Cora Staunton - Cora Staunton: My Autobiography

CORA STAUNTON is one of the greatest sportspeople Ireland has ever produced. Since her inter-county debut at the age of thirteen, she has gone on to win four senior All-Ireland Championships with Mayo, featuring in 68 championship games over 23 seasons. She has led her club team, Carnacon, to six All-Ireland titles and has won eleven All-Star Awards. In 2017 Cora became the first international draft signing in the Australian Womens Football League. She will return in November 2018 for a second season with the Greater Western Sydney Giants.

MARY WHITE, a Cork native, reported on ladies football for seventeen seasons. Her first book, Relentless: The Inside Story of the Cork Ladies Footballers, was shortlisted for the 2015 Setanta Ireland Sports Book of the Year.

Cora Staunton is an iconic figure in the world of modern GAA. In this groundbreaking autobiography, she reveals her extraordinary journey from teenage rookie to the highest-scoring forward in the history of Ladies Gaelic Football. Since making her senior intercounty debut for Mayo at just thirteen years of age, Cora has become a feared and respected opponent on any pitch.

Now, for the first time, she recounts the triumphs of her career and the personal struggles that have plagued it. In this refreshingly candid book, Cora recalls finding refuge in the game after the death of her mother, but also speaks openly about the challenges and conflicts she and her teammates have experienced in the under-resourced world of female sport. She gives a fascinating insight into her move to a professional team in Sydney and how she coped with going from a veteran to a newcomer overnight.

In the first-ever autobiography of a female GAA star, Game Changer will take its place as one of the most influential and powerful sports books in recent years.

Im very grateful to be in this position, and to say thank you publicly to everyone who helped and encouraged me every step of the way. My family, without a doubt, have been the leading force. To Dad and all my brothers and sisters, your never-ending support carried me through; and Kathleen in particular, you always listened, gave me solid advice and had my back.

To my nieces and nephews, my brothers- and sisters-in-law, my aunties, uncles and cousins, thanks for all your support, love and guidance throughout the last thirty-six years. I know I have not been the easiest to deal with at times and football consumed most of my life, but I hope I have made you proud.

To all the special people in my magnificent club, Carnacon. I am so lucky to have come from such a brilliant club. Jimmy and Beatrice, who have been there from the beginning I will never be able to thank you enough for all you have done for me. You have been there through the good days and the bad, and I dont think I would be where I am today without your support and guidance.

To all my teammates in Carnacon, both past and present, it has been one hell of a journey and I am extremely honoured and privileged to have played with each and every one of you. The memories have been great, and heres to creating a few more.

Aisling, you may be no longer with us, but the years we spent together playing with Carnacon and Mayo I will always cherish.

To all the managers I have had with Mayo (and thereve been a few!), especially the ones who stuck by us, thanks for making me the sportsperson I am. A special mention must go to Finbar Egan: you shaped and moulded me into the footballer I am. Thank you so much for the brilliant six years we had with you. You helped me through a very difficult time in my life and for that I shall be forever grateful.

A huge thank you, too, to all the medical staff for keeping me on the pitch and relatively injury-free throughout my career. I realize again that I was not the easiest to deal with at times, but it was all for the love of playing. A special mention must go to my good friend Caroline Brennan who always made herself available whenever I needed a physio appointment, or patching up.

To all my teachers and coaches in Burriscarra National School, Ballinrobe Community School and Athlone Institute of Technology, and to all my teammates and coaches from Castlebar Rugby Club, Ballyglass FC, Kiltimagh Knock Utd, and Mayo FC thanks for everything.

To my employers, the Mayo Travellers Support Group, and especially to my boss Pippa Daniel, thank you for being so accommodating in every way possible over the years.

To Mary White, who helped me pen this book to think I didnt really know you before we started this project and now you probably know me as well as anyone! Your professionalism, dedication and foresight were the driving forces in making this book a reality. Thank you for your patience and friendship. It has been a pleasure to work with you and I wish you every success in the future.

To Fiona Murphy of Transworld Ireland, thank you for all your hard work behind the scenes. Your advice and support throughout this project have made it possible.

Margaret and Pat Byrne, you have looked after me since I got to know you both more than twenty years ago. Margaret, you were like a second mother to me at times, and I will never forget that.

To all the GWS Giants, thanks for taking a gamble and bringing me to your amazing club. I am forever indebted to you for what was a wonderful experience. To all my Giants teammates, thank you for making me feel so welcome and for making my time at the club a very special one.

To Alan McConnell and Nicholas Walsh, the two men who made my AFLW journey possible, thank you both from the bottom of my heart. You made my experience in Sydney such an enjoyable one. Alan, you never judged me and you simply accepted me for the person that I am. I will always appreciate that.

Finally, to my close group of friends Crazy, Martha, Marie, Doireann and Avril. Thanks for always being there, no matter what the situation. I am blessed and honoured to call you my friends. I am so proud of you all and I know no matter what, we will always have each others backs.

Crazy, where do I start? My best friend and teammate for the best part of twenty years. I will never be able to repay you. I honestly dont know where I would be without you. You stuck by me and always saw the best in me when maybe others didnt. You have made me a better person and I am so lucky to have you as a best friend.

Sport has been a huge part of my life and I am so grateful that I had a long and successful career, and its all thanks to you guys.

Its been a blast!

Cora

FOR MY ELEVENTH birthday my godfather, Colm, gave me a cerise pink Nike T-shirt. The tomboy in me overlooked the colour because it was my first Nike anything, and within six months, Id worn it ragged. I reckon I slept in it the night before my first All-Ireland final the 1993 Community Games in Mosney. I was playing with the U13 Carra ladies football team, and the four-hour bus journey to Meath made it feel so much more monumental. If theyd told us we were going to the Olympics, wed have believed them.

We were tied with a crowd from Kerry with just a few minutes to go in the final. They were handy out, but we were putting it to them. I loved it; breaking tackles and firing over points. Michelle McGing set everything up down the middle, and between the two of us, we thought we had them. Michelle, however, got a bad knock to her elbow when she was burrowing her way through midfield. She was on the ground, holding the elbow, and I knew it was bad. I thought to myself, If I could just get one more ball, I could kick the winner. But the odds now of getting my hands on the ball with Michelle off the field were slim. Wed been playing football together since we made our Holy Communion, and Michelle could read me like a book.