We awake this morning to find that, far from dying off, the marketing phenomenon known as the 'Ladyball' has reached British ears. A positive side-effect of this is that Ger Brennan has at long last got his face in the Daily Telegraph (or at least its online version).
The Telegraph are untroubled by the thought that the Ladyball may yet prove to be a ruse or a joke of some description, and confidently report it as if it were a genuine product (they may yet be right in this, of course). Though, we do note that they have run a poll at the bottom, with one of the options being 'Surely a joke', an option which has, at the time or writing, garnered more than 50% of the vote.
It remains to be seen whether the majority will be vindicated in this.
It may only be January, but a new product called the 'Ladyball' has emerged as a leading contender for the 'worst idea of the year' award.
The new football, designed specifically for women, has been made by a group of entrepreneurs who want to encourage more women to take up team sports.
At no stage do they allude to the fact that the Ladyball appears to be modelled on the O'Neill's Gaelic football nor do they allude to the sport of Gaelic football at all. They simply refer to Ger Brennan as a 'former Dublin defender', without naming the sport in which he was a former Dublin defender. Left to their own devices, some English readers may be surprised that they had never seen this Dublin football team get anywhere near the Champions League - although this may be giving them too little credit.
The Daily Record have a lengthy online post on the product which does admit the possibility that the Ladyball may be a joke. There is no mention of Gaelic Games either, with Ger Brennan simply referred to as a 'former footballer'.
The company's PR disclosed the reasons behind Ger Brennan's involvement in an email to us yesterday.
I believe he was asked as he is a keen supporter of women in sport and we had seen him take part in a campaign with the Ladies Gaelic Players Association last year (#OnHerSide) so thought he would be a good fit.
The motivation behind the Ladyball remains shrouded in mystery at this stage. A press release and a photcall scheduled for later today which promises to reveal more about this wondrous product.
Read more: Ger Brennan Is Endorsing Something Called 'The Ladyball'
