Mr. M?che?l Naughton:

I thank the committee for the opportunity to address it and to outline the Ladies Gaelic Football Association’s support for the planned integration of the Gaelic games bodies, namely, the Gaelic Athletic Association, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and the Camogie Association. I am here as president of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and delighted to be joined by representatives from the GAA and the Camogie Association.

This is an historic year for the Ladies Gaelic Football Association as we prepare for our 50th anniversary on 18 July. In 1974, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association was officially formed at Hayes Hotel in Thurles, and it is fair to say that we have come an awful long way in almost half a century. We are the fastest growing female sport in the country, with growth figures of 12% year on year, and we now have a membership of almost 200,000 people. We cater for women of all ages, from young girls to the elder cohort who participate in competitive football but also recreational football through our hugely successful Gaelic4Mothers and Others programme. While our inter-county leagues and championships are our flagship competitions, which are sponsored by Lidl Ireland and TG4, their playing base would account for roughly 1% of our overall membership. In more recent times, we have been proud to welcome record attendances to Croke Park for our TG4 All-Ireland Finals and media coverage of our sport has increased rapidly.

The steering group on integration was formed in the autumn of 2022. We have been fully engaged in this process from the outset. Prior to this, at our annual congress in 2022, delegates attending voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion committing to this project. We feel the time is right to integrate the Gaelic games associations and while autonomy has been hugely beneficial to the LGFA and allowed us the space and scope to grow rapidly, we will be better, stronger and in a position to achieve so much more together as one association for Gaelic games.

We have ensured that our members have been kept fully briefed and updated on each major development throughout the process, from the listening phase right through to the most recent major announcement when the chairperson of the steering group on integration, Mary McAleese, revealed the timeline for integration at a press conference held at Croke Park in February, at which representatives from the GAA, the LGFA and the Camogie Association were present in a strong show of unity. A detailed update to our members was issued at our most recent congress, held last month in County Clare. We will continue to keep them informed over the coming weeks and months with a number of webinars where clubs can log on to learn of future progress.

Of course, we recognise that the integration process will present challenges. The prime challenges remain on fixtures, finances and facilities. All of these key elements are very much intertwined. Substantial investment is required to upgrade existing facilities and invest in more facilities to cater for members into the future. When we consider our growth figures, it is vital that we continue the development of Gaelic games across all associations. To date, we have listened carefully to the concerns raised by various stakeholders from our clubs, counties, provincial bodies, staff and key sponsors. We have taken these on board but we have also been hugely encouraged by the overwhelming sense of excitement and expectation about what lies in store for the Ladies Gaelic Football Association when integration happens and the many positive impacts this will have, while ensuring a focus remains on growing the female aspect of our games. This continues to be at the forefront of our plans.

The path forward is now clear. By 2027, there will be one association for Gaelic games, which we will be extremely proud to be a part of. This is the ultimate goal and it is a path that we will not be deviated from. We are focused, committed and working hard to achieve this one overall aim. We were delighted to be invited here today to present our thoughts and also to reflect. I am sure members are aware of the feelgood factor that surrounds the integration process, and the associated public sentiment. This is not a simple process but if the associations are given the time, backing, respect, the new association for Gaelic games will be a game-changer for the sporting landscape, not only in Ireland but across the world. I now encourage our political leaders to work towards securing and providing the necessary resources to help make this wonderful vision the outstanding reality that it will be. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir, a chairde.