Lauren thrilled by progress of game

DETERMINED: Tipperary keeper Lauren Fitzgerald (right) in action against Armagh

ACROSS her nine years as a Tipperary senior panellist, Lauren Fitzpatrick has witnessed a significant upsurge in the profile of Ladies Football.

A Championship debutant in 2014, the goalkeeper is now one of the most experienced players within the Premier County set-up.

For that year’s TG4 All-Ireland Finals day in Croke Park, there was a total attendance of 27,374 at the Jones’ Road venue.

By 2019, that figure had more than doubled to a record crowd of 56,114.

While the Covid-19 pandemic unfortunately put paid to the prospect of this figure being surpassed in either 2020 or 2021, with 46,440 passing through the turnstiles for last year’s Championship showpieces, it is clear that the appetite for the LGFA remains strong.

On a weekend when Sport Ireland are exploring the theme of ‘Visibility & Events’ as part of their Women In Sport Week, Fitzpatrick believes it is important that the exploits of her fellow players continues to be captured in the strongest possible way.

“It really is phenomenal what the LGFA, TG4 and Lidl have done for the sport. We’re very lucky. We’re playing games each week and they’re live-streamed for people to see, and your families to see. At the end of the day, female athletes are putting in as much as the men are doing each week,” Fitzpatrick acknowledged.

“I think it’s great that they’re finally getting that recognition that they deserve. Long may it continue.

Hopefully it goes that bit further as well. We’ve been very lucky to have the majority of games at home this year and we’re playing them in Fethard.

“The place is packed on a Sunday for the games. It really is great to see. We’ve young girls coming out to watch us. It really is good to see them and for them to have some bit of a role model to look up to. It really is brilliant at the moment.”

Table

There have been positive signs for Tipp in this year’s LIDL National Football League as they currently occupy second place in the Division Two table with four wins from five games.

Whereas in previous seasons there were semi-finals to determine who would progress to League deciders, this is only the case for Division 4 in 2023.

Armagh and Tipp are in good shape for the top two spots, with Laois also in the mix, but with meetings against Tyrone and the Orchard in the coming weeks, the margin for error will be minimal.

“Coming into the start of the League, we probably would have looked at winning all the games to probably cement that final place. Things didn’t go exactly the way we wanted and this is the position we’re in. Obviously only two teams go straight to a final and that just means for the last two games, we’re going to have to get two wins.

“That’s not anyone’s fault, but as long as we focus on our game and do what we need to do, hopefully at the end of the next two weeks we might have a final to look forward to.”