Girls Can Play to With St Michaels Magheralin

by St. Michael's GAC, Magheralin in Craigavon, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, United Kingdom

Total raised £0

£10,000 target 21 days left
0% 0 supporters
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 28th February 2025 at 5:05pm

A completely new project Feb and March 2025 for a new cohort of girls in our community to play football and build life skills through sport

by St. Michael's GAC, Magheralin in Craigavon, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, United Kingdom

Who are we?

St Michaels GAC is a GAA Club in Magheralin, formed in 1962 providing Gaelic Games, and overall health, wellbeing, fitness and social support to the rural Magheralin community. 

The Club organise, promote and compete in Gaelic Games and community activity for all, regardless of age, gender, background or ability within the Magheralin and outlying rural areas. 

The Club is driven by an unmistakable amateur and volunteer ethos to better our rural community for those living within it. We continue to aim to strengthen the local rural community spirit, build trust not just with ourselves but with others, provide a sense of place for all within the local community, improve people’s physical and mental well-being, build confidence in who we are as a rural community and where we are from and to partake in our games, sporting and community activity throughout our community. 

Our facilities are a central part of our rural community and are utilised by many wider community groups.

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Why are we crowdfunding?

Our project is a completely new initiative that we will deliver in February and March 2025, designed to engage a new cohort of 100 girls in our community who have never played football before. Through this programme, we will not only introduce them to the sport but also help them build essential life skills through team activities, leadership opportunities, and personal growth.

Fundraising is absolutely crucial for us to make this project a reality. By developing this programme, we aim to create fresh opportunities for girls locally, encouraging them to play football (who have never played football before), breaking down barriers to participation, and building confidence and skills.

This project is innovative and focuses on more than just playing football. We are committed to increasing the number of female coaches and leaders in our club, which is something we currently struggle with, especially when it comes to recruiting females onto our Committee. This programme will be a stepping stone toward addressing that gap, helping us inspire and empower more women to take on leadership roles within the club.

Crowdfunding will enable us to develop a female coaching programme and promote the club to more women and girls who have never engaged in sports. We will work closely with local primary school beside us, and community groups to encourage girls to try leisure football. Additionally, we plan to deliver unique initiatives such as a "mothers and others" introduction to GAA, a "walk and talk" programme for mothers, and a "couch to 5k" programme for women (which we have never done before). Through these activities, we want to encourage more women—mothers of younger members, sisters, and others—to volunteer and eventually become coaches within our club.

All this will help us to keep developing our senior ladies team and G4MOs team.

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How we’ll spend the money raised

All money raised will go towards our new project. Sport NI’s match funding will double every pound we raise up to a maximum of £5,000. This means your support will go twice as far in helping us create this exciting new programme. Please consider donating and supporting our mission to get more women and girls active, involved, and thriving in our community. Together, we can make a real difference!

All funds raised will go towards the following:

Equipment (£5,400):


 

  • Footballs (30): £600
  • Bibs and cones @ 10 sets: £300
  • Goalposts x 2 (portable for youth use): £2,800
  • Training equipment (e.g., agility ladders, resistance bands): £700
  • Storage container for equipment: £1,000

Coaching Costs (£2,400):

  • Coaching fees for 8 weeks (6 hours per week @ £25 per hour x 2 coaches= £25/hour): £2,400


Refreshments (£500):
 

  • Healthy snacks and water for 100+ participants across 8 weeks: £500

Coaching Awards for 5 People (£1,500):

  • Introductory and / or Level 1 Coaching Awards (5 participants at £300 budget each): £1,500

Marketing Budget (£200)

  • Leaflets and social media adds etc.

Total: £10,000

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Community impact

Our project aligns closely with the objectives of Sport NI’s match funding programme, "Creating Opportunities." This programme is designed to promote inclusion, connect communities, and provide new and innovative solutions to increase participation in sport, which is exactly what we aim to achieve with our initiative.

First, our project directly addresses the programme's goal of levelling the playing field by targeting a group traditionally underrepresented in sport—girls who have never played football before. By introducing them to football, we are breaking down barriers to participation and encouraging them to build confidence, skills, and a sense of belonging within our club and community.

Second, we are creating a brand-new initiative, which aligns with the programme’s requirement to support new and additional projects. This isn’t about maintaining our usual club activities; it’s about expanding our reach, working with local schools and community groups to engage a whole new audience. Programmes like "mothers and others," "walk and talk," and "couch to 5k" are entirely new for us, designed to connect women and girls of all ages and abilities to the benefits of sport.

Third, our project focuses on leadership development, which is a key objective of the programme. We are committed to increasing the number of female coaches and leaders within our club, addressing a current gap in female representation on our Committee and in coaching roles. By encouraging mothers, sisters, and young women to volunteer and train as coaches, we are not only growing participation but also helping build the future leadership capacity of our club.

Finally, this project aligns with the programme’s goal of building resilience and planning for the future. Crowdfunding, combined with Sport NI’s match funding, will enable us to create a sustainable pathway for increasing female participation, promoting leadership, and developing long-term community engagement.

With Sport NI matching every pound we raise up to £5,000, we have a unique opportunity to double the impact of every donation. This funding will ensure that we can deliver an inclusive, community-focused project that gets more women and girls active, builds confidence, and strengthens our club for the future.

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How you can play your part

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!

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Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£10 or more

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£10 Reward

Byrne’s Bar Voucher for food

£15 or more

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£15 Reward

The Gallery Hair Consultants Voucher in Moira

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