‘I really had that regret that I never joined a team sport like that and I feel like I’ve missed out. The social aspect, the new friendships that can be made and the benefit that has had on my mental and physical health is just incredible’
BY DAIRE WALSH
IT might be a completely new venture on a number of fronts, but Pauline Martin has thoroughly enjoyed her opening few months as part of the Sports Direct Gaelic4Mothers&Others team in Good Counsel Liffey Gaels.
A native of Niort in western France, Pauline has been in Ireland since the age of 18. Having initially planned to spend a year on these shores as a way of improving her English – she also worked as an au pair during this period – she met her now husband just a few months into her stay and ultimately decided to remain in Ireland on a permanent basis.
Although she had an interest in gymnastics, Pauline acknowledges she never really took part in team sports back in Niort. Yet with her eldest child having joined the club last September, Martin had found herself on the sidelines of Good Counsel Liffey Gaels – whose main pitches are located on Drimnagh’s Galtymore Road in Dublin’s southside.
It was whilst attending one of her son’s training sessions that Pauline was informed that there was a Gaelic4Mothers&Others side in the club and with her curiosity now sparked, she opted to join the set-up for 2025.
“There was one time (at her son’s training) where I was approached by a Dad that said ‘you know there’s a women’s team, Gaelic4Mothers’. That’s kind of how it started, it sparked my curiosity. I just turned up. I couldn’t remember the exact date, but it’s about five or six months ago that I came for the first training,” Pauline recalled.
“It has benefited me on so many levels. I really had that feeling the last few months since I joined. I really had that regret that I never joined a team sport like that and I feel like I’ve missed out. The social aspect, the new friendships that can be made and the benefit that has had on my mental and physical health is just incredible.
“I just found that it’s so inclusive and they’re all very supportive. Obviously we have our WhatsApp groups. There’s one solely for the training sessions and just any information related to matches or blitzes. There’s another separate one for just chats. If anyone needs a recommendation for a babysitter or anything else like that! It’s really like a new family, a new community.”
First introduced by the LGFA in 2008, the Sports Direct Gaelic4Mothers&Others initiative is a recreational and innovative programme for women who have never played football before or who have not played in a very long time.
Played in a fun, non-competitive and social environment, this initiative provides an opportunity for women to get their recommended weekly exercise in a fun way while meeting other mothers in the area they live in.
The campaign hashtag for Sports Direct Gaelic4Mothers&Others is #myreasonwhy and as Pauline explained above, the fact that she regretted not trying her hand at a team sport in the past was a major factor behind her deciding to take part in the initiative.
The Good Counsel Liffey Gaels side which competed in the South Leinster Gaelic4Mothers&Others Blitz in Bray Emmets in June of this year
However, she is also someone who likes to challenge herself and with the sport of ladies football being an entirely new concept to the 35-year-old mother of three, Pauline has also gotten out of her comfort zone in the past few months.
“I am quite competitive. Even though it’s non-competitive sport, I am quite competitive! I like to push myself and I like a good run. I’m not giving up on a ball. I think it was that I was never really brought up with team sports. My parents were not into it.
“They were always fit and active, but never really involved in any club or any particular sport, or had a great passion for any particular sport. I’ve always loved a hike or a good long cycle. Since I came to Ireland, I’ve been more active than I would have been in my teens.
“I do love to push myself and even after having three kids, I still feel like I have a good bit of energy. I’m quite a high energy person, I love a good run around. Learning a new sport is great fun.”
In terms of her journey with the Sports Direct Gaelic4Mothers&Others programme, the South Leinster Blitz held at Bray Emmets GAA in Wicklow on June 21 of this year was a significant one for Pauline. Having played just two games with Good Counsel Liffey Gaels up to that point, she was now participating in an event that saw clubs from a host of counties coming together for a hectic day of action.
Yet after overcoming some pre-tournament nerves, Pauline enjoyed being surrounded by family and friends in Bray as she continued to embrace being a part of a new community and culture within her adopted country.
“I suppose I was a little bit nervous. It was a huge number coming from different parts of the country. It was a great social event, a great sports event. Afterwards we got to enjoy socialising as well. I don’t drink alcohol, but I still stayed back and just enjoyed being with my team-mates and it was an absolutely fabulous day out.
“The sun was shining and my family joined as well. My children got to see me play for the first time I think in a match and my husband too.
“I got great feedback from everyone, including my coach actually, who reminded me recently. He said ‘all I can say is, you did great on your last Blitz Pauline’. I think I’ve played better in this Blitz than maybe when we were just training.”
Since linking up with their Sports Direct Gaelic4Mothers&Others team, Pauline has been asked if she would like to get involved as a coach on her son’s U10 boys side in Good Counsel Liffey Gaels. She hasn’t decided to take this step just yet, but having gained so much from being part of their G4M&0 set-up, Martin is eager to maintain her current playing status for the foreseeable future.
“For now I’m just really happy being where I am. As a player, just learning the new skills and just improving. Our coaches are fantastic. I’m learning to focus and even my sense of focus wouldn’t have been the best in the past, so I’m working on different aspects,” Pauline added.
Pauline Martin
