In recent years, the profile of Ladies football has been enhanced considerably as television coverage and sponsorship deals have allowed the game to develop on a more national scale. The interest in ladies football has reached a phenomenal level and now thousands of girls and women are lining out for their clubs on a weekly basis and gone are the days when ladies football was not receiving the respect it deserved. Now, it is one of the leading sports in the country and such is the interest that businesses are clamoring over themselves to get involved with teams. This year saw the Louth Ladies team sponsored by Brian Lynch Salads and the owner of the same name spoke to the Wee County Yearbook about the sponsorship deal and how the company has developed over the years. Ladies football has come along way since the days when it was regarded by many as a bit of fun and now ladies teams at both club and inter-county level put in the same effort as their male counterparts. In 2008, the Louth ladies under the sponsorship of Brian Lynch Salads had a remarkable run as the qualified for the Leinster junior final, where they met Wicklow in the decider. The concession of three goals in as many first half minutes ultimately came back to haunt the Wee County in Carlow as they missed out on a Leinster title at the hands of a Wicklow side who were second best for long periods of the game. The fact that seven points separated the sides at the end was an unfair reflection on how the game had went with Louth undoubtedly the better side over the course of the hour. Goals win games though and a combination of Louth's failure to find any and Wicklow's superb finishing at the other end meant that it was the Garden County's captain Emer Miley who got her hands on the cup at the end rather than Grace Lynch. The margin of defeat was the most hurtful aspect for the girls in red, however, having looked comfortably the better side for much of the game. In the end their lack of competitive matches looked to come back to haunt them slightly though as they seemed to run out of steam in the closing period. Having received a walkover against Carlow in the semi-final, match fitness seemed to elude Brian Carroll's girls late on as they shipped 1-5 unanswered in the space of four minutes between the 52nd and 56th minutes to effectively end any hopes they had of getting their hands on the provincial crown. There is definitely a bit of quality in this Louth side, however, with the half back line of Michelle McMahon, Orlaith Kirk and Niamh Reid superb for most of the game and equally impressive performances coming from Edel McKeown, Catherine McGee, Grace Lynch, Rosanna Heeney and Patricia Marmion. Brian revealed that the sponsorship came about when Ladies Board Treasurer Teresa Hanratty approached him about doing such a role and he admitted that he was delighted to do so. "I've been involved in a lot of sponsorship down through the years and when Teresa approached me, I was happy to do something for them. Ladies football has come on leaps and bounds in recent years. "They are doing great work and deserve massive credit for the efforts that they have been putting in. They certainly train and prepare as much as any mens teams." The sponsorship deal has been for an initial one-year term, but Brian stated that he will sit down with the Ladies board and discuss the matter further. Based in the Ardee Business Park for the past three years, the company has been a growing concern for some time now and currently there are 21 people employed. Bryan Lynch Finest Salads manufacture a selection of the finest salads & sauces for the retail sector. They recognize the importance of quality and freshness to the customer and guarantee that all its products are to an exceptionally high standard. "All our produce is Irish grown and we supply many shops and supermarkets around the country with our products, which are more or less made to order." Brian spent 12 years working as a chef before noticing a niche in the market for quality salads and dressings. And having purchased a purpose built premises he has worked hard to develop the business. "I seen a market for the first class products to the consumer and decided to get into the salad section. Eleven years ago when the company was established, it was a very small but we saw potential for growth." The growth and success of the Louth based business was recognised last year when Bryan Lynch Finest Salads was awarded Best Business 2 Business Company, while more recently they have been awarded the Excellence Ireland Quality Association (EIQA) Q-Mark for hygiene. Brian Lynch Salads is a company with a bright future and one that strives to provide a top quality service to a large customer base, which is expanding all the time. "Despite our success and expansion we continue to hold the same values and pride ourselves on delivering quality, freshness, convenience and service to all our customers every time." Brian used to line out with the Hunterstown Rovers side, but work was so time consuming that he had to forsake his playing career. However, he admitted that he would like to get back into the game in some capacity. "I'd like to train a team and get back into the GAA. That is something I will be looking to do over the next year or so. Now that the business is established, I feel I can give the necessary time and effort to do so." Tweet

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