News
Local coach to get girls more involved in sport

By Sean Moriarty
A well-known Killarney soccer coach will lead a Tralee club’s efforts to encourage girls aged five to 8 take up the sport.
St Brendan’s Park FC is one of only 30 clubs in Ireland and the only one in Kerry selected by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to run a new football programme fun by UEFA and Disney's Incredibles initiative.
The programme is for girls only and runs for 10 weeks. Each of the 'Disney Playmakers' 10 training sessions follow a Disney storyline and girls will be encouraged to play soccer while acting out scenes from movies like ‘Frozen’ and ‘The Incredibles’.
It is designed to be a fun and safe introduction to learning football through movement, play and the magic of Disney storytelling.
Ramona Keogh is a coach with Mastergeeha FC and one of only 33 women involved in Irish soccer to complete the FAI’s Women in Football - Emerging Leaders Programme.
As a result of her experience as a player, coach and administrator, the Tralee club approached her to run the new programme on their behalf.
“They were looking for someone with a strong coaching qualification and background,” Ramona told the Killarney Advertiser.
“I will coordinate this for St Brendan’s Park. Sometimes you see girls sitting in the car waiting, while their brother plays, this is all about getting them out of the car. It will get their mothers involved in the club too and get them more involved in their clubs.”