Issue link: http://digitaleditions.uberflip.com/i/964257
56 // Ladies Gaelic Football Association GAELIC4MOTHERS&OTHERS PEIL Spring | Issue No 1 | Volume 14 Playing the game in a fun, non- competitive and social environment has proven hugely popular in Ireland, providing the opportunity for women to get their recommended weekly exercise while meeting other mothers in their local areas. As Nicole has explained, it can be more challenging on the continent with the travel times involved but she's conducting research to help find solutions. Nicole says: "Currently, I am collecting information from teams in Europe, who the idea and ethos of Gaelic4Mothers&Others applies to and who would like to host a friendly or maybe even travel to Ireland. "I'm happy to share this information with any Irish team who wants to come and have a fun weekend in Helsinki, Sevilla, Prague etc. "The idea of inviting a Gaelic4Mothers&Others team has definitely spread around the continent – and I have received positive feedback from many teams "Looking at the recent blitz in Munich, our team has undergone a massive transition. "Due to pregnancies, injuries, moving, age, we have lost seven core players. "The player longest on the team now has been with Munich for just over two years. "Luckily, our recruitment e"orts in the past months were successful, but essentially this year we are starting with a team of 'newbies'. "As coach, I wanted to give all of our new players and the two-three experienced ones a non-competitive, positive environment to get to know each on the pitch, and get to know the game. "The Creggan and Oran ladies were fantastic in supporting our new players, some of whom hadn't even seen the game before. "The blitz gave our Munich team a big boost and they loved the friendly, yet challenging, atmosphere." General Statistics Number of teams 44 ladies teams in Europe 22 teams have >90% non-Irish players 10 teams have <50% Irish players 4 teams have >75% or more Irish players Match distances Europe is split into regions. Depending on their region, teams travel various distances. E.g.: Central/East (play 4 regional tournaments a year): ~ 4700 Kilometer in total Scandinavia (play 3 regional tournaments a year): ~ 3000 Kilometer in total Galicia (play a league system): ~ 150-200 Kilometer per match