Ross Cross has a strong tradition as a soccer venue
NEFL
As local soccer grounds go, Ross Cross is right up there.
The home of Skryne/Tara FC and Tara Athletic Club is an impressive sporting arena with its well manicured football pitch surrounded by a running track and trees that are now dressed in their summer finery.
It was certainly a fine setting, a perfect stage, for Balrath FC's first venture into senior football on Saturday evening last with the club setting sail on a real voyage into the unknown.
Last year only a limited number of games were played in the North East Football League Women's Division (NEFLWD) because of Covid.
This time around everybody involved will be hoping there are no interruptions.
The league is divided up into the South and North sections with eight teams in each - and this season Balrath FC decided to enter a team and see what happens.
It is a relatively new club, founded only in 2010, and is based in Balrath Park close to Kentstown.
New they may be, but they are certainly playing their part in terms of spreading the gospel of the beautiful game.
The club has put a big emphasis on developing under-age female footballers - and now they have decided to step out into a wider world.
"We have three u-8 all-girls teams, two u-10, two u-12 and a u-14 and now we have the senior women's team," explained Dave Hewitt the manager of the senior side and the Director of Football for the girls section at the club.
"Next year we will be one of the very few clubs in the county to have u-8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and senior teams so that's giving football for years and years for the u-8s," he said.
Between boys and girls Balrath have in the region of 280 players with about 120 of those on all-girl teams.
The philosophy of the club is to welcome everyone on board and they mean everyone.
There is no question of weeding out the best players, disregarding the rest.
"We give football to all kids, you don't have trials when you come up to us, we take kids of any ability whatsoever and integrate them with anyone else," added Hewitt.
"Keith Matthews and myself predominantly look after the girls section and we try to get around to as many of the games as we can.
"With us if you want to play you will play regardless of your ability.
"The response to that motto has been phenomenal in girls competitions.
"We've won numerous cups, competitions, community games, All-Irelands. It's just fantastic for the girls."
Among the interested spectators at Ross Cross on Saturday night was Yvonne Brady who is a member of the NEFLWD committee.
That committee also consists of chairman Paddy Mulreid as well as Joel Patino and Paul Brennan.
They are all involved in ensuring the proper structures are in place for girls' and women's football that will last the test of time.
A former player with a number of teams including Castle Villa, Cosmos, Parkvilla, Torro and Kentstown, Brady loves watching football.
She certainly appreciated the quality of the fare that was served up as Skryen/Tara and Balrath went about battling for victory on Ross Cross's fine surface.
She outlined how the NEFLWD committee put plans in place for the resumption of action.
"We made a big push during lockdown to get teams involved because we were aware that some clubs were really interested in getting a ladies team up and running," she told the Meath Chronicle.
"We got a very encouraging response and we now have the 16 teams in the two sections."
One of the problem areas is, she added, a "severe" shortage of referees.
One of the ways they hope to get around that issue in the shorter term is to fix most of their games for a Monday evening.
In the longer term the hope is to get more women involved.
"It's a great thing to be a referee," she added.
"We are trying to get women involved doing under-age games, get experience that way so that they won't be intimidated by refereeing in the senior league."
Jack Conroy manager of Skryne/Tara says his club faces it's own challenges.
"The women's team struggled last year, not in terms of numbers, but in terms of experience," explained Conroy.
"Because we don't have an an under-age structure a lot of the girls didn't play before.
"It was a huge learning curve for them and we took some bad beatings last year, but the girls improved week on week.
"We're up and running now this season, we have four points from two games, against Torro and Balrath, that's not an easy start.
"We beat Torro 6-1 last week. Things are going well but it's early yet, we know there are bigger tests to come."
So a new season is now well underway. A new season when venues like Ross Cross will echo to the sound of players urging each other on in the quest of glory.
Just as it did last Saturday evening at a venue that was used for games in the early days of the Mid-Meath League when the men of the Royal County were taking tentative steps in organised football more than 40 years ago.
The Ross Cross venue also has a rich tradition locally in the 'beautiful game.'