St John’s LGFA get top prize from Lidl

THANKS to Lidl and Sligo shoppers, St John’s LGFA Club secured the top prize of €20,000 from the retailer as part of the initiative which called on communities to support their local clubs by scanning their Lidl Plus app at the checkout in their local Lidl.

A total of €33,200 was awarded to

Sligo LGFA clubs that got involved in the initiative.

St John’s is one of four club, one from each province, that picked up the top prize (there was one chosen from each province).

In total, Lidl has rewarded more than 360 LGFA clubs throughout Ireland, with these clubs benefitting from new jerseys to €20,000 in funding. The innovative initiative was launched as part of Lidl’s new campaign, ‘Level the Playing Field’, that called on communities to get behind their local club by scanning their

Lidl Plus app to receive a digital stamp on their stamp card.

Once six stamps were collected, users could submit their completed stamp card via the app and their stamps were then added to their chosen club’s total.

Each club that achieved a minimum of 50 completed digital stamp cards was guaranteed a reward.

Commenting on the initiative, Olivia Flannery, chairperson of St John’s LGFA Club, said: “Words can’t express how much this funding [€20,000] will mean to our club. “The LGFA section of St John’s is still quite young and this will have a huge impact on the development of all of our players, from the nursery up to the U-16s, who will hopefully go on to represent the club at adult level in the near future.”

“Huge thanks to all club members and the local community who got behind us and to all the brilliant staff in Lidl, Cranmore Road who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic.”

Pawel Siewruk, store manager of Lidl,

Cranmore Road, said: “We are delighted to award St John’s with €20,000 in funding.”

“It has been incredible to see the community really get behind the club to raise some much-needed funds at grassroots level, and, in doing so, raising awareness for women in sport as well as helping to encourage young girls to get involved in sport from a very early age.”

Since 2016, Lidl has invested more than €5 million into the partnership with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and, during this time, Ladies Footballers across the country have noticed significant changes in how the game is perceived thanks to the support of the retailer.

According to research carried out on behalf of Lidl Ireland in 20201, 85% of LGFA female members recognise the uplift in support over the last four years, specifically in the media and among the general public. The research also found that 51% of females claim that they are currently participating in sport, an increase from 2017.

There was delight for Riverstown’s Aoife McDermott and the Ireland women’s rugby team last Saturday as they finished third overall in this year’s Women’s Six Nations Championship. Ireland impressively defeated Italy 25-5 in the play-off for 3rd/4th place at Energia Park, Donnybrook. The hosts, who notched four tries, were 8-0 ahead at half-time. McDermott, who started in the second row, was making her 16th appearance for Ireland. She was replaced in the second-half, with Grace Moore coming on for the former basketball international. The Women’s Six Nations title was won by England, who retained their trophy with a 10-6 defeat of France. Ireland won two of their three games in this year’s truncated competition. right.

WELL DONE: Pawel Siewruk, store manager of Lidl, Cranmore Road, and Olivia Flannery (chairperson, St John’s LGFA Club). St John’s LGFA Club were the best in the province in an initiative organised by Lidl.