GALWAY LADIES TO JOIN MEN IN FOOTBALL DOUBLE HEADER 

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(Photo – Galway GAA)

Galway’s senior ladies footballers will join their male counterparts in a National League double header against Mayo in Pearse Stadium on Sunday, February 11th. 

The Ladies Football Association announced eight games that will be played as double headers with the men’s National League during the spring after the success of the Dublin/Mayo clash in Croke Park in 2017.

On March 25th 2017, the eventual All-Ireland finalists met as the curtain raiser to Jim Gavin’s Dublin against Kevin McStay’s Roscommon and the success of that experiment has seen the Ladies Football Association and the GAA join forces again in 2018.

Galway were meant to play a similar format six days earlier before their meeting with Kerry was moved to Corofin.  It was originally set to opening proceedings in Tuam Stadium before Kevin Walsh’s charges took on Derry.

But their wait for inclusion in front of a sizeable crowd will be no more when they line out on February 11th in Salthill at 12pm.  It will be the first meeting between the Connacht rivals since the Tribewomen were victorious 3-12 to 1-8 in last year’s provincial final.

(Video – TG4)

It will be the third outing for Stephen Glennon’s team as they begin with a home tie against Monaghan on January 28th before travelling to Donegal seven days later.

January 28th will also see the opening double deader in the new arrangement when Armagh ladies welcome Tipperary to the Athletic Grounds on the same card as Armagh verses Sligo in the NFL.

All-Ireland champions Dublin will play two games in Croke Park (against Cork and Kerry) while they’ll also travel to MacHale Park on Saturday, 24th February to take on Mayo at 5pm before both counties do battle in the NFL at 7pm.

Monaghan and Kerry will also square off in Inniskeen along with the men on February 11th while Tyrone and Cavan boards will also present mixed gender events in February and March.