Women’s Gaelic football team relishes heritage, competition

Autumn Dillaman took four steps, dropped a round ball, kicked it back up to herself and then hand-passed it to her teammate before getting back in line to continue the drill. Dressed in gym shorts and T-shirts, she and the dozen other women in Falk Hall’s gym were exhausted but pushed on.

While this may seem like nonsense to most, for Dillaman and the rest of the Pittsburgh Banshees Gaelic football team, it’s just a typical Wednesday-night practice. The Banshees, Pittsburgh’s female Gaelic football team, along with the Celtics, Pittsburgh’s male team, continue the tradition of the old Irish sport by competing nationally and spreading its influence.

“We’re always recruiting,” Dillaman, who graduated from Pitt in 2004 with a degree in psychology, said. “A lot of it is word of mouth, and some of the team is from Ireland, came to Pittsburgh and then sought out a team to join.”

Dillaman characterized Gaelic football as a mixture of soccer and rugby, though it originated in Ireland in the 14th century. While relatively unknown to a majority of Americans, the sport is still Ireland’s most popular in terms of attendance.

Players can carry the ball, shaped similarly to a soccer ball, for four steps before he or she must either hand-pass it to a teammate — by striking the ball with one’s hand — or soloing it, in which the player must drop the ball and kick it back up to themselves. Players can score by either kicking the ball into a soccer-style goal for three points, or punting it over a football-style goalpost for one point.

“It’s non-stop action,” Dillaman, who plays full forward for the team, said. “In American football, you get a bunch of little bursts, but with Gaelic football it’s exciting all the time.”

Gaelic football is just one of several sports under the Pittsburgh Gaelic Athletic Association, which promotes Gaelic sports in the area. It holds events such as the one at the Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade, season kick-off parties and team reunions at Irish pubs.

“For the parade, we were out, hanging at Claddagh [Irish Pub], just trying to reach out and spread the word around,” Dillaman said.

John Connolly, the Banshees’ coach, said that in its 11 years, the women’s team has experienced great growth, leading to a ‘B’ division championship last year over San Diego.

When a team wins the ‘B’ division championship, it automatically moves up to the ‘A’ division, which has stronger opponents and provides more competition. The Gaelic Athletic Association has teams in more than 40 cities nationwide.

With their championship, the Banshees will move into the ‘A’ division this season, which starts July 12 in Detroit against Detroit St. Anne’s.

“[The Banshees] are dedicated and athletic as a group,” Connolly, who graduated from Pitt in 1994 with a history degree, said. “They realize it is going to take a lot of work to compete in the ‘A’ division next year, but they are willing to go all in.”

While Connolly did not come on as head coach until this year after the Banshees won the championship, he has an extensive background in Gaelic football.

“Personally, I have been involved with Gaelic football for 20 years as a player and a coach,” he said. “It is a big part of my life. My wife was one of the original members to start the women’s team, so I’ve been around the Banshees since they started.”

Marie Young teaches an Irish language class at Pitt and, like Connolly, has been around the Banshees since the team first started. Her husband, John Young, helped found the team in 2003, and she has served various roles on the PGAA. 

“There is a great spirit among the teams,” Young said. “Seeing the American athletes come in and pick up the game is amazing to me.”

Like many players on the team, Young has an Irish background, and she moved to the U.S. shortly before the Banshees formed in 2003.

“It is a special connection for me to home,” Young said. “Having three boys here means I can pass the tradition on to them, also.”

The Banshees practice weekly at Falk Hall, an elementary school in Pittsburgh where Dillaman teaches. Practices last about two hours and involve cardio exercises and fitness routines. The women then break out the footballs and practice their solos and hand-passes before dividing into teams to work on passing in a game-like environment, incorporating all of their Gaelic football skills.

That Wednesday-night Banshees practice ended with a lighthearted game that combined soccer and volleyball, but the team made up the rules as they went, relating to how Connolly describes both the team and the sport.

“It is a great sport that people fall in love with easily,” he said. “Both our men’s and women’s teams are loaded with great people.”