Westmeath ladies captain at Lidl LGFA NFL launch

Westmeath ladies football captain Fiona Coyle was among a select group of players in attendance at the Lidl LGFA National Football League launch at Croke Park yesterday.

As well as attending a panel discussion, Fiona took part in a pitch-side photocall alongside Katie Taylor as Lidl announced an extension of its LGFA partnership.

After a decade of support for LGFA, with a major corporate sponsorship of a women’s sport 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 at the official launch of the 2026 Lidl National Leagues, which commenced last Sunday with action in Division 4.

The Division 1 action gets under way next Saturday, January 24, 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, as Dublin were crowned champions in 2023 and 2025, and Kerry 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. Cork and Galway return to the top tier after immediate promotion from Division 2.

Round 2 will include two provincial derbies live on TG4 on Monday February 2, 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 11.

On Sunday April 12, the Divisions 3 and 4 finals will be contested. Throughout the 2026 Lidl National League season, TG4 will provide extensive coverage.

Katie Taylor Effect

Continuing the momentum of Lidl and LGFA’s ‘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, and suggests that the ‘Katie Taylor effect’ and impact of other Irish female sports star role models have a direct effect on public psyche.

Some 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, and boxing icon Katie Taylor is among the most visible and influential Irish female athletes – more than half (52%) of those surveyed say they tune in whenever Katie Taylor competes. National pride plays a defining role in this support as 79% say that seeing Irish sportswomen succeed internationally makes them feel proud to be Irish.