Along with camogie and rounders, gaelic football is the other GAA game that girls take part in and ladies football now plays an important part in gaelic games competitions.
The Ladies Gaelic Football Association was set up in 1974 with the formation of county teams. Girls who once dreamed of wearing their county colours could now play against each other in an All-Ireland competition.
Eight counties took part in the first All-Ireland Ladies Football Championship in 1974. They were Roscommon, Laois, Offaly, Galway, Kerry, Cork, Waterford
and Tipperary.
Tipp won that first title beating Offaly in Durrow, Co Laois. The game was a big success and got lots of press coverage; ladies football had finally arrived.
Kerry have won the most All-Ireland titles with 11, followed by Waterford with 5, Mayo with 4 and Tipperary with 3. Kerry won an amazing 9-in-a-row from 1982 to 1990, some achievement!
Mayo were the top team from 1999 to 2003, winning their 4 All-Ireland titles in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003. Star player Cora Staunton played a major part in all 4 All-Ireland successes.
Cork burst onto the scene in 2005 when they won the National League and they went on to do the double when they beat Galway in the All-Ireland final. If that wasn’t enough, they followed up in 2006 by repeating that achievement with a National League win and an All-Ireland victory over Ulster champions Armagh. The Rebelettes look like being a major force in the years to come.
Star player Cora
Staunton of Mayo
played a major part
in all three recent
All-Ireland wins.
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