Kildare school named as Lidl Ireland #SeriousSupport participant for 2025

A Kildare school has been named as Lidl Ireland #SeriousSupport participant for 2025.

Kildare Town Community School joins 25 schools nationwide selected to participate in the programme this year.

Now in its seventh year, the programme continues to make a significant impact, with this year’s programme representing an investment of €120,000 in local schools across the country.

Supported by the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and delivered by Youth Sport Trust and their specially trained athlete mentors, all of whom are current or former inter county ladies Gaelic football players, the programme is designed to educate teenage girls about the positive mental and physical health benefits of playing sport.

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The programme, which is delivered through workshops and team-building sessions, aims to increase participation and reduce drop-out rates for teenagers in the sport.

Twenty-six schools across Ireland will have the opportunity to benefit from the programme along with receiving a brand-new set of jerseys for their school team.

This year's programme is delivered by a stellar lineup of LGFA intercounty players: Anne Marie Donan (Kildare), Deirdre O’Reilly (Cork), Eilish Ward (Donegal), Laurie Ryan (Clare), Leah Caffrey (Dublin), Lucy Hannon (Galway), Méabh De Búrca (Galway), Niamh McEvoy (Dublin), Samantha Lambert (Tipperary) and Therese McNally (Monaghan).

President of the LGFA, Mícheál Naughton, commented:"We are once again honoured to announce the schools participating in Lidl’s #SeriousSupport Schools Programme for 2025, along with the list of athlete mentors who offer invaluable support and expertise year on year.

“These athlete mentors are inter-county stars, serving as role models within their communities and counties, and they will share their invaluable insights with the students involved in the programme. Feedback from previous programmes has been outstanding, with students gaining essential skills that assist them in their daily lives, especially at such a formative stage.

2I can't think of better individuals to learn from than our athlete mentors, who have experienced and achieved so much. I would like to acknowledge the exceptional work of Lidl Ireland in bringing this programme to life and Youth Sport Trust for their continued assistance in its rollout."

Youth Sport Trust Chief Executive Ali Oliver MBE said: “The Youth Sport Trust is proud to be working with Lidl Ireland and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LFGA) to deliver the #SeriousSupport Schools Programme.

“Far too many children in the Republic of Ireland are not achieving the recommended levels of physical activity, and we know from our research teenage girls in particular face a number of barriers which can affect their participation.

“By empowering more girls to be active, this programme is making an important contribution to widening access to the benefits which come from taking part in play and sport including improved wellbeing, resilience and the development of life skills.”

Lidl Ireland has been the official retail partner and proud sponsor of the Ladies National Football Leagues and All-Ireland Post Primary Schools competitions since 2016, committing more than €10 million to the development and promotion of Ladies Gaelic Football.

In January 2024, the retailer launched its call-to-action campaign ‘Get Behind the Fight’ to encourage greater attendance at female sports events. For information on LGFA fixtures, please visit www.lidl.ie/tickets

Lidl Ireland has also launched its Lidl Plus LGFA Club Rewards Scheme, which gives communities the chance to support their local LGFA clubs and earn rewards through its stamp card initiative.

Running until March 16, Lidl customers can register through the Lidl Plus app and sign up to be part of the rewards scheme to earn rewards for their local club – from Lidl sponsored jerseys to €5,000 in cash funding - with the top-performing club in the country scoring a cash prize of €50,000, and three runners-up earning up to €10,000 in funding.

For more information, please visit https://www.lidl.ie/c/serious-support/

For full details of the scheme and rewards information in Northern Ireland, please visit https://www.lidl-ni.co.uk/serious-support