Saints have 20x20 vision for club
DUNDALK St Gerard’s A.C. chair Sean Moran has said that the club is ‘delighted and proud’ to sign up to the 20x20 charter and become a 20x20 Member Club, as the club continues to develop and nurture their young female athletes.
The 20x20 initiative has made great strides in helping to encourage women to play sport while also tasking clubs, organisations and the media with promoting women’s games as much as possible. Sean says that St Gerard’s A.C. is keen to continue promoting this particular side of the club, and that signing up to 20x20 was a logical and natural next step.
‘The number of female club members in St Gerard’s has always been strong and steady, typically outnumbering the boys. We currently have 130 registered members, of which 57% are girls from U7 up to U15’ says Sean.
‘Many of the young girls who join St Gerard’s A.C. look up to the older girls at the club and are inspired by the successes many have achieved at county, provincial or indeed national level. Many others join simply for physical exercise and fun. The key thing is opportunity. Girls at the club get the opportunity to try a range of Athletics disciplines, from track and field activities to cross country running’ say Sean.
The club has had some great successes on the national and international stage in recent years with female club stalwarts Kate O’Connor and Patience Jumbo-Gula going on to represent their country and pick up medals in European Championships events.
Sean says that Dundalk St Gerard’s will do everything it can to encourage and promote the girls in the club, and to keep them involved in athletics for as long as possible.
‘By signing up to 20x20, we have pledged to increase the visibility of female participation at our club. All club members, male and female, regularly feature on the club’s Facebook page, and the club is committed to championing the girls in local media as much as possible. Our hope is that we can encourage as many girls as possible in the area to take up athletics, and to provide opportunities for them to develop their skills, train with others and indeed compete, if that’s what they want to do’.
‘The strength of the club and the success over the years would not be possible without the coaches, who give up their time to pass on their knowledge and provide encouragement to the young athletes. One of the key opportunities for the club over the next year in this space is to promote and encourage more female coaches, and the club hopes to create more coaching and volunteer opportunities for senior female athletes and parents to get involved in’.
New St Gerard’s A.C. coach Jean McArdle, on board since the club resumed training in the autumn, says that showing the girls that the club has committed to promote and look after them is hugely significant.
‘The girls see that they are valued and that they are very welcome. The younger girls watch and learn from the older athletes as well as their coaches, and there is a great team spirit.
That is what the 20x20 initiative is all about – it’s about keeping women and girls sport visible, in turn, this has been shown to increase their interest in sport and promote engagement. The initiative has been running for a number of years and it was fantastic to see one of the male coaches realise the benefits of the club and the girls being more visible, for his daughter and all her club mates’.
Sean Moran says ‘Clubs like Dundalk St Gerard’s A.C. provide a platform to train and compete both individually and as part of a team, allowing for a steady stream of young female talent to come through, and indeed a platform that enables young girls to simply stay fit and have fun while doing it. We look forward to supporting this great initiative in to the future.’
For more information on the 20x20 movement, check out the 20x20.ie