When Anna Jones learned that she’d been awarded a sports scholarship, she was cycling home after a day in college. Unable to contain her excitement, she immediately called her mother to share the good news. The overwhelming feeling for Jones was shock.
“I felt like there are so many talented people that get [sports scholarships], and I felt such privilege to be put on the same level as those people.”
Jones is being humble – one glance at her CV reveals that she is more than worthy to stand among Trinity’s finest athletes: despite only being 19 years old, she is now entering her second year with the Westmeath senior football team.
Jones tells me about the challenge of bridging the gap between minor and senior football, and the increasing physicality of the game as you move up the ranks: “There’s a big difference between getting hit by a senior Dublin lady and a girl from Offaly who plays minor. You’d go out sometimes on a pitch and look them up and down and go: ‘Oh god, I shouldn’t be here.’”
Along with the increased skill and physicality at senior level, Jones notes the competitiveness among her own peers at Westmeath: “You do feel that pressure: that there are girls looking for your spot and they want to be on the team as well. Nobody likes sitting on the bench.”
Her path to the Westmeath senior team began in primary school, when she started playing football for the first time. Gaelic football hasn’t been her only sporting endeavour, however. Jones’s natural ability has allowed her to excel in a range of sports, most notably tennis: “I’ve played tennis and I’ve kind of been top 10 in tennis in Ireland the whole way along, and I’ve played soccer, basketball, golf – basically anything.”
There are so many talented people that get sports scholarships, and I felt such privilege to be put on the same level as those people
Jones tells me that for many years tennis was her number one priority. Given her rise to the county team and her scholarship, football has now taken over. Despite this, Jones keeps up both sports.
Due to the lack of a tennis league back home in Westmeath, she regularly travels to Malahide in order to compete in the Dublin leagues. Once the football season starts up again, life will get very busy for her: “I’ll be starting training for Westmeath so that’s three training sessions a week and gym on top of that.”
“Then I’ll be playing with Trinity as well, which is probably a training session and a match a week and then tennis as well which is training session and a match a week as well so it’s pretty hectic”, she says.
Throwing a busy college schedule and everything that goes along with it into her daily routine only complicates things more. One term in, Jones is working to find the balance between her sporting endeavours and study. Living away from home has made her appreciate some of the smaller things in life, which used to help her get through a packed timetable: “Being at home I was able to handle it because you would go home and your mam would have the dinner and stuff like that, whereas now that’s another 40 minutes you have to find in the evening to make food and even preparing for the next day.”
With such a hectic schedule as her day-to-day norm, I ask Jones how she manages to remain motivated. She cites All-Ireland winning Dublin footballer Nicole Owens as one of her inspirations: “It’s actually funny because Nicole Owens went to Trinity and she’s one of my favourite footballers.”
“There’s people in Westmeath as well, like Carol Finch and Karen Hegarty and girls like that, who you kind of look up to”, she adds.
Trying to get silverware is what motivates me, working for the team, I just want to be as successful as possible
Along with various role models who inspire her, Jones is always driven by her desire to win. She tells me that, in terms of silverware, her success in football has been quite limited – in fact, she’s yet to claim a winner’s medal in her career: “Trying to get silverware is what motivates me, working for the team, I just want to be as successful as possible so they can be as successful as possible.”
Despite the sacrifices that she has to make, playing for Westmeath is one of the most enjoyable things Jones has ever done. In her own words: “I kind of nearly live for it at this stage, even if I’ve only been at it two years. It’s one of the highlights of what I do.”
Given the huge commitment made by Jones and so many others playing at this level, she’s glad that women’s Gaelic Games is finally beginning to receive the attention it deserves: “I like how LGFA [Ladies Gaelic Football Association] is edging up toward the standard of the men’s game.”
“I mean, even with the crowd at the All-Ireland, like I think it’s kind of crazy – it was one of the biggest women’s sporting events in Europe … considering it’s not even a professional sport that they’re getting those kind of numbers to go watch it. Yeah I think it’s improving.”
“You hear the older girls on the team saying like what it was like when they started out compared to what we are going into now. We are starting out, and it’s a much different game”, she adds.
With a consistent growth in interest in the women’s game, Jones feels optimistic as she moves forward in her career and searches out that first winner’s medal. Given her dedication to her craft, it seems like it may only be a matter of time.
