The Women’s Gaelic Players Association (WGPA) presented its 2017 third-level scholarships yesterday at The Kilashee Hotel in Naas, Co. Kildare.

Scholarships in an Irish University context tend to be contributory toward costs and living expenses and general are valued at anything from €2,000 to around €9,000.

They also provide valuable time and assistance to students aiming to balance the demands of sporting and academic pursuits.

All colleges offer sporting scholarships as a means of attracting high profile sporting stars.

UCD introduced the first football scholarship programme in Ireland in 1979 and this season will field its full League of Ireland First Division team from the student population.

A total of 32 scholarships have been awarded this year to third-level students across multiple colleges who play intercounty Camogie and Ladies Football. This is the third year of scholarships presented by the WGPA, which now represents over 1,300 members.

“The scholarship scheme recognises the efforts of our members in pursuing a dual career, enabling them to focus their attention on taking opportunities for ongoing personal and professional development whilst striving for excellence as athletes,” said WGPA Chair Aoife Lane.

“With the workload and commitment given to studies and their sport, it can be difficult for students to support themselves, so the aim of the scholarship programme is to help players balance the demands of being a student and an athlete.”

“A big focus for us this year has been high performance and the university setting provides valuable opportunities for players to take themselves to that level, both on and off the field.”

“The commitment our players now give to their sport is reflected in the new government funding rolling out for intercounty panels, which recognizes players as elite athletes.”

“However, this effort should never be at the expense of getting the best education possible.”

“We always want to encourage players to have that balance between their sport, academics and life as a student. These scholarships aim to make that process a little easier and we’re delighted to be able to offer this support.”

12 of the players benefitted from the partnership between the WGPA and Icon who fund scholarships specifically in the field of life sciences.