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54 // Ladies Gaelic Football Association GAELIC4MOTHERS&OTHERS PEIL Spring | Issue No 1 | Volume 14 By Jackie Cahill EEP an eye on the continent – because big things are happening. It was a St. Patrick's Day with a di"erence for the Gaelic4Mothers&Others teams from Creggan (Antrim) and Oran (Roscommon), who were invited by München Colmcilles to travel over and enjoy a fantastic day of football before sampling the local parade in beautiful sunshine. A week later, the ladies from Vienna Gaels GAA had Foxrock-Cabinteely's Gaelic4Mothers&Others over for a friendly match. Nicole Werner, who is European Ladies Football Oºcer, has been undertaking sterling work with her colleagues to 'spread the gospel.' And she explains: "One of the ideas to spur growth in the European Ladies Football scene was to make more friendly matches possible that aren't competitive, but focus on positive skill and team- building." Gaelic 4 Mothers & Others go International This is the essence of the Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme, the LGFA's innovative way to introduce mothers and other women to playing Ladies Gaelic Football. Nicole adds: "A significant amount of women in Europe only start football in their 20s or even later, some only after having children. "Europe has many teams with mainly non-Irish players. "This is not an indicator for skill or quality at all," Nicole stresses. "However, many teams have a similar approach to the Gaelic4Mothers&Others teams, with women starting football as a new sport and/or in a later stage of their lives. "This is why I thought it would be a good idea to bring these two elements together." Ladies Football on the continent is not without its challenges, however, as Nicole explains: "Teams here in Europe travel as far as 1600km round-trip for a match day, which is very expensive, tedious and not sustainable. "When you have just started training up new people, it is diºcult to keep the interest up, if playing involves so much e"ort." But Nicole is determined to tackle whatever issues may arise, and ensure that Ladies Gaelic Football is an outlet that can be utilised by as many women as possible. K