Irish Families Wake at 3am to Watch Daughters Play AFLW

In a quiet house in Ballinamore, Ireland, Sharon O'Dowd climbs out of bed at 3am while her young children sleep, eager to watch her sister play football on the other side of the world.

Two years ago, Sharon's younger sister Eilish moved from County Leitrim to Sydney to play in Australia's women's football league for the GWS Giants. Now Sharon, a mother of two, regularly wakes before dawn to stream the matches live.

When Eilish won the opening tap in her first game and sprinted straight through to score within 15 seconds, the fastest opening goal in AFLW history, Sharon watched stunned from her phone. "I was in shock," she said. "Everyone else in my house was asleep so I couldn't even celebrate with them."

Her parents were watching too, but the goal happened so fast they missed it while logging into their streaming account. They've watched the replay multiple times since.

Sharon is far from alone. Across Ireland, 47 women have left home to play in the Australian Football League Women's competition, and their families have embraced the ungodly wake-up times to support them.

In Dunboyne, a town of less than 10,000 people in County Meath, Tom and Caroline Wall regularly host viewing parties that pack their house with over 30 people for breakfast and cheers. Their daughter Vikki led County Meath to two historic championships before moving to Australia, where she's now won two AFLW premierships with North Melbourne.

When streaming fails, the families improvise. Sharon has sat in the dark listening to audio commentary when video wasn't available. Tom and Caroline tune into radio broadcasts rather than miss a moment.

Alan Rowe takes his dedication even further. He hasn't missed a single game his daughter Sarah has played since she debuted for Collingwood in 2019. "I originally had not a clue about the rules," Alan said, "but over a period of time, I've got to understand everything about it."

He's made the trip to Sydney for all her milestone games, including this weekend's first-ever AFLW Australia versus Ireland match. Back home in Ballina, Sarah's mother Grainne will gather the extended family to watch together.

Sunny's Take

These aren't just sports fans—they're families bridging an 11,000-mile gap with love and lost sleep. The Wall family now has two daughters playing for North Melbourne, which at least means just one early alarm. Sharon admits it's hard being so far from Eilish, especially when she gets injured or has a tough game, but video calls help close the distance.

When the final whistle blows and the sun still hasn't risen over Ireland, these bleary-eyed parents know exactly why they set those 3am alarms.