Laois LGFA club chosen for LGFA and Lidl Ireland's Serious Support Club Programme

A Laois LGFA club has been selected to take part in the new #SeriousSupport Club Programme, a partnership between the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and Lidl Ireland that aims to support youth mental health.

Ballyfin LGFA is the Laois club chosen for the programme, which encourages clubs to provide a safe and positive space where young players can connect, be active, take notice, keep learning, and give back, the five key pillars of mental health promoted by the initiative.

Throughout the programme, which runs until November, Ballyfin LGFA will take part in a range of activities designed to raise awareness and understanding of mental health among young people. Clubs are encouraged to share their progress on social media using the hashtag #SeriousSupportClub and to log activities on the dedicated Lidl #SeriousSupport Club portal, where further resources and guidance are available.

Clubs that complete all five steps of the programme will receive official Lidl #SeriousSupport Club accreditation along with new club jerseys, and they will also be eligible to compete for one of three funding awards, which together total €10,000: €2,500 for the Most Innovative Initiative, €2,500 for the Strongest Community Involvement, and €5,000 for the Best Overall Programme Engagement. SEE THE FULL LIST OF CLUBS BELOW. READ MORE AFTER PICTURE.

Speaking about the #SeriousSupport club programme, Eimear O’Sullivan, Corporate Affairs Director for Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, said: "The Lidl #SeriousSupport Club programme is one of our flagship programmes with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, which demonstrates our commitment to supporting young girls across the country, both on and off the pitch.

“Through this programme, we aim to raise awareness and improve understanding of mental health, while empowering clubs to positively affect their members and communities. We’ve seen firsthand how transformative the programme has been for participants, equipping young girls with lifelong skills to manage mental health, build resilience and overcome challenges.

“I’m delighted to announce 19 clubs selected to benefit from the programme and I’d like to thank all of our loyal shoppers who took the time to nominate their club.”

Ladies Gaelic Football Association President, Trina Murray, commented: “We are delighted to reveal the list of clubs now looking forward to the #SeriousSupport Club initiative.

“The response to our call for nominations was significant and this is a programme that has the ability to make a huge difference in local communities.

“We have worked tirelessly alongside Lidl Ireland in recent years on mental health initiatives and this is yet another wonderful example of this excellent collaboration.

“Best wishes to the clubs involved and also to the clubs participating in the LGFA TALK programme.”

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