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ABOUT LADIES GAELIC FOOTBALL
1991 witnessed the dawning of a new era with the commencement of ladies Gaelic football in Australia. Leading the way was the Michael Cusacks Gaelic Football Club who formed the first ladies team in NSW. Instrumental in this groundbreaking initiative in Sydney were Cusack diehards Therese McHugh from Galway and Liz Quaid from Limerick to name but a few.
Since then Michael Cusacks ladies have enjoyed unequalled success in all NSW competitions and down through the years have been very lucky to have had excellent coaches in Daveena Doyle from Sydney, Fiona Ni Cheallaigh from Galway, Kevin McIntyre from Mayo, Mark Campbell from Armagh, Paudie Hurley from Cork and Quanah McBride from Cavan.
Check out our match reports
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2006 Camogie
Championship Final Report |
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2006 Ladies Football
Championship Final Report |
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2006 Ladies Football
Central Coast Final Report |
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2005 Ladies Football
Championship Final Report |
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2005 Ladies Football
Central Coast Report |
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2004 Ladies Football
Championship Match Report |
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2004 Ladies League
Final Match Report |
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2004 Ladies Football
Central Coast Report |
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Various Photos
(Team, Action, etc) |
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2003 Ladies Football
Championship Final Report |
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2003 Ladies Football
League Final Report |
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2003 Ladies Football
Central Coast Report |
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2002 Ladies Football
Championship Final Report |
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2002 Ladies Football
Central Coast Report |
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2002 Ladies Football
League Final Report |
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Before 1991, Gaelic football was considered a man's game in every sense - a tough physical sport that seemed well beyond the capabilities of women. Women's participation was deemed to be in the role of spectator, cheering (not too loudly) their heroes.
Nowadays, such is the attraction of women's football that many players who normally competed in other sports such as Australian rules and rugby now play what is considered by many to be the best field sport for women with a minimal risk of injury due to the fact the rules prohibit intentional contact. Ladies football in Sydney has been a great success for some years now and it continues to get better and all non-Irish girls who play it absolutely love it.
Rules are similar to men's football (see our page on men's football) with the main difference being that ladies can pick the ball directly off the ground and there is less physical contact and tackling in ladies football.
Each team consists of fifteen players, lining out as follows: One goalkeeper, three full-backs, three half-backs, two midfielders, three half-forwards and three full-forwards.
The actual line out on the playing field is as follows:
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Goalkeeper |
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Right corner-back |
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Full-back |
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Left corner-back |
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Right half-back |
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Centre half-back |
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Left half-back |
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Midfielder |
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Midfielder |
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Right half-forward |
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Centre half-forward |
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Left half-forward |
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Right corner-forward |
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Full-forward |
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Left corner-forward |
Michael Cusack ladies football team benefited from the multitude of backpacking female footballers who arrived in Sydney in the 90's and the team continues to set the standard for ladies Gaelic football in NSW.
Ladies Gaelic football commenced much earlier in Ireland with a number of counties laying claim to being the cradle of ladies Gaelic football. There is a suggestion that a parish league organised in County Clare in 1926 was the first ladies football competition. It lasted for a couple of years but then gradually faded away. The 60's seem to provide the first real evidence of this "new craze" as it was called at the time. Girls were no longer content to stand aside and view the proceedings from the sideline and games proper commenced in the 60s. The 70's and 80's saw more girls playing ladies football. Meetings were held, clubs were organised and the first Ladies All Ireland Final was held in 1987 when Tipperary became the first county to receive what over the years has become a coveted prize - the Brendan Martin Cup.
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