Meathwoman's Diary: Blitzing a trail with mothers and others

It was a cold, wet evening with even a flurry of snow as a mixed bag of ex-players, absolute novices and those who fell somewhere in between took to the football pitch in Nobber for the first training session of the newly formed Gaelic for Mothers and Others team.

It was 8th March 2023 - International Women's Day by chance, but we couldn't have planned a more apt day for our G4MO adventure to begin.

While I had spent many hours on the sidelines of the local football pitch cheering the kids on, I had never played football as a youngster and probably with good reason.

But that is the great thing about G4MO, it doesn't matter if you never played football before, it doesn't matter if you're not much good- it's just a bit of craic.

When one of the other mammies first said it to me about joining, I was a bit dubious. I was well aware of my lack of football skills but fear of missing out won in the end. Armed with my first ever pair of football boots, I was nervous as hell for the first session but the experienced footballers among us were all very encouraging and did their best to teach us the basics along with our manager.

Since then, I have got to know so many people I would never have known otherwise, scored a handful of points and had a few good sessions in the local.

I don't think I'll ever properly solo the ball, my kicks rarely go where intended and I'm that eager to get rid of the ball when I get it, that you'd think it was a bomb - but I have to say I love it.

Especially the blitzes. In fact our first ever match was to the North Leinster Blitz last year and we recently did the National Blitz joining over 130 other teams from around the country for a day of football and fun.

Personally, I enjoy the local smaller blitzes the best and you are generally assured of bumping into an old school buddy or two along the way.

We have become blitz pros at this stage. Camp chairs are essential. Optional but useful extras include a gazebo, coolbox, and blankets if its cold. Ideally have a bus organised to ferry you there and back, and every team needs a Revolut queen like our Arlene to organise it all- if only they paid commission she'd make a fortune.

We have a strong backbone of excellent former players including our very own answer to the Cliffords but we also have some novices who have turned out to be great footballers.

For those who used to play football, G4MO means they can still enjoy playing without the same level of commitment, while for those who never played, it's an opportunity have a bit of fun and give it a go without any pressure. A win win all round!