After first emerging in the 1920s, ladies Gaelic football was soon sidelined; breathless women chasing after a football was just too unladylike for the powers that be.
Despite this resistance, the sport became a popular novelty act at local carnivals. And when the Ladies Gaelic
Football Association (LGFA) was founded in Tipperary in July 1974, fifty years of extraordinary growth were set in motion. From writing the rule book to a membership of nearly 200,000, the earliest All-Stars to game-changing partnerships, this definitive history captures that unstoppable journey to becoming a national sport and so much more.
Lavishly illustrated and drawing from national, club and personal archives, UNLADYLIKE is for the players, the fans, the kit-washers, the sandwich-makers and the supporters alike, and confirms the best is yet to come.
Timeline, 1920–2024
Introduction
Chapter 1 On the Sidelines
Chapter 2 Novelty Act, 1960–1973
Chapter 3 National Association, 1974
Chapter 4 The Early Years, 1975–1980
Chapter 5 Seeking Recognition, 1974–1982
Chapter 6 Making Strides, 1980–1989
Chapter 7 Going for Goals, 1990–1999
Chapter 8 New Millennium , New Ground, 2000–2009
Chapter 9 A Milestone Decade, 2010–2019
Chapter 10 An Era for All, 2020–2024
Chapter 11 The Best is Yet to Come
Rolls of Honour
Notes
Acknowledgements
Index