Na Deise U15 Ladies Team Compete At 2022 National Féile
Our newest Community Teams side, Na Déise U15 Ladies Football Team based in Modeligo and Touraneena had an unbelievable weekend last weekend as all roads lead to GAA’s National Games Development Centre at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown for the John West Féile Peile na nÓg Ladies Football Finals 2022.
Eighty-eight club sides from Ireland, the UK, Europe, and the US competed in the John West Féile Peile na nÓg Gaelic football and Ladies football Finals 2022 across nine venues in Dublin and Kildare on Saturday.
The Féile has been an important event in the GAA calendar for decades as it brings together thousands of young hurlers, camogie players, and Gaelic footballers in a celebration of the GAA’s community ethos through underage competition.
The Na Déise U15 Ladies secured their spot in the National Féile earlier this year when they won the U15 Waterford Féile. This was a huge achievement for the team and the local community. This is why we were delighted to add them to our community teams programme earlier this month (in partnership with CoolPartner 001, USEE.ie) and sponsor their new jerseys.
We sent our Head of Community Experience to Abbotstown to report on the event & get some photos of the team in action.
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What a day Saturday was, It was a warm, sunny morning and despite the occasional shower, the weather is ideal for a great day of Football in Abbotstown.
The ladies from Na Déise arrived at around 10.30 AM after travelling up the evening previous. Once they arrived there was time for a few pictures with their gorgeous, brand new Cloudforest & USEE Sponsored Jerseys.
After this, it was time to really focus on the task at hand and start preparing for game 1 against Geraldines from Louth, which was scheduled for an 11:40 throw-in. The ladies were focused, warmed up and ready to go by the time was thrown in & the tournament officially began.
Unfortunately, the first half didn’t go to plan, with a few early goals conceded combined with what was undoubtedly big game nerves, Geraldines took a big first-half lead. This lead was retained throughout the second half, despite a much better performance from the Na Déise ladies.
They brought this momentum from the second half straight into their next game with Delco Gaels, who had traveled transatlantic all the way from Philadelphia for the Féile. The Na Déise ladies played brilliantly and had an emphatic win to set them up for their final game against Brookeboro from Fermanagh.
A win against Brookeboro would send Na Déise into the cup semi-final against one of the top two from Group A, whereas a loss would leave them in the shield semi-final against one of the bottom two in Group A.
Unfortunately, it was at this stage I had to hit the road. But, fear not, one of the Na Déise coaches David Whelan (from CoolPartner 012, Solar Evolution) reliably informed me they played fantastically & managed to make it two wins from three, and go on to the Cup Semi-Final where they faced St. Ergnats Moneyglass from Antrim.
Despite the impressive form & incredible team spirit which was shown throughout the day, this was as far as the Ladies advanced as St. Ergnats Moneyglass defeated them in a close game, which just slipped from them. There is a small consolation in the fact that St. Ergnats turned out to be the eventual winners of the Cup, beating Geraldines in the final.
The Na Déise Coach JP Fitzpatrick commented on the day by saying:
What an unbelievable weekend! The girls gave it everything this weekend and what an experience it was – winning two games & very close in the other two. Sport is all about luck & I think I counted on 5 or 6 occasions, hitting the post – we were not far off winning the grade.
The whole Féile experience will stay with us forever and from a coaching standpoint, it’s all about keeping them together and working on their skill development. A recent LGFA statistic showed that 70% of girls drop out of Ladies football by age 18 – we will do everything that this isn’t the case for this golden generation group.
Finally, thanks to the parents, please, keep encouraging them, keep driving them around the country with us as they are the most talented group Na Déise ever had – fact!
I would like to say a special thanks to Lauren & Donagh, they have just been brilliant with the girls and supports David, Owen & I in everything we do. They are the special ‘magic’ dust that brings it all together, thanks lads.
Despite the loss, the ladies can hold their heads very high and know they played incredibly well throughout the day. It’s a massive achievement to reach the Féile (which is a national competition) semi-final. The Féile is a special tournament and one all of the team will soon look back at with fondness.
All of us here at Cloudforests are very proud to have the Na Déise Ladies U15s as one of our community teams, and you did the company, as well as your friends, families & community, proud.
