A south Donegal school is in with chance of winning €50,000 for the promotion of girls Gaelic football.
Coláiste Cholmcille in Ballyshannon is one of just four schools in the country in with a shout for the loot as part of the Lidl Plus Rewards Programme.
Over the last number of weeks, the school and the local community have been busy collecting stamps as part of the competition. In the first phase, they collected a whopping 1,158 stamps in 193 booklets.
“We topped Ulster for the most stamps collected and we are delighted to receive three sets of jerseys for the girls’ Gaelic teams. We want to thank everyone for their support and getting behind the school, it really is appreciated,” said Deputy Principal, Hugh McGlynn.
As part of the same competition, each school that collected 50 booklets was given the opportunity to write a letter to Lidl and explain why they would deserve €50,000 and how they would use it to develop Ladies Gaelic Football and sports.
“We’re thrilled to announce that Coláiste Chomcille has being shortlisted for this amazing prize and are guaranteed one of the runners up prizes of €10,000 for our school initiatives and girls Gaelic in the school.”
This kick-started the online public vote which will determine the allocation of the four prizes to the selected schools in each province.
“We need all the help we can get, and we encourage everyone to vote and gather as much support as possible. The team with the most votes will win the grand prize of €50,000.”
You can vote for Coláiste Chomcille via the following link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=F0dP0G5amEuz-WkY4DhfTHQcpP__C_VGjlAPAZ7m1clUREdXREdBNVBGNDNJQ0ZPSUk0WFVLUFUwSi4u
This money would benefit the school as a whole and would go towards more sports equipment for training girls’ and boys’ teams. It will also be invested in TY Programmes such as CPR, refereeing courses, nutritional talks and cooking demo.
“We as a school are absolutely delighted with our achievements so far, we would like to thank Lidl Ireland for this great opportunity and supporting the positive growth of Ladies Gaelic Football in our school and community.”
You can read a copy of letter submitted to Lidl below:
When I started my teaching career in CCBS in 2018 a few things stood out to me as a
teacher and a player. Low participating levels in U14. U16 and U19 Teams consisted of 1
local club team. Training was club training, not a separate school training. All gear was the
clubs including the girls’ socks/shorts. The girls’ teams had no jerseys and shared with the
boys. Reflecting on this now, I can see how far we have come as a school over the last 5yrs
in terms of developing the game in our school and creating an inclusive, positive sporting
environment for all levels of ability. We might not be in the top divisions, but the girls are
driven and enthusiastic about Gaelic and representing their school as a team. Over the last
5yrs I can honestly say that without Lidl and its continuous support to the schools and Ladies
Gaelic, we still would have no identity, gear and low participation in our school. Today, we
have students from 8 neighbouring clubs feeding into the team. Participation levels since
2018 to 2023 have increased from 46 girls in U14 up to U19 to 100 girls in all 3 age groups.
We have our own training session once a week for 1hr:30m and we have on average 34
training weekly. We own 15 balls and our own set of jerseys thanks to Lidl. We host our own
school blitz for incoming 1st/2nd years to integrate them into secondary school and make
friends. This is totally run by the TYs, and this year was by far the most successful since I
started it in 2021, with 80 girls participating. After covid I found it difficult to encourage
some girls back to the pitch. One of the major turning points was when our school was
accepted into the Lidl schools serious support programme with Sports Partnership. Elish
Ward was honest and so relatable to so many girls and really emphasised that sport isn’t
just for the skilled and the fit, it’s for everyone no matter what your abilities are. €50,000
would be unbelievable in developing our programmes for the next 5 years. I would invest in
more equipment, balls, poles, ladders and a storage unit for all coaches to access. TY
leadership programmes like Gaisce, Sports Leadership, Donegal Sports Partnership and GAA
programmes to invest in learning opportunities for the students as a lot of the funding has
ceased. This would include Referee/CPR courses, Volunteering workshops and the
importance of mental health through jigsaw. Use the TYs new skills to host another blitz for
local primary schools and create a positive local link. I would invest in gear for the girls to
give them an identity in the school. Organise and fund nutrition talks and cookery demos
with the help of our local Lidl store and HomeEc dept. S&C courses in conjunctions with the
PE dept. Help fund some of the transport to avoid having to cut panel sizes. We are a DEIS
area, and I would love to give the girls a trip to Croke Park or a team day out to the Dome
COE and play a local team. It would be an inspiring experience for these ambitious players and the school.
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