Lidl Ireland has announced the winners of the Lidl Plus LGFA Rewards scheme, with four secondary schools across Donegal, Carlow, Cork and Galway sharing in the top prize of €80,000 in cash funding to invest in facilities, equipment or resources for their Ladies Gaelic Football team.
Launched in September last year, thousands of schools across Ireland entered to be in with a chance of winning the coveted top prize of a set of team jerseys and €50,000 in funding to support Ladies Gaelic Football schools’ teams.
Following a video entry, whereby four schools were shortlisted, a public vote spurred by Lidl shoppers saw Coláiste Cholmcille in Donegal score the top prize of €50,000 for securing the most votes. Carlow’s Presentation De La Salle, Cork’s St Mary’s Secondary School, Mallow and Galway’s Coláiste Bhaile Chláir were runners-up, and each awarded €10,000 by Lidl.
The Lidl Plus LGFA Rewards scheme has now seen more than 800 LGFA teams benefit from new jerseys and up to €370,000 in funding over the last three years, with more than €700,000 invested in local teams altogether.
The initiative launched in September 2023 when Lidl Ireland unveiled the findings of their State of the Nation research which examined the impact participation in sport has on female secondary school students (girls 12-18 years of age), illustrating the importance of schools in keeping girls connected to sport.
“Since our partnership with Lidl Ireland began in 2016, their work from grassroots level to the elite stage has helped to elevate our sport to unprecedented levels,” said Mícheál Naughton, President of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association.
“The Lidl Plus LGFA Rewards scheme is an excellent example of Lidl’s commitment to our sport at grassroots level by providing local schools across the country with the opportunity to earn fantastic rewards on the Lidl Plus app to invest in their Ladies Football teams.”
“As well as investing at local level in schools and clubs with various initiatives, Lidl Ireland is also conscious of the wider picture and how our players are coping with the various demands of not only football, but everyday life. It is hugely encouraging to note that girls’ participation in sport continues to grow and long may this continue. Well done to all of the schools who participated and who will now enjoy their well-earned rewards.”
“We’ve seen through our State of the Nation research the incredibly positive impact participation in sport has on young girls and how vital schools are in keeping girls connected to sport,” added Eimear O’Sullivan, Corporate Affairs Director at Lidl Ireland.
“Through our latest Lidl Plus LGFA Rewards scheme, we are proud to award 117 secondary schools with 139 sets of jerseys and €80,000 in well-deserved funding. It has been incredible to see the support and dedication from our loyal shoppers from local communities across the country get behind their school. It is this kind of dedication that will encourage our young girls to get involved, and to stay involved, in sport.”
In January of this year, Lidl Ireland and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association launched a new campaign to ‘Get Behind the Fight’ and fill every seat at every game as research examining the public’s attitudes towards attending female sports revealed that nearly 60% of Irish people have never attended a live female sporting event.
