Increase facilities for ladies football in Kildare planning says Cllr Anne Connolly

 Ladies gaelic football is the fastest growing sport in Kildare and Ireland and Kildare County Council should provide playing fields and a centre of excellence for it in its future planning, a county councillor has proposed.

Cllr Anne Connolly, who is involved with the Kildare Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) made the proposal at the Council's monthly meeting on October 21.

In a report to members on the motion, Director of Services, Community, Culture and Economic Development, Sonya Kavanagh said the Council has in the past provided lands to many community and sporting organisations through various transfer and lease arrangements. “Through forward planning, the council will continue to provide for recreation and amenity facilities but will also have to prioritise land for housing and for the generational of employment,” she said.

SEE ALSO: Monread Shopping Centre supporting Naas Utd club for another year

Cllr Connolly said there were three ladies clubs in Kildare in 1992 and this had grown to 40 in 2015.

There are now 5,628 ladies players registered in the county, the third largest number in Ireland after Dublin and Meath.

Cllr Connolly said the Hawkfield ground can be used by ladies, who pay €11,000 to Kildare GAA for use of it, but it is not always available to the LGFA.

She said ladies and girls needed to train and play and county teams sometimes have to find other GAA venues and school to play. “It needs its own centre and to end dependency on Kildare GAA,” she said.

SEE ALSO:more Kildare stories

However, Cllr Connolly said that the LGFA is not in a position to buy land which is “awfully expensive.”

Other members supported her call. 

Cllr Bill Clear said the ladies section was growing so fast and needed to be supported as  it was hard to get girls involved in sports.

Cllr Joe Neville said that the fact that the LGFA and Kildare GAA were two separate groups “brings complications.”

Cllr Padraig McEvoy said it was very welcome to see the uptake of ladies sport and the Council must aim for zoning which is fit for purpose.

Cllr Seamie Moore said that their plans had identified land for amenities which was not available to buy or lease.

Ms Kavanagh said they will have to look at the proposal in the context of the plans. She said pitches cost a lot.

Cllr Mark Wall said that ladies football saved a lot of clubs in Kildare from decline.

Cllr Vincent Martin said that every year records were being broken for attendances at ladies football.

Cllr Connolly thanked people for their support. “We have problems in some areas getting club pitches ahead of men,” she said.