English GAA club strengthens links with Mayo in LGFA blitz

A celebration of inclusion and identity took place recently when a swashbuckling group of young female footballers from John Mitchel’s GAA Club in Birmingham visited Mayo and played in a LGFA blitz in Westport with the home side and Balla.

The visit of the famed Warwickshire club was facilitiated by their coach PJ Lavin, a young man with a huge love of the GAA and his father's native Balla.

“Bringing the girls to Westport was about so much more than a sporting fixture — it was about reconnecting them with a powerful sense of heritage, identity, and belonging.

"Many of the girls are now playing a sport that their parents and even grandparents once played, and by travelling to Ireland — the birthplace of Gaelic games — we gave them a chance to see and feel that deep-rooted tradition for themselves.

"It’s a way of helping them understand that they are part of something much bigger than just their local team — they’re connected to a living legacy that spans generations and communities, across borders and time”

The John Mitchels team played some excellent football in their matches against Westport and Balla and enjoyed every moment of their trip to Mayo.

The Mitchels have girls teams at U-12, U-14, U-16, and U-18s as well as an adult team. A lot of the girls have connections with Mayo and several other counties across Ireland.

Currently the girls play in blitzes in Warwickshire and have also competed in the northern games in Manchester and they recently played in a tournament in London where over 4,300 children took part over a four-day period.