It is just over a year since the Camogie Association voted at its annual congress to defy the wishes of the vast majority of its current players and vote down proposals to allow players to wear shorts instead of skorts – a hybrid garment of shorts and a skirt – when playing for their clubs and counties. The 150 delegates who took that fateful decision could hardly have expected that the furore their vote created would die away until the controversial issue could come before them again at the 2027 congress.
Following last week’s Gaelic Players’ Association survey showing over 83 per cent of inter-county players believe that they should be allowed choose between skorts and shorts, the Dublin and Kilkenny senior teams took a principled stand before their Leinster semi-final on Saturday when they lined out in shorts. Their action was met with a warning from the referee that if they continued with their stance, he would be forced to abandon the game. Both teams felt they had made their point and reluctantly decided to change to skorts so the game could go ahead.
It hardly seems credible that such an extraordinary rule should be in place at this time when women’s sport is battling on a daily basis for a more even playing field in terms of equality, facilities and publicity.
What makes it even more bizarre is that many of the 2024 congress delegates who voted to defy the wishes of the players were women themselves. They held fast to the archaic belief that skorts expressed the individuality and femininity of their sport, a notion fostered by custom and tradition. Concerns about discomfort and period issues were considered secondary.
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This is a damning indictment of the camogie association and its leadership. Ahead of its proposed amalgamation with the GAA and the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association in 2027, the Camogie Association should be an advocate for equality in every area and listen to what its players want. Inter-county players need to step up Saturday’s action and call a halt to all games until this ridiculous timewarp is consigned to history.
