The success and popularity of the Sports Direct LGFA Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme has been confirmed with the results of a new survey published this morning.
96 per cent of the 1,157 participants who took part in the survey agreed with the statement that the Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme is beneficial for relieving stress, while a further 98 per cent said that being involved in the programme helped them to reconnect with friends.
Over 96 per cent said that their partners and/or families are supportive of their participation in the Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme, while 76 per cent said that they felt like a sporting role model in their family since getting involved.
The pressures of family life are behind the increase to 30 per cent of those who said that they felt pressure to be a positive role model for their family – a 12% increase from last year’s findings.
Personal
In terms of why they took part, there was a 10 per cent increase from last year in the number of participants who answered ‘For Themselves’ as the reason why they participate in the programme while having fun, improved fitness and a widened social circle were found to be the top three benefits for participants since joining the programme.
56 per cent had never played Gaelic Football prior to joining the programme.
This is the second year of Sports Direct’s Gaelic4Mother&Others sponsorship, the highlight of which is the annual National Blitz, which took place at Naomh Mearnóg and St Sylvester’s GAA clubs in Dublin on September 3rd.
The survey also asked about barriers to sports participation, with 34 per cent citing a lack of time as their biggest obstacle, followed by 20 per cent listing confidence as a barrier to participation.
Video
For this year’s campaign, Sports Direct teamed up with well-known podcaster, Laurita Blewitt, who joined her local Gaelic4Mothers&Others club at Knockmore LGFA, Co. Mayo to experience the programme first-hand. Laurita tracked her journey with the programme, revealing her own reason why, as she returned to playing Ladies Gaelic Football for the first time in nine years, this has been documented in a newly-released video that is available to view below.
Since its inception, Gaelic4Mothers&Others has proven immensely popular, with almost 400 clubs from all 32 counties currently involved, with the aim to grow this further in the coming years.
Since the beginning of the 2022 campaign, a total of 22 new clubs have registered to be part of the programme, as this year saw the return of the National Blitz, with 132 clubs from all four provinces signing up to be part of the event.
“At Sports Direct, we wanted to hear from participants of the Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme and get the all-important insights to ensure we can provide the best experience possible for everyone and uncover what their reason why is,” said Sports Direct Ireland Managing Director Leonard Brassel.
Positive
“We are delighted that the feedback from our survey has once again been overwhelmingly positive.”
“There has been a steady growth in the number of clubs participating in the programme since Sports Direct came onboard in 2021, and we are delighted to partner with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association for such a fantastic initiative. We look forward to continuing to champion the Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme.”
“As proud supporters of grassroots Gaelic Games in Ireland now for a number of years, we not only understand the power and positivity of sport and participation, but also the necessity for equal play in our sporting landscape.”
“We are committed to mobilising our customers to embrace physical activity in a fun and social way while ensuring that women have equal opportunities in order to make this current era of sport a fairer and more equal one for all.”
