Rathnew Put Star-Studded Team In Charge Of New Rathnew Ladies Football Team

January has seen some very positive stories in the GAA and LGFA with the announcement of dual association double headers and the #BringABall being introduced but one of the more local stories is up there with the best of them as Rathnew have announced they will be entering an adult ladies team this year. With great work going on with underage LGFA teams in the Village, they will now have the adult ladies lining out in the legendary green & red of Rathnew. Many of these ladies have been all of over Wicklow and the country watching their fathers, husbands, boyfriends, brothers and uncles playing football and bringing lots of silverware back to the village but now its the ladies turn.

The story of ladies football in Rathnew goes back 7 years, when Katrina Murphy, wife of the great Rathnew goalkeeper Tommy Murphy set up a juvenile girls team so her daughters could follow in the footsteps of their Father and Grand Uncle who just happens to be the legendary Harry Murphy. Katrina and Tommy have been doing trojan work to ensure that all girls are catered for and the club has grown from 12 girls registered 7 years ago to now boasting nearly 80 girls registered. All the hard work is now coming to fruition as a large portion of those girls will now make up the adult junior team having came through the ranks for the last 7 years.

The first key member of the coaching staff is James Snell (Father of County star Jamie) who is no stranger to football and from a family steeped in the GAA in Wicklow and he will be an excellent man to have in charge. They say behind every good man is an even better lady and for once the opposite will be true as behind the Rathnew ladies this year will be Colm Tierney who has been a coach with the club for the last few years and is one of the most qualified coaches in Rathnew and who’s daughter Millie has moved through the ranks from U12 through to now being on the Junior team. Another key member of the coaching staff is James Snell (Father of County star Jamie) who is no stranger to football and will be an excellent man to have in charge. Along side him though, Rathnew have managed to secure the services of Wicklow & Rathnew legend James Stafford who will take up the role of Rathnew Ladies Football Team Selector. A man who needs know introduction will be the perfect candidate to help establish the ladies game even further in the village and judging by the fact that 26 ladies turned up at the first meeting shows there is a hunger for ladies football in the village and who knows in a few years time it could be a repeat of last years mens senior final pairing only this time in the ladies code. Every great endeavour needs a multi skilled operator and they don’t come any more talented than Samantha Vickers who will assume not just the role of a player but will be helping with strength & conditioning and also manages to spare some time to coach the U10 girls team! Completing the fairly star studded backroom team is none other than Katrina Murphy who has been the major force in making Rathnew LGFA a reality and is a phenomenal force of good for Ladies Football. The years of hard work will become a reality as she sees all her efforts blossom into an adult ladies football team representing Rathnew. An exciting year lays ahead and we wish Katrina, James, Colm, Staffatoni, Samantha and the Rathnew LGFA team all the best for the years ahead.

Way back in 2013 Rathnew had a venture into the Junior football fold and maybe you recognise a few of these faces from that time thanks to brilliant work of Dave Barrett….