by
Norman Freeman

"Every time she comes back from a match she has some new fellow in tow.”

What’s all this, in the name of Beelzebub? Young women, and some not so young, of all shapes and sizes visiting the website www.getyouaman.ie

This website is run by a highly resourceful girl from Kilrossanty in County Waterford. Guess what is being offered? Courses telling eager women how to set about meeting eligible young fellows at matches!

The courses are being conducted, very discreetly, at hotel venues in the county of Waterford and the southern areas of counties Kilkenny and Tipperary.

Believe it or not but this extraordinary enterprise arose out of a dare. It happened a number of years ago. Kilrossanty Kate, as she is affectionately called, was with a crowd of her female friends on a night out in Dungarvan

Among the topics of conversation was the Waterford versus Clare game on the following Sunday in Semple Stadium,Thurles. They were all going to it.

“Never mind the match. I wonder would we meet a real man there?” said one, after her third vodka.
“You could if you went about it the right way,” said Kate. While she is rather plain looking, she has a wide smile, loads of personality and a good figure. And she is brimming with self-confidence.

Of course the whole discussion, light-hearted and laughter-filled, ended up with Kate taking on a dare that she would pick up an eligible fellow there and, after the game, go away with him . She backed herself to the tune of €50.

The next Sunday the girls set off for Thurles, to see the match, of course, but mainly to see how Kate was going to set about meeting the challenge. She travelled alone in her own car.

Her experience on that occasion provided her with invaluable insights and a step-by-step method of achieving her aim.

What proved to be of great advantage to Kate was that spectators simply paid at the stiles and took whatever seat they could find in the Kinane Stand on that particular Sunday. This gave her a good measure of choice and mobility. Her friends seated themselves about half-way up under the canopy. Kate, however, walked up and down the steps as if she was looking for a friend among those already seated. This was step number one – survey the scene before you make a move.

Then Kate spotted five fellows kitted out in Waterford tops. She thought she had seen one of them before at a disco. She saw that in the row right in front of them there was an empty seat and she made for it. That was step number two - pick your spot.

As she was about to sit down she made eye-contact with one of the fellows. That was step number three – keep a watching eye for any opportunity.

When he nodded to her, she responded with a warm smile. Step number four – if someone acknowledges your presence be sure to reply with a friendly gesture

While Kilrossanty Kate may not be a beauty she knows how to display herself. As soon as she sat down she hitched up her hair at the back with a colourful comb, uncovering her lovely long neck. She was conscious that at least one pair of eyes were looking at her from behind. The narrow red ribbon round her neck emphasised its whiteness. That was step number five – make the best of what you have.

Then came step number six – listen carefully. She tuned her shell-like ears into snatches of the conversation of those sitting behind her. The fellows seemed from the Abbeyside club in Dungarvan. Well and good; she has an apartment in Ardmore, within easy distance of any of their homes.

Then the match got under way. She shouted encouragement to the Waterford team, just to let the fellows behind her know that she was on their side. That was an easy step number seven – find a common cause that binds people together.

When the game neared half time she slipped her watch off her wrist and put it in her pocket. At a pause in play she turned back to the fellow who had nodded at her. “Is there much more to go in this half?” This amiable, dark-haired chap grinned as he thrust out his wrist to show her the time. She thanked him with a fetching grin. Step number eight – find or manufacture a legitimate reason for contact.

She had noticed on the fellow’s hands the tiny scars that decorate the knuckles of most hurlers. At half time she turned to him, saying “I think I saw you hurling for Abbeyside some time,” He was plainly delighted to be recognised and they immediately got into conversation. Actually, she had never seen him in her life before; not alone that but he was only a sub on the junior side. That was step number eight – do not hesitate to tell a little white lie if it furthers the purpose.

During the course of the second half this young man kept her in touch with the time. His companions were smiling at him admiringly, nudging one another as if to say, “Look at the way he got talking to that girl – isn’t he a hoor altogether.”

Step number nine, the trickiest one, came when the match ended. It requires judgement, finesse and some courage because there is always a risk of rebuff. As they were moving out of the seating and onto the steps of the passage-way she said to him. “I know you’re with your pals here but if you want a lift back to Dungarvan it’s no problem. I’m going to Ardmore – I have an apartment there.”

To her satisfaction he responded with some eagerness, “That’s great. I’ll come along with you”. He whispered something to his pals and they smiled admiringly. One was overheard to say “Jaysus I never thought he had it in him to make a move.”

Her own friends were monitoring her performance. They followed behind at a distance until she reached her car out on the Holycross road. When she had him safely in the passenger seat she went round the back of the car and turned towards her friends who were standing some ten metres away. She gave them a thumbs up sign. She also thrust out her shapely rear-end and wiggled it a few times, as if to tell them she was expecting some sort of passionate encounter.

This in fact did occur. She actually did a line with him for a few months but apparently tired of him. Kate then replaced him with another fellow that she picked up at a match in Walsh Park, Waterford, using much the same techniques. It was when she repeated the trick some months later at another match that her friends urged her to share her expertise and knowledge with others.

She works in the IT sector so it was not difficult for her to set up her own website. At first it merely offered light-hearted advice to romance-seeking young women who attended matches. However, Kate was completely taken by surprise by the number of visits and enquiries to the site. She decided, as a sideline, to conduct a limited number of courses. These have proved very successful and she makes a modest profit from them.

As she says herself to all those who attend, “Look, it’s not really about going to matches to pick up fellows and using the step-by-step method. It’s about valuing yourselves and having enough confidence to meet them and talk easily to them.”