Our women’s teams still need more support

Everyone loves a bandwagon. The success of the Irish women’s soccer team has done an awful lot for the visibility and popularity of women’s sport in this country, and both will likely slip into overdrive for the World Cup which gets underway in Australia in July.

We’re witnessing something similar here in Kerry with the ladies Gaelic football team. Last year’s surprise trip to the All-Ireland final captured the attention of a county that is obsessed with its men’s side. Kerry are currently top of Division 1 of the Ladies National League with a perfect record of five wins out of five. The run has people talking. Of course, it shouldn’t necessarily take success to make people sit up and take notice. After all, female athletes train just as hard as the men and make the same sacrifices. But winning naturally piques public interest and it should hopefully be a springboard to more support and more appreciation down the line.

There are still issues that need to be discussed. Media coverage, or lack thereof, continues to irk participants and officials in the female ranks. As a journalist I have to hold my hands up here and admit that more needs to be done. We can be guilty at times of following the numbers but the reality is that for any sport to grow, it needs to be highlighted and promoted professionally and consistently.

That is something that I’m very happy to do and while we might not have the resources of larger, national papers, I absolutely appreciate that it’s important that we do our best.

I see it for myself when we share articles about Sarah Leahy or the Kerry ladies or St Paul’s or the Killarney RFC girls. The people I meet ask me about them and how they’re getting on. Even on that small local level, it generates interest, which can only be a good thing. In terms of professional sport, the question of equal pay continues to divide opinion. A sizeable portion of the sporting community seem to believe that pay should be commensurate to the revenue the sporting body in question is generating. Obviously organisations can’t pay out money that simply isn’t there yet but when men’s and women’s teams and athletes are under the one umbrella, equal pay should be a realistic target.

In the case of the GAA, the LGFA and the Camogie Association, there is no question that the men are being looked after far better than the women are, but this can’t be used as a stick to beat the GAA with. They are separate entities. When the proposed merger happens, you would hope to see a more level playing field in terms of expenses. Trans inclusion is a hot button topic at the moment (particularly in light of the LGFA’s new policy) and it’s a conversation that stirs up strong emotions on both sides. There are, I think, legitimate arguments to be made both for and against but we must be wary of misinformation. This suggestion that boys and men are suddenly going to “decide” to be women and turn up to football or camogie training so they can dominate is, frankly, nonsense.

Trans players who wish to play will need to provide medical confirmation that they are transitioning if they are under 16 and proof that their testosterone levels are less than or equal to 10 nanomoles per litre if they are 16 or over.

Anyone who thinks that boys and men are going to lie to their doctors and/or go through hormone therapy and/or try to trick the LGFA just to play football or camogie with women, is not living in the real world at all.

It’s interesting to note (and the survey that we carried out this week backs it up) that opposition to trans inclusion in women’s sport is far more fervent amongst men than it is amongst women. Ruminate on that for a minute. There are things that need to be ironed out across the board but, all in all, there are lots of reasons to be optimistic about the future of women’s sport both locally and nationally.

If supporting your local women’s teams isn’t something that you’d normally do, there has never been a better time to start. There’s still room on the bandwagon.

Hi Sofia. Thanks for speaking to me today.

No problem. Thanks for asking.

How have you found Killarney since arriving last year?

Killarney is a refreshing change of scenery, especially for myself coming from a big city back home.

You were in Limerick before you came to Kerry?

Yes, I played for the Limerick Celtics for two years.

Tell me about your background in basketball before coming to Ireland. Has the game always been part of your life?

I started playing basketball when I was 10 years old. Once the doctor told my parents I was going to be quite tall they decided to put me into basketball. Growing up I played on club teams, school teams, and summer travel teams. I played five years of college ball at Ryerson University (Toronto Metropolitan University) in Canada, where I got my degree in Early Childhood Education and a certificate in Human Resources. Then I went on to play professionally in Denmark before I came to Ireland.

Was a professional career always on the cards?

I only saw myself playing professionally when I was near the end of my university career. My mom and dad and coaches back home really pushed me to play overseas because it’s an experience and an opportunity that not everyone gets.

What do you think of the standard of basketball here, and the style of play?

I think the standard of play in Ireland is comparable in some aspects to how it is at home. It’s very physical and can be fast-paced at times.

What attracted you to the St Paul’s project?

I wanted to sign for St Paul’s because they were a new team in the National League and I thought that being part of a new club in a different part of Ireland would be good for me. Especially teaming up with Yuleska Ramirez Tejeda (my rival last season), I knew playing together would bring a new level of competitiveness and talent to the team.

I was also coached by James Fleming last season in Limerick and we have built a good relationship over the last couple years.

How would you sum up this season so far?

This season has been very rewarding. Coming in as a new team after not hav-