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Women’s football All-Stars to play in N.Y.

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

Substitutes for both teams will be made up of players from New York’s seven ladies clubs. The All-Star and Rest of Ireland teams will conduct coaching sessions for the local teams at both senior and underage levels during their stay.
All-Ireland champions Mayo lead the way with seven of the touring party while runners-up Dublin will be represented by five players — three All-Stars and two on the Rest of Ireland selection. The Suzuki National League runners-up, Kerry, have n four players, as will the All-Ireland semifinalists and rapidly improving Galway. League Champions Laois have two players on the Rest of Ireland team, including seven-time All-Star star Sue Ramsbottom, who picked up her first All-Star award in 1988.
“The O’Neills/TG4 All-Star trip has the unique distinction of being the first ever of its kind but also the players traveling will be taking part in coaching sessions with the underage teams in New York to aid in the promotion and development of the game in New York,” said Geraldine Giles, president of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association. “Over the past year or so the New York Ladies board have been working on a development squad with a view to the Ladies International Tournament in 2005. We hope this trip will help these New York based young players identify with the sporting heroes of our sport.”, she said.
Representatives of the Irish community in New York in general and from the New York Ladies Gaelic Football Association in particular have enthusiastically welcomed the official announcement of the trip. Describing the trip as a major boost to all those involved in New York, the chairperson of the New York Ladies Gaelic Football Association, Nollaig Cleary said: “We are delighted and extremely grateful that Cumann Peil Gael na mBan have chosen New York as the destination for the first-ever All-Star trip. This is an excellent opportunity for us to promote Ladies Gaelic Football in New York and to honor the best players of our game.”
Mayo’s Christina Heffernan, a seven-time All-Star and four-time All-Ireland winner, expressed delight at the announcement.
“I think it is a brilliant idea and everyone is really excited about the trip,” she said. “The profile of Ladies Gaelic Football is growing all the time, and this trip is going to raise the profile once again.”

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