GAA: ‘You are giving a massive commitment’ – trailblazing referee Farrelly

In her ‘day job’ she is helping to develop minority sports in the north west.

As well as encouraging young referees into football, she is aiming to introduce niche sports like tennis, cricket, rugby and gymnastics to the area working as educational and training coordinator for the Donegal Sports Partnership.

“It’s great to be involved in something that I’m passionate about. Sport is a massive part of my life. It’s a fantastic opportunity to work in that field.

“I’m working with minority sports through the North West Sporting Pathways Programme, which is run in conjunction with Derry and Strabane District Council, Donegal County Council and Donegal Sports Partnership.

“My remit is to try and develop minority sports like gymnastics, boxing, women’s rugby, tennis and cricket. The main two I focused on were tennis and gymnastics. We got a commitment from Ulster Tennis to run an academy and the aim is to create a North West Tennis Academy.

“Our first session was due to start on 15 March, but that’s on hold for now. We’re waiting to see what happens in the coming months. It is unclear at this point due to the situation that we are in.”