LIMERICK’S All-Ireland Football Final captain Róisín Ambrose is already relishing Championship 2024.
And it’s not just about the Shannonsiders aiming to made amends for the recent loss to Down at Croke Park, there’s also the matter of improved conditions for female players.
When the counties previously met in the group stages a while back in Newcastle West, the fixture was played under protest as the entertainers were at loggerheads with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, and it was a similar situation on the Camogie front.
In the interim, both bodies have committed to the implementation of a standardised charter for female players ahead of next season.
In an interview with the Irish Independent, Ambrose stated: “I think you just need those minimum standards. The likes of a physiotherapist at training. Getting expenses every month. We give a huge commitment, so we deserve the most. We see the men have it, females definitely deserve it.”
“We’re the same thing, we’re in three or four times a week like the men. It will be great to see, just for the promotion of the game. People will want to play county. You won’t have to be asking people to come in and play county.”
Ambrose was once a valued dual-player with the county, but that’s no longer an option. She opted for the big ball in 2021.
“I ended up choosing football,” explained the Old Mill star. “Obviously I’d still love to be playing camogie, but at the end of the day it’s not possible. It would only wither you down when matches collide and all that jazz. I’m very grateful now that I’ve chosen football.”
Ambrose won an All-Ireland Junior Football Championship medal with Limerick back in 2018, and will again spearhead the county’s challenge for honours in 2024.
She and her partner, Hurler-of-the-Year elect Aaron Gillane, are viewed as Limerick’s sporting golden couple.
In the opening round of the Limerick Ladies Senior Football Championship, holders Monagea squeezed past Old Mill (0-15 to 1-11), Ballylanders had the measure of Feohanagh/Castlemahon, 1-10 to 0-5 and newcomers Oola surprised St Ailbe’s (1-9 to 0-10).
