Pat Roche talks to Mayo's captain Christina Heffernan ahead of Sunday's final

More than 100,000 viewers tuned in to watch last year's women's All-Ireland football final live on TV and another 20,000 were at Croke Park. The statistic is zealously cited by Christina Heffernan, Mayo's captain for Sunday's 16th decider against Monaghan.

"The support has been increasing year by year for us. For our first year in Croke Park in 1999 our support from home wasn't that great but last year we brought a big crowd, it was unbelievable," she said.

She was introduced to the game at her national school in Cloghans, Mayo, as a nine-year-old and since then has won every honour in the game, including two All-Ireland senior medals. The 26-year-old who works for the North Mayo Health Clinic is the oldest member of a team largely consisting of students. And she is hell-bent on being a winning captain as both counties seek a third All-Ireland senior title.

"It's going to be a great game and will go all the way down to the wire," says Heffernan. "We are two vastly improved sides since earlier in the year and preparation has been intense.

"It's a pity more people do not see us in action. Anyone who encounters our brand of football for the first time says it is faster and more co-ordinated than the men's game. Most times this is true and one reason for this is the ban on physical contact in our game. Unfortunately, though, physical stuff has crept into the game of late. This would want to be stamped out, for a lot of it goes on."

The general absense of the rough and tumble, pull-and-drag traits associated with the men's game allows players to lend full expression to their talents and a free-flowing game results.

"We are delighted to be in this year's final after what happened to us last year against Laois. Usually a team would fall apart after such a defeat but perhaps we got stronger as a result of that setback.

"We lost a few players after that final defeat last year but we gained some fresh talent and commitment was never better."

The Mayo squad largely consists of students based in Dublin, Sligo, Athlone and Galway but absenteeism for the three-hour training stints is rare. The round trip from Dublin to Castlebar for five of the players is made three nights a week.

"Training can be really tough sometimes, you dread the thought, but afterwards you are glad you went through with it.

"Our manager Finbar Egan has been brilliant down the years. He gives the players so much belief in themselves. He trains us three to even four nights a week and for the rest of the week he is on the phone to us. He is very dedicated."

Heffernan lines out in the Mayo attack with her sister Marcella, both members of the Hollymount club. The Mayo captain would also like to see women's football gain a higher profile.

"I would like to see us getting more coverage, even if they were to put a game or two on as a curtain-raiser to a major men's game in Croke Park to give it the extra exposure."