy Drumm, Pat O’Neill, Brian Mullins, Anton O’Toole, Bobby Doyle and Jimmy Keaveney honoured on All-Star night. 

The first time winners for Dublin were John Small, Niall Scully and Eoin Murchan.

At 28, it’s somewhat of a surprise that Small hasn’t been selected before. His tradition of getting sent-off in All-Ireland finals probably didn’t help his case over the years. More often than not, he was operating on the same half-back line as stand-outs James McCarthy and Jack McCaffrey.

Small has been a rock at the back over the years, a consistent, fiery defender who goes about his business with minimal fuss. A guaranteed 7/10 performer every week. He’s a player you’d hate to play against but would love to have as your team-mate.

Scully is probably the most under-rated player on the Dublin team. His hard work and engine are central to the Sky Blues game plan. The ground he covers in a game is remarkable, he always takes the right option and is so good off either foot it’s hard to determine which is his stronger side. 

Dublin’s Niall Scully.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

Completing the all-Dublin half-back line is Murchan, whose inclusion ahead of Paddy Durcan and Eoghan McLaughlin will raise some eyebrows out west. 

Durcan’s injury in the final against Dublin that forced him off at half-time might have cost him.

Mayo will feel hard done by with just two players – Cillian O’Connor and Oisin Mullin – chosen by the selection committee after 12 were nominated. 

Since the millennium, Tyrone (2018), Armagh (2003) and Kerry (2002) have all won just two All-Stars after losing the final. When Cork fell in the 2007 decider to Kerry by 10 points, Graham Canty was their sole representative on the team.  

The 4-9 he posted against Tipperary in the semi-final guaranteed O’Connor’s spot. His overall tally of 5-40 in the championship is a remarkable figure that left him 22 points clear of second placed Conor Sweeney. 

Mullin’s stunning breakthrough campaign saw the rookie pick up his first award and he’s favourite to land the Young Footballer of the Year prize on Saturday night.

Another nominee for that prize McLaughlin can also consider himself unlucky to miss out on an All-Star, but it sums up how difficult it is to win one.

The change to the rules in recent years which allows players nominated in one position to be selected in another meant that midfield nominee McCarthy reverted to the half-back line to accommodate Thomas Galligan (nominated as a forward) at centre-field. 

It was a fourth award for McCarthy and Ciaran Kilkenny. Fellow ever present Dean Rock picked up his third. Cuala clubmates Mick Fitzsimons and Con O’Callaghan have won their three All-Stars in the same seasons – 2017, 2019 and 2020. 

Since making his debut in 2015, only once (in 2017) has Brian Fenton failed to finish the season with an All-Star. The 27-year-old’s fifth award at midfield takes him past Anthony Tohill and leaves him one behind Jack O’Shea. There’s plenty more to come from the Raheny man.

Cavan and Tipperary will cherish their selections in the XV.

It’s a big day for Cavan. Before 2020, they had just two All-Star recipients Ollie Brady and Dermot McCabe. They’ve more than doubled that tally following their stunning Ulster success with Raymond Galligan, Padraig Faulkner and Thomas Galligan all included. 

The Cavan keeper’s highlight reel across the five championship games includes a host of critical saves and this sensational winner to dump out their dearest rivals.

Cavan goalkeeper Raymond Galligan with the point of the day. 👏

Some way to win an Ulster championship match against your close rivals. 🔵⚪️pic.twitter.com/TbT3c4kF6i

— The42.ie GAA (@The42GAA) October 31, 2020

Faukner and Thomas Galligan gave heroic displays right through their run to the provincial title.

A season that saw them progress to the last four of the All-Ireland series from the Ulster preliminary round put the Breffni boys firmly in the national spotlight. The comeback wins over Monaghan and Donegal, in particular, were joyous occasions.

Ciarán Brady gave a strong display in the loss to Dublin and deserves a mention as another close call. 

