In March 2003, Kinnegad woman Geraldine Giles became the 11th president of the Ladies Football Association. Needless to say, the past 12 months have been hectic for her, but as she explains to 'Maroon and White', she wouldn't have it any other way. Kinnegad woman Geraldine Giles brought great honour to her club and county in March of last year when she took up the officership of president of the Ladies Football Association. Given her long involvement in the sport, Geraldine's elevation to the top position in ladies football is hardly a surprise. She brings many qualities to the position, including vision, leadership and ambition. Ladies football had little or no profile nationally when Geraldine first became involved as a player with Coralstown in 1984. But since then, there has been an explosion in interest which has seen playing membership swell to over 90,000. The greatest challenge facing Geraldine during her three-year presidency is to keep the sport on an upward trajectory. "I'd love to see our playing membership surpass the 100,000 mark before my time as president is up," she explains. "Our membership has grown at an unbelievable rate over the past five or six years and it is important that we maintain that momentum. We now have 950 clubs affiliated and in excess of 90,000 playing the sport which is four or five times more than 10 years ago. The biggest growth has been seen in Dublin where we have picked up an additional 5,000 members in the space of just two years. "Every county in Ireland has a team and, in fact, six counties field second teams in the National League. We are also making huge progress in the UK, US and Europe and are getting 30,000 spectators at our All-Ireland finals. We've never had it so good but, in saying that, we can't afford to rest on our laurels." Geraldine attributes the sport's spectacular growth to a major development programme and the advent of live TV coverage of the games. "We have been much more aggressive in our approach to development and this has undoubtedly been a factor in our increased membership. Another huge factor has been the live TV coverage of our All-Ireland semi-finals and finals. This has opened the sport to a much wider audience," she says. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Ladies Football Association and as part of the celebrations, an All-Star tour to the US took place in early May. The Association also intends to launch a booklet charting the rise and rise of ladies football. "The All-Star tour to New York is a huge undertaking, but we're really looking forward to it. Ladies football has always been popular in New York and it will be great for the people over there to see the best players in Ireland at first hand. "If someone had said to me 10 years ago that we would be having an All-Stars Banquet in the CityWest Hotel and then a tour to New York, I wouldn't have believed them. It's amazing how far we've come in such a short space of time." Increased numbers has inevitably led to improved playing standards. But unlike most other sports, ladies football remains totally reliant on voluntary support when it comes to coaching. "We're working hard to ensure that more and more coaching officers are coming on stream, but the reality is that we are still dependant on voluntary support. We are fortunate to have so many people who are prepared to roll up their sleeves and help out with the coaching. Our standards have never been as high thanks to them." The most successful county in recent years has been Mayo who have captured four of the last five All-Ireland titles. But Geraldine believes that their dominance is coming under increasing threat from a host of counties. "There is no doubt that Mayo have been a cut above the rest over the past five years, during which they have raised the bar for everyone. But the likes of Dublin and Monaghan are closing the gap all the time. You also have teams like Galway, Cork and Meath who are putting in massive work at underage level and are not that far off the mark. "Donegal and Kildare have huge potential, but they need to win an All-Ireland junior title before they can step up to senior level. Traditionally strong counties like Waterford, Kerry, Laois and Westmeath are rebuilding at the moment, but I would expect them to come strong again in the not too distant future," she says. Geraldine is extremely proud of the fact that the Ladies Football Association has never been afraid to make changes. The introduction of the countdown clock in the late 1990s has proven to be a resounding success. At their recent Congress in Galway, delegates voted in favour of introducing a 'sin bin' system. A tax consultant with Woods Sweetman Chartered Accountants in Balbriggan, Geraldine hails from a well-known GAA family in Kinnegad. "We've always been a big GAA family and when Coralstown/Kinnegad won the county senior football championship in 1996, my brother Joe was the club secretary, team captain and trainer," she recalls. Geraldine first became involved in ladies football in 1984 when a club was formed in Coralstown. Four years later, she helped them to win their only county senior title to date at Rochfortbridge's expense. After her playing career was cut short by injury, Geraldine became a leading administrator in Westmeath and served four years as county chairperson. In 2001, she was elected National PRO after holding the same position at provincial level. In the lead-up to the 2002 Congress, she decided to run for president and defeated Mary Wheatley (Laois) and Liam Forde (Galway) in the race to succeed Walter Thompson. Since taking office, Geraldine's workload has increased dramaically, but she wouldn't have it any other way. "I've had a very busy first year travelling the length and breath of the country. Being president brings a lot of responsibilities, but I've thoroughly enjoyed the experience so far. The Ladies Football Association constantly faces new challenges, but it is my intention to meet them head on," she concludes. Tweet

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