THE BIG TURNING point in women’s sport is that it is being written about in the same way as men’s sport, with a focus on performance rather than looks or backgrounds.
That’s the view of Jenny Murphy a former inter-county Gaelic footballer with Kildare, Champions League centre-half with Peamount United and Grand Slam winning rugby star with Ireland who is now serving as a mentor to the Sky Sports Living for Sport scheme.
“Specifically with the rugby we’re getting a lot more media coverage and it’s maybe less focused on our backgrounds and how many mammies are on the team or what we do as a job.
“Now it’s focused on the actual sport so if we play badly, they write about us playing badly and if we play well they’ll write about that.
“And because they’re taking us more seriously, girls are reading that and a thinking ‘this is amazing’ and ‘there’s a photo of Fiona Coughlan in the paper’, I can give that a try.”
The knock on effect can be seen throughout sport but Ireland’s recent accomplishments at the Women’s Rugby World Cup – beating New Zealand and reaching the semi-final – has seen a huge growth in the sport in Ireland.
“I know from club rugby the numbers of girls joining who said they’d have never have had the confidence to give it a go [before the Irish success].
“Girls as young as eight or nine are giving it a go because they are confident enough to do so and mams and dads are encouraging them to give the sport a try.
“And not just rugby but Gaelic football and team sports are getting more coverage and because of that parents are more open to their kids actually playing.”
Given her diverse background, it’s no surprise the 25-year old would encourage kids to play as many sports as possible.
“I think the more the merrier, you pick up more fundamental movement skills, an array of things. I think if you narrow yourself down and focus on one sport, you’re definitely limiting how much you can learn.
“For me, my parents were very good with me. Everything that was going on I had to give it a try and I had to give it at least three chances and then decide whether to stick with it and so far, so good.
“I’d definitely recommend that kids do as much as they can.”
That’s one of the reasons she became involved with the Living for Sport scheme but Murphy also feels it offers children much more than just skills on the field.
“Well, the great thing about this initiative is that it’s not just for kids that are actually interested in sport, instead we’re using sport as a tool. Stuff that I’ve learned through sport I’ve kind of shared with as many of the students as possible.
“At the end of the day I don’t want them to leave being involved with it. I’d much rather be a little bit more confident or be aware of social skills.
“It’s more about the life skills you get through sport than being able to kick a football better or being able to run that little bit faster.”
Jenny is an Athlete Mentor on the Sky Sports Living for Sports scheme, which uses sport stars and the skills learned through sport to help young people build confidence and develop life skills. For more information on how to sign up a school for the free initiative visit www.skysports.com/livingforsport
