Clare ladies looking to power to next level

Exciting times for Clare Ladies Football both on and off the field were confirmed this week with news that Rengen Power, an Ennis-based renewable energy company, were coming on board as the flagship team’s main sponsor for the next three years.
Based on the theory that a rising tide lifts all boats, the endorsement of a big sponsor will hopefully be reflected where it matters most according to new Clare Ladies Football Chairman Sean Lenihan who has been working tirelessly to ensure that success breeds success for the county in 2021 and beyond.
“To be the best that you can be requires considerable expense and despite the high levels of volunteerism involved, the costs of running a county wide organisation are significant. 
“While I am somewhat biased admittedly, I think that Clare Ladies Football is a fantastic brand and many organisations and companies are seeing the benefits of being involved with Ladies Football. 
“So we are delighted to be partnering up with Rengen Power for the next three years and I would hope long beyond that. They are a young and innovative Clare based renewable energy company, led by Clare people. They are also a significant employer in the area, interested in the environment, interested in sustainability and interested in community. So they are a perfect fit in terms of our own values and I am delighted that they are on board as our main sponsor.
“Also joining the team is a new gear sponsor, Gaelic Armour. And of particular delight to me is the involvement in the company of great Clareman Martin Donnelly from Cooraclare. Martin has given great support over many years to all sporting codes and we are thrilled to be associated and supported by Martin and Gaelic Armour.”
It’s another signifier of the level of ambition and potential that Doora/Barefield clubman Lenihan envisages for the code this decade.
“Look, Clare Ladies Football have always been ambitious and we have enjoyed success on many occasions in the past but we must always look to improve and continually set the bar higher and higher. 
“There are great ladies football people in Clare across the county and they are doing wonderful work at club and underage level. That work then, if done right and with an eye to the future, pays dividends at county level. That is why we as a board are looking carefully at improving our coaching and development across the clubs. We have an excellent Development Committee led by Liscannor’s John Torpey and we are getting great assistance from the various county underage development squads. Getting our structures right in that area will benefit us all in the longer run.”
Back to the present though as Clare’s flagship side will finally make their competitive bow against Wexford in the opening round of the National League this Sunday, with Lenihan delighted that they will be hosted by Cusack Park for the first time in two years for what could potentially be Clare’s only home match in 2021..
“Absolutely, it’s great to be back playing and it is brilliant that our first match back is in the county grounds. The team is delighted to be playing there, I think it will suit our style of football and hopefully we will have a favourable result when it is over.  
“The panel are well prepared from their individual training and S&C programmes done during the lockdown to the last few weeks of physical training on the pitches when collective training was allowed to resume. 
“So we are just raring to go at this stage.”

By Eoin Brennan