Tipperary were rewarded for a breakthrough Munster title with Sweeney’s place at full-forward. He wins the Premier’s fourth All-Star following fellow inside forwards Declan Browne (two-time winner) and team-mate Michael Quinlivan.

A rich reward for an immensely talented player who persevered through the bad days. Without his sensational leveller to force-extra-time against Limerick, the season could have looked so different to David Power’s side.

Tipperary have forced extra time against Limerick after this superb free from Conor Sweeney deep into added time.

Watch all the weekend's action on The Sunday Game @rte2 from 9.30pm #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/5Bk3CYJ8WT

— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) November 7, 2020

As ever, the All-Star team will draw plenty of conversation and debate, but it’s hard to argue with this one for the most part.  

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A general view of Irish rugby players, Ciara Griffin, Lindsay Peat, Cliodhna Moloney, Linda Djougang and Nichola Fryday.

THREE DAYS INTO February, the word finally arrived, even though it had been promised much earlier.

Full details of the rescheduled 2021 Women’s Six Nations were to be announced “by the end of January”, as per a statement released on the 13th of that month.

But the wait went on for the Irish team and others, who, of course, continued to train with nothing set in stone, having gone through enough uncertainty over the last while.

With the build-up for Andy Farrell’s men’s opener against Wales in full swing, news finally filtered through of new dates and a condensed tournament in April.

“Great to see fixtures set in stone and an actual end goal in sight for players,” Irish legend Niamh Briggs tweeted at the time, though uncertainty still reigns over the World Cup qualifiers, with the finals tournament taking place in New Zealand in September.

The Six Nations was one of several high-profile women’s sport events — sport is sport, but the qualifier is needed in this article to differentiate — impacted in January as the Covid-19 crisis continued.

A small snapshot of the state of play in women’s sport at the time, as noted by ESPN’s Kathleen McNamee, read:

• FA Cup suspended – no return date
• Six Nations postponed – no return date
• RWC qualifiers postponed – no return date
• No start date for Ladies European Tour

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There has been mass postponement of major female sporting events over the past few months, while most male tournaments continue.

As the men’s FA Cup was in full flow across the water, a coin toss and the drawing of lots were among the options being considered to decide matches in the women’s competition, which was postponed due to its non-elite classification.

124 men’s teams take part in the FA Cup from the third round on: 20 Premier League sides, 72 in total from the Championship, League One and League Two, plus the 32 surviving teams out of 644 in the lower tiers.  

In all, 158 men’s teams — including all of the above, along with the National League, National League North and National League South — are considered elite, while just 23 women’s sides are, across the Women’s Super League and the Championship.

While the Women’s FA Cup, albeit a lot further along, was impacted last year, the final took place in the autumn. Could it not continue this time around, like the men’s competition?

Despite the massive backlash over the past few weeks, the coin toss and drawing of lots are still possibilities, though the FA will review the situation as restrictions loosen.

That said, the prospect of the lower-tier [3-6] seasons being declared null and void is becoming increasingly likely, while the Scottish Women’s Premiership, which was due to start two weekends ago, remains at a standstill.

While the Covid situation varies across Europe and around the world, most other women’s football leagues are ongoing.

On these shores, Women’s National League [WNL] fixtures have been announced and it’s set to kick off on Saturday, 27 March, while it’s understood that Vera Pauw’s Ireland team will utilise the next international window for friendlies, having missed this one.

A general view of Brighton and Hove Albion players warming up for a Women’s Super League [WSL] clash.

Source: Steven Paston

In terms of where Irish internationals play their club football, the US National Women’s Soccer League [NWSL] recently announced its schedule, while Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A and France’s Feminine Division 1 all continue, with the exception of unavoidable Covid-19 match cancellations.

The Australian Women’s Football League [AFLW] is underway too, although it has been impacted by snap lockdowns. There’s Irish links to that, of course, with 14 involved in the 2021 season. 

Most of those will return to these shores to play inter-county football, though that also remains up in the air, just like their male GAA and camogie counterparts.

