Brig caught up with Stirling University’s Ladies Gaelic Football Club. We spoke to Rosheen Guinano, Ladies GAA’s Vice President.
Rosheen described Gaelic Football as “a mix of different sports. There’s a bit of netball, a bit of football, and it’s rough like rugby as well.” You are allowed to kick, run, and throw, but of course there are more detailed rules. You can gain points by scoring a goal like in football, or throwing the ball through the uprights. “There is pushing and shoving, which makes it really fun, but you need a lot of endurance, but it’s so fun.”
Ladies GAA train twice a week. Once on a Tuesday on the astro pitches with their coaches, who have all played BUCS level Gaelic football before. They use this time to work on a few of their skills and then play some five-a-side games. Their second training is up at Airthrey on a Thursday where they really hone in on perfecting their kicking, passing, and shooting skills.
On a gameday, Ladies GAA will all meet up and head down to uni together. Their kit will then be handed out, and they will go out and warm up before the game. Rosheen described the emotions on gamedays: “We get on the pitch and we just think that it’s like the last game ever, that we’re playing for our lives, and we just go for it.”
Ladies GAA compete in Division Two alongside the University of Edinburgh, Glasgow Caledonian, and Heriot-Watt. They will play these teams in rotation, playing both home and away.
Every year Ladies GAA take part in the BUCS British Championships. They played around three games of seven minute halves, before the semi finals, which Stirling won. That sent them to the final which they unfortunately lost, however they did take home the plate for the second year in a row.
Rosheen started playing Gaelic football because it felt like a home away from home: “It is a very traditional Irish sport, so I figured why not go for it. I was mainly going for the social aspect of it, but then I kind of fell in love with the game as well.” Rosheen has learned a lot through her time as vice president: “it has been challenging at times, but I think it has improved me as a person. Especially with organisation and then communicating, and then planning things, like planning our dinners and dances and championships and everything else!
She also added that “Gaelic football has helped me stay resilient. There’s definitely a mental factor to it, just pushing myself as hard as I can, I’ve definitely grown from that.”
If you are considering joining Ladies GAA, Rosheen would urge you to go for it. “Everyone within the team, they’re all so nice and they take care of anyone; it’s a very welcoming community. There are loads of people who have joined who had never played or heard of the sport before, so it’s really inclusive.”
Featured Image Credit: University of Stirling Ladies Gaelic Football Club.
Student journalist and Sports Editor for Brig Newspaper
