Rosscarbery ladies footballers ready for take-off after strong league showing

Rosscarbery ladies are eager to make a positive impact in the Cork Credit Unions Cork LGFA Intermediate Football Championship.

Under new management and with numbers thriving at underage level, the progressive West Cork setup is looking forward to another tilt at the Cork LGFA IFC.

Last year, runners-up Naomh Abán ended Rosscarbery’s intermediate title aspirations in the penultimate round.

Since then, a positive Division 2 county league campaign that yielded four wins from seven league outings has the Rosscarbery club feeling optimistic about their chances in a highly competitive grade.

A new team of selectors, including Dinny Enright, Michael Paul Hicks and Niall O’Sullivan, will oversee the West Cork club’s 2025 championship odyssey.

“We set our goals out at the start of the season and matched them in what was a good league campaign for us,” Rosscarbery selector Niall O’Sullivan said.

“We are buzzing to get going in the championship. It is my first time involved at this grade. I’m only going by what the girls are telling me and everyone is just buzzing to get going at this stage.

“As part of our buildup, we lost to a strong Clonakilty team in the West Cork LGFA Championship. We were missing a few girls on the night but that hasn’t stopped everyone from looking forward to the challenge of competing for another intermediate county.” 

The challenge that O’Sullivan alluded to begins with a first round trip to last year’s junior A county champions Midleton next Sunday. Things don’t get any easier with another road trip to IFC county runners-up for the past two years, Naomh Abán, a week later.

Following those tough openers, Rosscarbery will face Fermoy (home), Abhainn Dalla (away), Inch Rovers (home) and Valley Rovers (home) to complete the round-robin section of the intermediate championship.

TOUGHEST

“It’s very important that we get off to a good start in the first game or two,” O’Sullivan admitted.

“They are our toughest tests. I wouldn’t write off Fermoy or any other intermediate teams. Our draw is good for us because we’ve a nice break in the middle of it which should help us to recover from any injuries.

“This time of year, it’s all about planning. The hard work is done on the training pitch now at this stage. So, it’s about planning and preparing the girls for their upcoming matches.

“The weather is changing, girls are going back to college so everything, in terms of preparing for a championship, is changing for all the other teams as well. From our own point of view, it’s just making sure we manage things as best we can.” 

Off the pitch, there is plenty of goodwill towards the Rosscarbery ladies football team as evidenced by the continued support of local businesses and increased sponsorship.

Lisavaird Co-Op have come on board to sponsor a new set of jerseys for the Rosscarbery club’s adult team in the renowned business’ centenary year.

From underage to adult, a strong sense of community surrounds a Rosscarbery club intent on make their presence felt in all competitions.

“Our club executives are working very hard,” Niall O’Sullivan concluded.

You can see it at underage level as you can see the players coming through. 

"They are starting out underage and the club is doing great things there. We have great numbers, they’re really enthusiastic, willing to learn and soak up every bit of information.

“It’s frightening at that age, what they soak up. You’d be wondering sometimes, do they listen to you at all? Then they'll take off and you can see that, yeah, they were actually listening! It’s fantastic.

“Rosscarbery’s underage teams have great numbers right now which is very important for the future. Some of those girls are starting to feed into our junior panel. In another year or two, those girls will move up into our intermediate panel.

“It’s all positive. It’s all the hard work that the current and past chairpersons have put in. They’re building this club up with years.

“That comes back to sponsors who see this progress and see the positive attitude within our club. They are willing to invest because they know they are investing in a solid community product.”