Women's sport has taken centre stage on the playing fields this year

The growth of women’s sport worldwide is one of the great success stories in the 21st century. Historically, men have had the centre stage in the sporting arena, but the playing field is finally starting to level out.

We may not have reached equality yet, but the amount of women playing and watching sport is growing worldwide year-on-year and the positive effects on self-confidence, self-esteem and health cannot be underestimated.

Never before has participation levels been so high amongst young girls and women. This is particularly noticeable in Tipperary with the senior team in camogie so much in the spotlight in recent times as they look to win an All-Ireland title.

The recent buzz created by winning the Munster title has put camogie front and centre as the flagship Tipperary team are doing the business on the big stage.

County-wide great work is going on within clubs to promote the game at grassroots level and it is a similar story for Ladies football and the reach it now has in towns and villages. The sense of well-being it gives young players to partake permeates every aspect of life; being part of a team allows for a new sense of gender equality and empowerment.

The noticeable number of female sports stories in turn allows those in our community to train and perform to a high level. It empowers female athletes to shine on the big stage which was often the preserve of their male counterparts. Rachael Blackmore from Killenaule is a household name across Ireland and she continues to achieve so much in the world of horse racing.

Tipperary athletes such as Katie Bergin from Moyne and Charlene Mawdsley represent Tipperary on the national stage.
Orla O’Dwyer from Boherlahan and Aisling McCarthy from Cahir have built professional sports careers in Australian Rules football. As female participation levels in sports thrive, new revenue is created through advertising, ticket sales and the purchasing of playing equipment.

As the economic changes become more obvious, the subtle breaking down of invisible barriers is occurring.
Currently, the Republic of Ireland are playing in the Women’s World Cup and the profile of the sport now is bigger than ever before.

The Irish team is flying the flag not just for us but for equality. New role models are emerging in society and that is good news all round.