Offaly star pleads with camogie officials to respect players over skorts issue

Irish Examiner

14-05-2025

Offaly's Mairead Teehan has pleaded with camogie officials to respect the wishes of players when they vote on the skort issue on May 22.
The Camogie Association has been forced to hold a Special Congress at Croke Park tomorrow week for a crucial vote on whether skorts should be mandatory in the game, or optional.
Teehan, who has been named the PwC GPA Player of the Month for April in camogie, would rather wear shorts and said the majority of her team-mates feel the same.
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GPA AGM passes unanimous motions on skorts
The former Tipperary player was this week drafted onto the Gaelic Players Association's National Executive Committee.
That development occurred at the GPA's Monday evening AGM when two motions around allowing camogie players to wear shorts - one of which was submitted by Teehan's Offaly colleague Sharon Shanahan - were unanimously passed.
There are no guarantees that a Special Congress will bow to the apparent wishes of players though as last month's regular Annual Congress voted against four separate motions which attempted to include shorts in the list of approved playing gear, prompting a backlash from players.
"I really don't like the skorts, to be honest with you, I'd be 100 percent for the shorts," said Teehan, who declined to speculate on what will happen if the vote goes against players.
"You'd be kind of hoping we won't have to worry too much about that. I do think the support is there at the moment.
"I think that was even quite obvious when the Camogie Association came out initially and said they'd have a Congress at the end of the year or later on.
"The reaction was, 'Well, we need to be listened to now because if we're not then it could be just kicked down the road and forgotten about'.
"I think this is the time now for this particular situation to be rectified. It's just a choice, that we'd have a choice to wear shorts or a skort, whichever we feel most comfortable in.
"I'd urge the delegates, who are going to be the ones voting, to listen to what's going on around their counties, and around the country, and just give us that choice.
PwC GAA/GPA Player of the Month for April Cork hurler Brian Hayes, Meath footballer Mathew Costello, left, and PwC GPA Women Players of the Month for April, Kerry ladies footballer Síofra O’Shea, right, and Offaly camogie player Mairéad Teehan with their awards at PwC offices in Cork today. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.
"Listening to the people who actually play the game, that's so important. They're the ones who have to go out and play by the rules and wear whatever you say they have to wear.
"They're the ones affected directly by it so I do think it's very important that the players' voice is listened to."
Teehan is in the form of her career and claimed the individual award after helping Offaly to win the Division 2A league title.
She was joined at the presentation by All-Ireland and National League winning Kerry forward Siofra O'Shea, who is the PwC GPA Player of the Month for April in ladies football.
O'Shea lent her support to the camogie players' bid to have the choice to wear skorts or shorts.
"We have some players who play camogie as well and are in and around club camogie teams, some of our north Kerry players," said O'Shea.
"It's obviously a massive issue and we support the players and what they're looking for.
"I've listened to a few camogie players talking about it. They don't want to be striking and they don't want their games to be cancelled, they would rather be on the pitch and playing.
"But it's such a massive issue and if that's the only way they're going to be heard, then for the future I suppose that's what needs to be done for now.
"But I know all these players just want to be on the pitch playing and they should be given the choice to play how they're comfortable playing, whether that's in shorts of skorts."