Special Congress 'not a guarantee' skorts issue will be resolved
OFFALY CAMOGIE PLAYER Mairéad Teehan is hopeful the skorts issue will be resolved at Special Congress, but adds 'it's not a guarantee' that rules around playing gear will change.
Motions addressing the ongoing skorts controversy will be considered at the Camogie Association Special Congress in Croke Park on 22 May. The decision follows recent events where teams protested against the issue by wearing shorts instead of the mandated skorts for matches.
The Dublin and Kilkenny teams were forced to change into skorts after appearing on the pitch in shorts for their Leinster senior semi-final on 3 May. The Munster senior final was subsequently cancelled by the provincial council after it emerged that the Cork and Waterford teams were planning to join the protest and wear shorts for the game at The Ragg.
Teehan says the decision to have a Special Congress is 'great' but has some concerns that the players' desire for choice could still be under threat.
'That's not a guarantee that the rule will be changed. It's the same delegates that are going to this Congress to vote.
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'We can make noise about it now but we still don't have any real power in terms of changing that.
'I'd be hopeful that it will go our way. When you don't our voice there to be heard, you're relying on county boards to survey their clubs and ask, 'What do ye want?' You just hope the delegates will listen to what's going on around the country and listen to the players. At the end of the day, we're the backbone of the association.'
The Offaly minor camogie team also participated in the skorts protest last weekend when they wore shorts for their Leinster minor 'A' shield final alongside their opponents Dublin. Those players were also ordered off the field to change into skorts before the game got underway. Teehan praised those young players who 'stepped up' as part of the wider effort to affect change.
Teehan's Offaly teammates also hoped to wear shorts in the other Leinster senior semi-final against Wexford, but both teams ultimately wore skorts to ensure the game would be played.
'We were happy to wear shorts and were told Wexford were happy to wear the skorts so we just felt we were in a hard place whether the game would be given against us if we turned up in shorts.
'We just felt we were after training so hard for it, that we wouldn't that day. If we won that day, we would have been very happy to wear them in the Leinster final. Nothing against Wexford, that's their choice as well. We just felt nothing had happened elsewhere, so we didn't know what way it was going to go.'
Teehan says she is 'disappointed' at how the Camogie Association has handled the skorts debacle and feels Munster Camogie could have found a different solution to allow the Cork-Waterford game go ahead.
'It would have been a great way to say that they're listening to players and want this competition to go ahead and have a derogation for two weeks. Or even let the match go ahead and fine the teams for wearing the shorts.'
Teehan adds that it is 'absolutely crazy' that players are being forced to wear skorts and cannot fathom why it remains an issue in 2025. And while she appreciates the ongoing public attention being given to the matter, she also laments the distraction it causes for matchday preparation.
'It does take away from your preparation. I know as someone who's going to be texting into the player's group to tell them that this is what's going on, you don't like doing that, to be pulling and dragging girls the night before a game.
'It is affecting girls' thoughts around preparation, particularly this week and last week.
'Championship is starting on 24 May and we should be talking about the great matches and hopefully the great championship that we will have but it is overshadowed by this. It's overshadowing preparation for girls and players.'
Earlier this season, Offaly achieved league promotion by defeating Derry in the Division 2A final, meaning they will be operating in Division 1B next year. Teehan, along with her cousin Grace combined for 4-8 in that 4-13 to 0-10 victory last month.
'Grace is fantastic,' Teehan begins. 'She was flying it in the league, scoring all round her. She's fantastic and it's a very competitive forward line this year which is great.
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'We targeted that league to get some silverware and momentum. We're in the intermediate championship and we're going to be playing the likes of Antrim and Down. We want to be playing against those teams for us to develop.'
Mairéad Teehan was speaking after receiving the PwC GPA Player of the Month for April in camogie
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