Concepta Traynor has just stepped down as Chairperson of the Ladies Football Board content in the knowledge that the game in Cavan has never been stronger The decision of outgoing Ladies Football Board Chairperson Concepta Traynor to step down form the hot seat after two years left many in the movement with a heavy heart. Concepta worked like a trojan for the ladies game during her term but, observers say, she's guaranteed to keep her shoulder to the wheel in her role as a backbencher. The Knockbride stalwart's position on the executive of the ladies board will ensure that her energy, ideas and fortitude won't be lost to the fastest growing sport in Cavan. Like many another who has visited the position of chairperson, Concepta quickly realised that only a 'sleeves rolled-up' approach would suffice while ensconced in the role. She tells us that her term was an enjoyable one, a learning experience but, predictably, a demanding one too. "I feel the ladies game is in a healthier position now than it was two years ago and that it's continuing to go from strength to strength. "The GAA have been a lot more facilitating in recent years and they've recognised our efforts better, at club and county level which has been greatly beneficial to the game." It seems that the greater bond between the ladies football crew and the GAA in Cavan has been central to the development and current greater well-being of ladies football. Concepta says the fulfilling of fixtures down the years was a real hardship for the ladies due to a scarcity of available GAA pitches but things have improved on that front "The fact that we have our own niche now with our games being played primarily on a Saturday and our underage games on Mondays has helped smooth things out a lot. "The GAA and ourselves have worked a lot more closely as a team over the last couple of years and that co-operation and co-ordination has made a huge difference to us." The fact remains that ladies football in county Cavan is a relatively new sport and it is still in an embryonic state which means that it needs huge support and nurturing. But that it will mature, become stronger and, eventually, be able to stand full square on its own two feet is beyond question - especially with the likes of Concepta on board. Still, it's not easy; maybe not quite as difficult as spreading the gospel of its Gaelic cousin hurling but still pretty difficult in converting the unbelievers in Breffni land. "Fundraising is something that takes a lot of work and it's not always easy to get sponsorship but luckily a few companies have been generous to us in recent years. "Working at increasing our funds is something we need to do more of because the expenses all gather up whether it's for meals, buses or any other basic requirements. "Our search for companies willing to sponsor our county teams and competitions has been very successful as has our church gate collections too," Concepta explains. In catering for a county under 12 development squad plus u.14, under 16, under 18, junior, intermediate and senior competitions, one can see how the expense accrues. Then there is the cost of keeping county teams at under 14, under 16, minor and junior on the road and making sure that the players are looked after as well as possible. But, as Concepta is quick to point out, those at the coalface of ladies football in Cavan regard their involvement as a veritable labour of love and it has its rewards too: "To see the girls reach the All-Ireland under 16 final back in 2003 and to be a selector with that team was a great experience and very satisfying," Concepta explains. "It would have been great if we had beaten Galway in the final but the fact that so many of their team have gone onto win a senior All-Ireland says a lot about their talent." Concepta says she enjoyed working with fellow selector Eamon Lynch and assisting manager Finian Farrell and also seeing her daughter Aisling captain the team. Modesty forbids Concepta talking up her contribution to ladies football over the years and her interest hones in on talking up the collective effort of a hard core group. "There has been a lot of work done by certain people to bring ladies football up to the present standard and they deserve great credit for the time and energy they've put in. "Thanks to those people there's been a huge amount of talent nursed up through the ranks and those girls will get even better as they get more experienced and mature. "The skills in ladies football these days is just unreal, especially the standards we've seen over the last three or four years where they've come on in leaps and bounds. "The coaching at schools level has been great and good work has been done at club level too and the girls are all very keen to learn and to improve their game." Concepta is fully cognisant of the fact that Cavan ladies still trail the Galway, Dublin, Tyrone and Kerrys of this world by some distance but the gap is closing she says. High on the agenda for the organisation in Cavan in improving its national ranking is the acquisition of their own playing field(s) where training and matches can be staged. True to form, Concepta is optimistic as she looks to help solve that problem and she believes that the ladies movement will have their own 'home' in perhaps 5-6 years time. Having to rent the floodlit playing pitch Cavan Rugby Club or utilise the playing area at the rear of Breffni Park for county training is functionable, acceptable but hardly ideal. Concepta reckons that more labourers are needed at county board level to reap the harvest that is on hand right now but she understands the real politics of sport. "For every 20 people who are involved at county board level around the country, there is only about one person involved at county board level in ladies football. "That's understandable because people are working so hard at developing the game at club level that they mightn't have the energy or time for county board work." There are signs that ladies football is blossoming at every level though, county board level and at grass roots level and Concepta is upbeat about possible future growth. Concepta looks to the emergence of Mountnugent, the blossoming of Drumalee and the reformation of Shannon Gaels as proof positive of the health of the club scene. "I'm very optimistic that the number of clubs in the county will continue to grow and in five years time I can envisage the number of clubs in the county doubling," she says. The health of a sport in any county is invariably gauged on the number of pieces of silverware that are garnered but, again, Concepta is upbeat in that regard. She genuinely believes that Cavan can win the Ulster junior championship title sooner rather than later and, in time, the county's premier team will be a match for the best. On the question of closer ties on a nationwide level between the GAA and the ladies football board at the highest level, Concepta is unequivocal in her view. "I think it's essential that the ladies football association amalgamates with the GAA because in my view that's the way forward for the players' sake and administrators. "I think if ladies football became a part of the GAA, it would benefit our game but there would have to be a few points thrashed out first, like retaining our own identity." Kingscourt-born Concepta (nee Sexton) was at the forefront of the establishment of the one-time all-conquering and still hugely successful Knockbride club. A proven doer, it is certain that she will continue to contribute an awful lot to ladies football at county level in the years to come . . .albeit from the back benches! Tweet

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