Katie Taylor gets behind the fight for Ladies Gaelic Football as Lidl Ireland launches powerful new campaign

Lidl Ireland and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) today launched the 2026 Lidl National Football League season at an event in Croke Park which saw Irish sporting legend and world renowned boxer Katie Taylor putting her weight behind a new campaign by the retailer to showcase the skill, quality and excitement of the game in a bold offensive, reminding the public that ‘Greatness Deserves to be Seen’.

After a decade of support for LGFA, with a ground breaking major corporate sponsorship of a women’s sport back in 2016, Lidl Ireland today reaffirmed its commitment to the LGFA and women’s sport more broadly, announcing an extended partnership of LGFA to 2030 and a fresh €7.5m investment into the game, taking the retailer’s total investment in LGFA to €22.5m since the partnership began.

The new campaign and partnership extension was announced this morning at the official launch of the 2026 Lidl National Leagues, which commenced last Sunday with action in Division 4.

The Division 1 action gets underway next Saturday, January 24th with a high-profile fixture as Kerry travel to Dublin for a live TG4 clash at 2.45pm.

The meeting brings together the winners of the last three TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship titles, with Dublin crowned champions in 2023 and 2025, and Kerry lifting the Brendan Martin Cup in 2024.

Kerry enter the new season as reigning Division 1 champions, while Dublin will be chasing a first top-flight title since 2021.

A fiercely competitive Division 1 also features Armagh, Cork, Galway, Kildare, Meath and Waterford, with Cork and Galway returning to the top tier after immediate promotion from Division 2.

Round 2 will include two provincial derbies live on TG4 on Monday, February 2nd, as Meath host Dublin followed by Kerry against Waterford.

The finals in Division 1 and 2 will take place at Parnell Park on Saturday, April 11th. On Sunday April 12th, the Divisions 3 and 4 finals will be contested.

Throughout the 2026 Lidl National League season, TG4 will provide extensive coverage.

Shifting Public Perception of Women’s Sport and the Katie Taylor Effect

Continuing the momentum of Lidl and LGFA’s hard-hitting ‘Get Behind the Fight’ campaign, new research conducted by Red C in December 2025 reveals a shift in public perception of women’s sport in Ireland over the last three years, with the ‘Katie Taylor effect’ and impact of other Irish female sports star role models having a direct effect on public psyche.

65% of the public surveyed now rank women’s sport as ‘High Quality’ (+12% increase vs. 2023), 63% rate it as ‘Exciting’ (+10% increase vs. 2023) and 71% recognise it as ‘Skilful’ (+5% increase vs. 2023).

More than half (52%) of respondents now say they want to see more women’s sport content.

With an increasing appetite for women’s sport, the impact of female role models on Irish audiences is palpable, with boxing icon Katie Taylor emerging as the most visible and influential Irish female athlete – more than half (52%) of those surveyed say they tune in whenever Katie Taylor competes with national pride playing a defining role in this support as 79% say that seeing Irish sportswomen succeed internationally makes them feel proud to be Irish.

A significant 83% of the Irish public believe Katie Taylor has paved the way for future sports stars.

A recent poll of current LGFA players across Ireland echoed wider public sentiment, with 93% of LGFA players saying that Katie Taylor has helped to raise the profile of all female sports.

However, despite positive progress for women’s sport generally in recent years, 80% of the Irish public believe inequality still exists between men’s and women’s sport in Ireland, with the majority (67%) saying the biggest difference in equality is media coverage, which continues to be a challenge.  

Spotlighting Women’s Sport in Media

Looking specifically at media coverage of women’s sport in Ireland, the research shows the disparity in support for female sport and the detrimental impact that a lack of coverage continues to have.

4 in 10 said they would watch more women’s sport if it were given the same level of coverage as men’s sports – a significant missed opportunity to further drive engagement.

Over half of the Irish public (53%) agree that female athletes need to achieve more than their male counterparts to receive the same level of recognition, and 63% feel that men’s sporting achievements in Ireland are celebrated more than women’s.

Just 29% of respondents believe media coverage of women’s sport is fair, relative to male athletes, and more than half (55%) of respondents feel women’s sport is not sufficiently highlighted in Irish media, while one in three (36%) perceive a difference in tone between coverage of men’s and women’s sport.

When considering Ladies Gaelic Football specifically, just 10% of the Irish public surveyed watched an LGFA match in the past year, whilst other sports such as female athletics (22%), soccer (20%) and boxing (20%) received slightly higher viewership.

A comprehensive analysis of media coverage of the game across Ireland and Northern Ireland, carried out by Ruepoint Media in December 2025, found positive traction in that print and online media coverage of the game has tripled between 2020 and 2025. However, a significant disparity remains when comparing coverage of the Ladies’ game with that of the men’s – for every one article on the women’s game, there are 15 articles covering men’s Gaelic football.

