Mayo LGFA launches new model for volunteering

Mayo Ladies Gaelic Football Association has launched the Mayo LGFA Meitheal – a county-wide call to action inviting parents, families, supporters and community members to contribute their time, skills and enthusiasm to one of Ireland’s largest grassroots sporting organisations.

With almost 5,000 playing members across the county, Mayo LGFA is one of the most significant women’s sporting bodies in Connacht. However, for too long, the weight of running the association has fallen on too few volunteers, leaving critical work undone and those who do show up at risk of burnout.

The Meitheal – an Irish word rooted in the tradition of community coming together to share work – is designed to change that.

Sinéad Stagg, Mayo LGFA chairperson, outlined: “For far too long, too few have been doing too much – and at the same time not enough – with too little. For the thousands of girls and women across Mayo who love Gaelic football, and for the club communities that sustain them, that has to change.

“We are asking people to give what they can, for one season. If enough people do a little, we will not only build a stronger association for our players, we will change how volunteering works.”

At the heart of the Meitheal is a reimagining of how fixtures – the single biggest factor affecting every player in the county – are planned and delivered. Rather than relying on a small number of overextended volunteers to manage the entire process, Mayo LGFA has broken the work down into clearly defined, manageable roles that can fit around the realities of modern life. For most roles, no prior LGFA experience is required. Instead, just willingness, a little time, or a skill to share is what's required.

“Volunteering should fit into your life, enrich it, and connect you to your community – not consume it. Behind our 5,000 players stand many thousands more: parents, grandparents, friends, neighbours and supporters who care deeply about the girls and women in our association. The Meitheal is an invitation to all of them to be part of something meaningful, on their own terms,” said Helen O’Hara, vice-chairperson, Mayo LGFA.

The launch draws on Mayo’s proud tradition of ambition and achievement. This is the county that gave Ireland its first female president, its first astronaut, and the all-time top scorer in the history of the LGFA. The organisers believe that if a new model of community-led volunteering can succeed anywhere, it is here.

To find out more about the Mayo LGFA Meitheal, explore available roles, or register interest, visit mayolgfa.com or follow Mayo LGFA on social media.