Issue link: http://digitaleditions.uberflip.com/i/964257
10 // Ladies Gaelic Football Association GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL IN BANGKOK PEIL Spring | Issue No 1 | Volume 14 Ladies Football in Bangkok, Emma Duy talks to Jessica Hammer about what it is like on the ground. ANGKOK isn't exactly the first place that springs to mind when you think of Ladies football, but as we witnessed on the recent TG4 All-Stars Tour, it's alive and well in the capital of Thailand. Thai GAA was founded in 2007 and has a membership of over 70 players, fielding men's and ladies' football and hurling teams. The last five years have brought huge success to the club, with the ladies teams leading the way on all fronts. They won two out of three Asian Gaelic Games intermediate finals from 2012-2014 and won club's first senior trophy, the South Asia Games in 2015. The ladies side of the club is far from predominantly Irish with a variety of nationalities. Many players have played other sports such as rugby and soccer so they learn the game fairly fast, to them it's just another sport! "We teach everything from scratch kind of thing," Jessica Hammer, who's originally from Kildare and captains the junior team, says. "We don't have a lot of girls that played at home. We've got a lot of skill on the senior team - ball carrying, kicking it a long distance. You can see the girls who've played soccer and other sports before. "We have a strong enough senior side that have been playing for years that we can field a junior team that's newer. The athleticism is there but the GAA skill isn't fully there. It doesn't really matter, we're not great soloers so we don't do that a lot! A few girls can but in general it's all very, 'Just keep passing the ball'. Most people figure out how to do that pretty quickly." The main focuses of the year are the South Asian Games in April or May Football in Bangkok and the Asian Gaelic Games, which are held in October/November. Bangkok successfully hosted the AGG last year and they will again later in 2018. Each game is 15 minutes long, 8-a-side and played on a smaller pitch. In between those tournaments, the ladies teams contest an inter-club tournament between themselves, Kuala Lumpur, Saigon and Hong Kong. The social side of things is of huge importance, Hammer laughs as she shares stories of their travels and craic from their Whatsapp group, 'The Banter Bus'. People come and people go though. The average work contract is two years so it's always a sad time when a group heads home or elsewhere. The All-Star Tour was a huge deal for the club as you listen to Hammer speak about how enthralled she and her teammates were by the exhibition match, and how much they appreciate the support from the LGFA. The standard of ladies football in Bangkok has risen over the past few years and is continuing to do so at a rapid rate. "Yeah," she agrees. "What I like about since i've started is we have two strong teams and that's what will keep us going forward. You're looking to attract people who are serious athletes but also people who can add to the club in terms of numbers and social. "It's very important to have that element when you let people in for a laugh, more social side. Not a non- competitive side, but a side that takes it a bit less seriously. To allow two di"erent options for how you want to play the sport - that's how we can keep good numbers and keep a really good club, socially and competitively." B