The Ladies Gaelic Football Association of New York was founded in 1992, thirty years ago this year. To mark this historic milestone and celebrate the past, present and future of Ladies and Girls playing Gaelic Football in New York the LGFANY will host a live panel discussion on “Empowering Women in Sport” on Saturday April 16.
The format of the hybrid event will be four moderated panel discussions and a virtual presentation on the History of Ladies Gaelic Football in New York “Journey to Thirty."
The themes of the event are empowering women in sport, leveling out the playing field between Ladies and Men, increasing participation, visibility and support for Ladies and Young Girls playing Gaelic Games in New York.
According to a release the program will consist of four panel discussions.
Panel 1: “Reeling In The Years” will feature Ladies Players who started the Association 30 years ago and played in the first ever Competitive Ladies Games in New York. Panelists will chat about the challenges they faced in starting the association, how the association was developed, funding, fond memories, roadblocks, connectivity, community and how far the Association has come in 30 Years. Reeling In The Years will be moderated by ESPN Commentator Tommy Smyth, who commentated on the first ever New York Ladies GAA Championship Final played in Van Cortlandt Park in 1992.
Panel 2: “I Play County” will be comprised of star-studded ladies players who have worn the New York Jersey from the 90's to Now. We will hear about what Ladies Gaelic Football means to these talented players and their highlights of wearing the New York Jersey at the highest level, competing in the Junior All Ireland Championship in Ireland and playing in Croke Park.
Panel 3: Stars of Today: We will hear from some New York Ladies GAA Club players of today, from newly formed clubs to the old faithfuls. This discussion will focus on the role sports, activity and community plays in our own health and wellness. This Panel will also discuss the state of affairs within Ladies Gaelic Football and how it can improve. Moderated by Sophie Colgan.
Panel 4: The Future is Bright. The final panel will look to the future of girls and women in GAA, what work is needed to build upon the incredible development work done for Ladies Gaelic football in NY over the past 30 years and what is needed to inspire generations of young girls coming through. This panel will include multiple generations of ladies’ players in the same family, as well as youth and development volunteers.
Journey to Thirty: A Virtual Presentation by Simon Gillespie and Sharon Redican on the journey from 1992 to 2022 and how the Ladies Gaelic Football of Association of NY has made History.
Added the release: "Throughout the day we will also use this event as an open forum to discuss how we can increase visibility, interest, and support of Ladies Gaelic Football in New York. Notably, the Empowering Women Event takes place the day before the New York Senior Men take on Sligo in the Connaught Championship in New York.
"We hope our event attracts Gaels from Ireland on their visit and that Ladies Gaelic Football Association gets the exposure it deserves in this important year. The NY Ladies Team have secured an exhibition game at 10am the morning of the Connaught Championship in Gaelic Park."
Sponsorship Opportunities and Tickets (In Person and Virtual) are available at https://empoweringwomenny.com/. The live panel discussion is set for 3.30 P.M. EST. The NY Ladies email address is nyladies30@gmail.com.