Just 8% of LGFA players feel coverage accurately represents the high-level skill within the game.

Considering quality of the game and skill level as a driving factor of support for female sport, attitudes amongst men present an additional challenge. While 25% of men surveyed report increased interest in women’s sport compared to last year, 41% think the standard of female sport is not high enough to justify watching the sport.

Greatness Deserves to be Seen

Whilst research reveals a positive and sustained shift in public perception of women’s sports in recent years, and female Irish sporting heroes drive interest, awareness and engagement as well as a sense of national pride with women’s sport, inequality abounds. For Ladies Gaelic Football, misconceptions around quality and skill of the game persist as a key barrier for engagement, whilst albeit increasing media coverage of the game is engulfed by men’s sporting achievements.

Recognising this challenge, Lidl Ireland today exclusively premiered its disruptive new ‘Greatness Deserves to be Seen’ TV ad campaign for attending guests. The new, disruptive TV ad, which is the first-of-its-kind in Ireland, centres around a new, 30-second advertisement hitting TV screens from Tuesday, January 20th, and backed by a fully integrated marketing and digital campaign. Hijacking everyday moments, the new ad sees moments of great skill in Ladies Gaelic Football played for the public to see and appreciate, with the retailer boldly utilising its regular TV advertising space to give the scheduled airtime to promoting the game and its players.

Robert Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, commented:

“We are incredibly proud of the impact our sponsorship of the LGFA has had over the past decade and it’s particularly encouraging to hear from current players that our support of the game has had a tangible impact – with 97% of players saying the profile of the game and its players has increased in visibility over the past decade of our support. Together, we’ve made real progress – but our research shows clearly that there is still much more to be done.”

“Our partnership has helped raise the visibility of the game and the fact that three in four consumers are now aware of our sponsorship shows that long-term commitment works. However, too many brilliant performances, players and moments still go unseen.”

“That’s why our new ‘Greatness Deserves to Be Seen’ campaign will see our own advertising platforms handed over to the women’s game – showcasing some of the most powerful moments in LGFA in recent years and celebrating the skill, dedication and excellence of players who deserve far greater recognition.”

“Looking ahead to the next five years of our LGFA partnership, our focus is firmly on accelerating the momentum achieved, deepening visibility, expanding audiences and ensuring that the skill, stories and achievements of LGFA players and female sports stars are consistently seen, valued and celebrated on the biggest stages.”

Trina Murray, President of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, commented:

“Ten years into our partnership with Lidl, this research shows that we are achieving real progress – yet the adage holds true: lots done, more to do. I’m delighted that Lidl has extended our partnership for a further five years to continue working towards truly levelling the playing field. This is another exciting year for the LGFA as we look forward to the Lidl National League season, leading into the TG4 provincial and All-Ireland championships. We are fortunate to have so many role models making an impact in their local communities as leading club and inter-county players. I wish all our counties the very best as they embark on their 2026 journeys.”

Launching the 2026 Lidl National Football League this morning at Croke Park, the event provided a platform to discuss Lidl’s latest research findings and invite discussion with Ireland’s most celebrated international female sports star.

Katie Taylor, Olympic and two-division undisputed World champion, said:

“I’m honoured to speak at today’s Lidl National Football League launch and put my weight behind Lidl’s campaign to support not only Ladies Gaelic Football, but all women’s sport. The research unveiled today definitively shows the challenge that we collectively have in advancing support for women’s sport – through tackling perceptions, increasing coverage and giving the game and its players a platform to showcase what they can really do. That’s what I love about this new campaign and the ethos behind it – greatness was never missing, it’s just been missed.”

“As a role model for other female athletes, I take my responsibility very seriously and I’m proud to use my platform to support others. Visibility matters. When young girls see women competing, winning and being celebrated on the biggest stages, it changes what they believe is possible for themselves. Representation creates belief. Irish women’s sport is full of extraordinary talent, and the more we invest our time, attention, and support, the stronger and more successful it becomes.”

Dublin LGFA star and Lidl LGFA Ambassador, Carla Rowe, said:

“This new research reflects what players experience on the ground. The standard of Ladies Football is not the issue, the skill has always been there. Too often, it’s not missing, it’s simply being missed when coverage doesn’t keep pace with the quality on the pitch. The findings also highlight how important visibility is for the future of the game. When young girls see LGFA matches covered in the media, it helps them believe they can one day represent their communities themselves. For current players, consistent media attention reinforces that our commitment and performances are recognised and valued. The progress identified is encouraging, but it also shows there is still work to be done to ensure the game is seen and appreciated at the level it deserves.”