“Football is such a release for everybody. A lot of these girls and a lot of people in our backroom team have things going on in their lives, and isn’t football the most incredible release? We’re so lucky that we have it.”
Caoibhe Sloan and Peter Lynch managed the Down Senior Ladies for three years between 2019 and 2021 but stepped away when life got in the way.
However, when the opportunity presented itself to step back up to the helm at the beginning of this season, the co-managing duo jumped at the chance, and Sloan is delighted that they made that decision.
The legendary Italian football manager Arrigo Sacchi famously said that ‘football is the most important of the least important things,’ and Sloan’s words echo that sentiment.
Sloan's life changed forever two years ago, when her mother Donna was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, but it is football that has offered her an escape.
“I’ve enjoyed this season immensely,” she said.
“You have to look forward to going out to it on your Tuesdays, and your Fridays, and your weekends. If it’s a chore, we would always say don’t bother. If you’re not enjoying it, what’s the point?”
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It is on the cold, wet, windy nights in the winter, the weekend training camps away, the scenes of joy in the dressing room post-victory, when the bonds and the memories that will last a lifetime were formed.
Her side contest the All-Ireland Junior Football Championship final against Limerick at Croke Park on Sunday, but win, lose or draw, nothing will change the joy that managing this group of players has brought to Sloan’s life.
And nothing will convince her that Down aren’t on their way up.
“We feel as though with the tightness of the team, we have achieved so many of our goals this year and it would just be the icing on the cake now, to win on Sunday.
“But we know that Down football is going in the right direction and momentum is building. If it doesn’t happen on Sunday, we know that it will happen at some point.
“We’ll give the best performance that we can, and we’ll hope that it’s enough. If it’s good enough, brilliant. If it’s not, we will hold our heads up knowing that we have given it our all.”
Full commitment
Coming back into the fold, one of Sloan and Lynch’s non-negotiables was getting complete buy-in from the squad, and the group have responded and then some.
Natasha Ferris postponed her honeymoon to give total commitment to the cause, whilst players such as Natalie McKibben and Orla Boyle have left weddings halfway through to make training.
Those decisions were made of their own accord, and Sloan says that nobody is forcing them to be there - everybody in the squad is there because they want to be.
“It’s hugely important to have that commitment,” she said.
“Me and Peter are coming from a place where we only want to be here to enjoy our football, reach the highest heights and to do our best. We want the girls buying into what we want, and that’s where the enjoyment factor comes from.
“Players shouldn’t want to be here because somebody told them that they should be. They should be here because they want to be. We want them all having the mindset of ‘this is a really good aspect of life, and we’re lucky to have it.’
“The players have really responded to that, and we have a positive camp. Anything that is said is always constructive, because nobody wants to leave the house to get roared and shouted at. You want to get out and enjoy it, whilst also being pushed to your limit as well.
“We want them to be comfortable making mistakes and confident to try new things. That’s the type of team everybody wants to be involved in.”
Role models
Whilst their winning streak this season has of course contributed, the positive environment in the Down team seems to be contagious. For each passing game throughout their Championship run, their levels of support from the stands continues to grow, and Sloan believes that the work done this season will reap rewards for the future of Down football.
“The levels of support around the county are amazing, and that buzz doesn’t go out, whether this game is won or lost,” she said.
“There are foundations laid now for the younger generations. There were a couple of 15 or 16-year-olds who approached us and said, ‘I want to play for this team. I want to be a part of this. What do I have to do?’ We were delighted to hear that from teenage girls who were brave and put their hands up in wanting to represent Down.
“It’s brilliant for the players to see that they are creating that, because you always want to leave the jersey in a better place.
“When we were asked ‘who is going to be speaking to the media?’ We said that any of them could. They’re confident in themselves, and they really are fantastic role models in every aspect of their lives. We’re so delighted that they’re committed to the cause.
“It’s a great environment to be a part of, and to be honest, it’s a real privilege for myself and Peter to be managing this team, and I’m sure Mark [Poland] and Kevin [McKernan] would echo those comments.
“We’re so grateful to be doing this. Mark would often say that every day you pull on a Down jersey is a good day, and we’re delighted with the response that we have seen from the girls to that statement.”