On an international scale again, there is no start date in place for the Ladies European Tour, with a lot of the initial events pencilled in for France and South Africa. While golfers suffer, tennis players have availed of extra events and small tournaments put on by the Women’s Tennis Association [WTA] to keep them ticking over.

Back to team sports, and coming full circle: while we now have a clearer picture of the Six Nations, it’s a World Cup year and we don’t know if Ireland are going to be there, with no further word on the Rugby Europe qualifiers which were postponed in December.

Or if the World Cup will even go ahead. Yes, similar uncertainty surrounds the Olympics, but at least it’s being discussed. The never-ending speculation can be damaging to those directly involved, but at least it is being talked about. There is little to nothing about the World Cup. Just imagine for one minute if it was the men’s equivalent. 

Ultimately, the big question is why is women’s sport being hit so much harder by Covid? Postponing major events and tournaments is surely not good enough at this stage.

“That’s the thing that I keep coming back to with the cancellation of women’s sport, we did have an entire year of events being cancelled and postponed,” McNamee nods, in conversation with The42.

“I think most people at the time were pretty happy to say, ‘That’s fair enough, we’re going through something that’s totally unprecedented. We don’t know how to go forward, and it’s probably safer to just take the year.’

“But at the same time, you would think that those same organisers would be thinking in their head last year, ‘Well, worst case scenario for next year is we’re still going through Covid. Best case scenario is we can have games going ahead, and we can have fans.’

“For me, the main issue with all of this is it’s not only organisers failing to appreciate that, and set things in motion quicker. It’s also just an exacerbation of all the problems that were there before we even had a pandemic.”

McNamee interviewing global football sensation Ada Hegerberg.

Source: Kathleen McNamee/ESPN.

That is the bottom line: this has really shown up the structural inequalities and other disparities that exist.

Where does responsibility for why women’s sport is being hit harder lie? The questions are endless, and difficult to answer, but worth thinking about.

Is it that governments are not doing enough to make sure that they could continue? Is it the sports’ governing bodies and national organisations were not being properly organised and prepared? Or that TV and sponsors are not valuing the sport and product properly and not putting enough pressure on for it to continue — would they let the Olympics be postponed again without a fight?

What about the legacy of years and years of inequity, and the impact that’s had on women’s sport?

It appears to be a mixture of everything, the last point particularly evident through that disparity in ‘elite’ teams across men’s and women’s football in England, and the challenges the Six Nations faced due to the part-time status of women’s teams as professional men’s sides bubbled and the competition commenced as normal.

“We say it so much, money needs to go into women’s sport for it to be better and for it to become the elite level that I think most people who watch it and play in it know that it can be,” McNamee continues.

“When you see something like the FA postponing the FA Cup because the teams that are competing at the moment are non-elite, and then you see that there’s all these men’s teams classified as elite, and not even a fifth of them in the women’s game are, it doesn’t really make any sense.

“If you’re thinking we’re coming so far in equality, it doesn’t make sense that those very structural things still exist. That’s not going to change this year — if anything, it’s more concerning because so many federations and sports organisations are losing a lot of money.

“Are there going to be the resources later down the line to put into these sports to make sure if, God forbid, something like this ever does happen again, women’s sport is actually in a better place to deal with this?”

While the Premier League resumed last year, the remainder of the 2019/20 WSL was cancelled and Chelsea were crowned champions on a points-per-game basis. The WSL is considered a professional league and the 2020/21 season has thankfully gone ahead, but look at the Frauen-Bundesliga in Germany. It’s not fully professional, but it was the only women’s league in Europe to restart during the first wave after receiving financial aid from the German Football League (DFL) to allow the necessary testing to take place.

That commitment needs to be seen elsewhere.

“There are options,” McNamee nods, pointing to that solidarity package.

“But it just requires a level of knowledge and finance that I don’t know entirely exists across the board in women’s sport just yet. And then in the places where it should exist, we’re just not seeing the fruits of it, which is disappointing.”

