DCU Alumni Awardee Paula Prunty

Paula Prunty is the National Operations and Planning Manager for the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and also holds the Association’s roles of National Children’s Officer, Mandated Person and Data Protection Officer.

Hailing from Monaghan, Paula completed a BSc in Sports Science and Health in 2003 and joined the LGFA as a Games Development Officer later that year.

In 2007, she was appointed as National Games Development Manager. Over the following ten years she shaped the Association’s development strategy, established its nationwide network of Development Officers, and introduced flagship participation programmes such as Gaelic4Girls and Gaelic4Mothers&Others, with LGFA membership doubling to 190,000 in the period. Her early work in coach education and safeguarding also set lasting standards across the organisation.

Paula was appointed to her current role in 2018 and is a key member of the national senior leadership team responsible for both day-to-day operations and longer-term planning. 

She is central to delivering the LGFA’s major national projects, from the LGFA Annual Congress and national fixtures to the All-Ireland Finals where attendances now regularly exceed 50,000.

She is also a driving force of the LGFA’s work to modernise governance structures, strengthen internal processes, and guide the organisation through significant change. That includes the development of planning structures and processes for use by all units of the Association. 

She remains deeply involved in grassroots sport, coaching underage girls at Whitehall Colmcille, running competitively with Clonliffe Harriers and contributing her experience as a Board Member of Wicklow Local Sports Partnership.

BSc Sports Science and Health, 2003