Ladies forced to budget travel to Ruislip

WEST Clare Gaels Ladies’ Football Club will make further history for Clare ladies’ football next weekend when they travel to the UK to contest the Intermediate All-Ireland quarter-final.
This is the first time a Clare club has travelled abroad for a game as well as the first time a Clare ladies’ club will contest an intermediate All-Ireland quarter-final.
For the West Clare outfit, this involves a huge financial undertaking as the trip to Ruislip is costing in excess of €11,000. Officials at the club however, are not happy with the contribution they have received from the Clare board towards the cost of this trip.
“West Clare Gaels Ladies have received the sum of €1,000 from the Clare Ladies’ County Board, a sum which we believe to be insufficient to deal with the huge cost of the trip, considering the substantial revenue received by the county board from West Clare Gaels games at all levels,” according to club PRO, Deirdre McGrath in a statement this week.
“Unlike men’s football where teams that have travelled abroad have had the entire trip funded, the ladies’ team had to fundraise the majority of the costs involved. The team are flying out late Friday night and returning on Monday morning with girls having to request time off work to accommodate the cheapest flights,” she said.
Asked if they could not have organised to travel on Saturday and return on Sunday, she explained that the travel and accomodation costs as organised “are cheaper than going on Saturday and coming back on Sunday. We have explored all possibilities and this is the cheapest.”
“The club received a cheque for €1,500 after their Munster final win from the Munster Council to put towards the cost of the trip,” she added.
“West Clare Gaels fundraise on an all-round year basis to keep their club afloat and the fundraisers include summer camps, bag packing, sponsorship cards and church-gate collections. At the time of their intermediate Munster final success, West Clare Gaels had a bank balance of €3,600 from their fundraising, which is used for running teams at all levels and all expenses in the club. Using this balance to fund their trip to London would bankrupt the club,” she claimed.
“Due to the low level of financial support from the Clare Ladies’ County Board, West Clare Ladies’ players, mentors and club officials have had to work tirelessly in the two-week build-up to the most important game in their club’s history to fundraise the trip. Players have had to split their focus between training and fundraising, a greater responsibility than should be enforced on any player at this level,” she continued.
She noted that the club has received enormous support from people in the area. “This includes O’Curry’s, Naomh Eoin and Kilkee men’s football clubs who offered their local lotto takings for the bank holiday weekend,” she explained.
She added that people from the surrounding communities sold lotto tickets and also purchased West Clare Gaels fundraising tickets. “The club would be left with no alternative but to forfeit their chance at an Intermediate All-Ireland semi-final place if it was not for the hard work and contribution of all these people,” she concluded.
The Clare champions have trained hard for this tie and will travel to London confident of doing well. Parnells are an experienced outfit and they have been competing well at the All-Ireland sevens for a number of yerars. If the Clare champions are to progress to an All-Ireland semi-final date with the Connacht champions, they will have to be at their best. They will be looking to the Kelly sisters, Majella Griffin, Katie Geoghegan and team captain Michelle Downes to lead the way.