“We are doing a lot better than we used to be,” she stresses, “and so much of what is wrong comes down to the you know who is running it, what organisation is ploughing money into it.

“There’s such a massive argument about whether these things should be separate to men’s teams or organisations, or whether they should be run alongside them. In some ways, I think it’s almost a moot point. It’s so dependent on who is on the other side.”

City – with Ireland’s Megan Campbell on the far right – lifting the FA Cup in 2017.

Source: EMPICS Sport

Look at the incredible structures in place at Manchester City Women, for example, and the powerhouse they have become —  McNamee sees that closely through her work with ESPN — while Liverpool’s equivalent struggle.

In a more general point, she and this writer agree that if you support a club, you should support every team involved from the underage sides to the women. Take, for example, City, Liverpool or Manchester United in both the Premier League and WSL.

It’s completely fair that most people prefer men’s sport, but we must be aware of the unconscious bias, which is hopefully shifting with the help of the media, the 20×20 campaign and much more.

After all, sport is sport, and women’s sport — again, to differentiate — must be appreciated on its own merits. It must, at least, be given a chance.

“Sportspeople love sport, they love to win, and they love their side winning. I don’t think it’s as hard to get people on board as some people seem to think it is. Obviously you have the, ‘I don’t care’ brigade, but you’re probably never gonna change their minds anyway.”

The more support behind the cause and voices that are heard, the better. And the big question — why is women’s sport being hit so much harder by the Covid-19 pandemic? — needs to be asked more and more over the coming weeks and months. A lot of it comes back to money and revenue streams, and if men’s tournaments are going ahead, a way must be found for women’s ones.

“This is their job, a lot of people.” McNamee notes. “Even if they’re semi-pro, they’re still getting money for going out and playing and training and going to tournaments. For other people, they are fully professional and this is the only thing they do.

“If you’re a tennis player or a golf player and you depend on a circuit going ahead for your sponsorship deal, for whatever agreements you have with certain companies, this is a massive financial hit for you as well. We talk a lot about the finances that have to go into making these events happen, but also forget that what people get out of them.”

“There is a market out there for women’s sport, and I think brands are discovering it more and more,” she concludes.

“More and more, big brands are seeing the benefit in this, and I think the curve of the sport has only been going up for the last while.

“For me it is only going in one direction. This might plateau it for a while but I can’t see it lasting forever, because there’s too many people who do see it now as a financial benefit.”

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ADRIAN MULLEN HAS been officially nominated as the new Kilkenny senior hurling captain for the 2021 season.

His club Ballyhale Shamrocks confirmed the decision this afternoon with Richie Reid their choice to be vice-captain.

Kilkenny still operate under the system whereby club champions nominate the captain for the following season.

We are delighted to nominate Adrian Mullen as @KilkennyCLG Captain for 2021 and Richie Reid as Vice Captain for 2021 season.

— Shamrocks (@BallyhaleGAA) February 20, 2021

The Shamrocks completed three-in-a-row in Kilkenny last September and achieved that without the attacking talents of Mullen who missed the 2020 campaign after tearing his cruciate in action for Kilkenny in a league game against Clare last February.

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Adrian Mullen is stretchered off against Clare in February 2019.

Source: Bryan Keane/INPHO

The 21-year-old has starred at club level over the past two seasons in their All-Ireland senior wins, firing 0-5 against St Thomas in the 2019 final and grabbing 0-2 against Borris-Ileigh in the 2020 decider. He continued that good form with Brian Cody’s senior side in his breakthrough championship in 2019 when he won the Young Hurler of the Year award.

Adrian Mullen (left) celebrates Ballyhale’s All-Ireland club victory in 2020.

Source: Tom O’Hanlon/INPHO

Mullen will become the 13th player from his club to captain the Kilkenny senior hurlers while there have been six since 2007 alone in Henry Shefflin, James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick, Michael Fennelly, TJ Reid, Joey Holden and Colin Fennelly.

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