'We're so sick of it at this stage' - Kerry All-Ireland winner Niamh Leen on skorts debate

Irish Examiner

07-05-2025

Kerry camogie stalwart Niamh Leen fully supports the action taken by the Dublin and Kilkenny players last weekend on the wearing of skorts and is behind the drive by the GPA and the players to get rid of them.
'We've wanted to get rid of the skorts for years," she insists.
"They're so uncomfortable. The fit of them, the design of them, everything about them. I don't understand why players aren't being listened to.'
All-Ireland winner Leen is centre-back on the intermediate team that will face Cork in the Munster Final on Sunday week. She led her club Clanmaurice to back-to-back All-Ireland Intermediate titles in 2023 and 2024.
Her sister Anne Marie also plays with Kerry and Clanmaurice, while father John is a former treasurer of Kerry Camogie County Board. But Niamh believes strongly that county boards are just not listening to their players.
"It goes to Congress to change every year and you've delegates of county boards going up, and they're clearly not listening to players, because 83% of players voted to get rid of the skorts (or allow choice), yet it didn't show that at Congress.
"The players are talking to their county boards and they're going against them. It's really maddening. The people who are having a say and having a vote on this don't have to go out and put on the skort and go and play. We're so sick of it at this stage.
"I feel like we're constantly fighting a losing battle. Fair play to Kilkenny and Dublin, we were kind of waiting to see what they would do, because I feel it's the senior teams that really need to push this.
"It has gained serious media traction and I think the only way forward now to create change is pushing it.'
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Leen explains that playing camogie in a short skort poses problems for girls and says photos taken are often unflattering.
"I'm a tall girl and I spend the majority of the game pulling the skort down,' she explains.
'They're really uncomfortable. They're constantly rising up the minute you start running. And like that you're bent over, you're falling over, and you're sometimes on display and that's really embarrassing.
"There's photos after online and the cheeks of your arse are basically on display. If that was in anything else there would be war."
The sterling defender believes it is essential to move with the times.
"I know the president of the Camogie Association wrote to us and said they're looking into alternative skorts from across the globe, but at this stage they just need to get rid of them. I know there's the element of tradition and all that, but things change, move on, move with the times.
"I wouldn't go on a night out wearing something as short as the skort. It's as simple as that, yet I'm being asked to go and run around a field in it for 60 minutes.
"We went to a challenge game there on Sunday and not one girl wore a skort for the challenge game. No girl ever comes to training in a skort, and I know that's not just us. Our club or our county or whatever. it would be unanimous across the country.'
Leen believes that skorts are turning young girls away from the game.
'We are losing girls playing between the ages of 12 and 16, because girls are uncomfortable, they're new to getting periods. There is that embarrassment element.
"The LGFA are moving with the times, they made sure that every team is wearing either black or navy shorts. The rugby has moved with it, but camogie is still here.
"We're green skorts. There's teams that wear white skorts, that's really difficult for girls. It's just so infuriating, because it feels like nobody is listening."
Leen praises the GPA's efforts. 'Because of all the media coverage now I do think they have to look and be like, 'look, the girls clearly aren't happy'.'
'I just don't even understand why they're trying to fight this. Will they not just let us wear shorts? A lot of us play football as well, so literally the only time we have to wear skorts is when we're going out playing official camogie games.
"It's just so maddening.'