Ringing praise for volunteers at Mayo Women's Football League launch
There was ringing praise for the volunteers who promote women's football in Mayo at the launch of this year's senior season in Umbro Park, Castlebar.
The work of volunteer coaches and backroom teams in this and all sports across the county was highlighted by new League of Ireland director Michael Ring as he officially launched the 2025 season for the Mayo Women's Football League.
Players, coaches and delegates from across the league's three senior divisions, including FAI development officer Nigel Naughton, gathered for the launch in a year that has seen continued growth in the women's game in the county, with three new clubs among the 14 participating this year.
Facilities is another point touched on by the former minister as he urged the government to support local authorities, including Mayo County Council, to provide municipal facilities that all sports can share.
League chairman Michael Collins highlighted the talent and achievements at underage county level, which feeds into the senior game. The Mayo Under 16 girls were recently crowned national Inter-League champions and the Under 15s are heading into an All-Ireland semi-final - both teams led by female management.
Michael Ring has hit the ground running in his new role with the League of Ireland, and is pleased that Mayo has representation there.
As minister for sport one of his key priorities had been to get women back involved in sport, he told the launch, with a high fall-out at around 14 or 15 years of age. It was the first time a government had looked at the issue and he was glad to see it has progressed.
A lot of people, he said, have kept women's football going for a long time in Mayo and he wanted to highlight the voluntary work that goes into this and other sports.
If ever there was a time when we need to get people involved in and staying in sport, is it now, and he had a message for the coaches and committees in the clubs: “Thank you very much for what you do.”
He also highlighted the need for more people to get involved and help and support this work in their local clubs.
Mr. Ring said it was wonderful to see Mayo teams winning national titles. There is big interest in women's football in Mayo, and the success enjoyed at county level gives a great image for the future of soccer in the county where it is a must that girls get the same opportunities as boys to develop their talent and compete at the highest levels, he said.
“I am so proud that we have so many people involved in the county and so many teams,” he said. “It's all about participating and giving children an opportunity to participate in sport.”
* See Tuesday's print edition for lots more on the story