There’s a buzz of excitement among the lady footballers at St Michael’s GAA club as they prepare for a return to senior competitive action for the first time in over ten years.
The new Donegal LGFA All County League campaign gets up and running on Sunday, March 26th, and St Michael’s, back playing in Division 3, will make the long trek to play Malin.
For St Michael’s, the move to field again at adult level, is a natural progression given the amount of work that has been ongoing at underage level in recent seasons.
Back in the late 2000s, St. Michael’s more than held their own at adult level and progressed to Intermediate after winning a Junior A championship.
But with some of their main players of that time going off to college, and others returning to their own home clubs who were themselves also fielding at adult level, it became difficult for St. Michael’s to maintain an adult team.
But this year they will make a welcome return and according to long-time club member Enya O’Donnell, the players can’t wait to get going.
“We played a challenge game against Letterkenny Gaels last Sunday and after the game, the buzz among the players was just brilliant,” she said.
“We knew there and then that we are definitely doing the right thing. The players know it’s not going to be easy and there are some good teams in our division. But they are so happy to be back playing together again.”
Enya is part of the management team along with Manus Friel, Patricia Hunter and Bernard McGinley and they have assembled a squad which is a mix of players of all ages, many of them having come up through the club at underage level.
“We have a long journey to Malin to start off with next Sunday,” Enya said, adding that with the time changing that weekend, the journey might have to start even earlier
“The clocks are changing that weekend too so we might have to leave on Saturday night!”.
The opening fixtures for next weekend are:
Sunday, March 26
Division 1
Aodh Ruadh BAS v Milford
Naomh Muire InR v Termon
Naomh Conaill v Buncrana
Ardara v Moville
Glenfin v St. Eunan’s
Na Dunaibh – Bye
Division 2 – Group A
St. Naul’s v St. Mary’s Convoy
Gaoth Dobhair v Naomh Columba
Killybegs v Dungloe
Division 2 – Group B
Gaeil Fhanada v Naomh Padraig UC
Carndonagh v Urris
Robert Emmetts – Bye
Division 3 – Group A
Kilcar v Four Masters
Aodh Ruadh BAS 2 v Red Hughs
Sean MacCumhaill’s – Bye
Division 3 – Group B
Malin v St. Michael’s
Letterkenny Gaels v Termon 2
Glenswilly v Burt
