Camogie Assocation gives green light to wearing of shorts
The ballot on Thursday night saw 98% vote in favour of the change which will result in players across Ireland having the option of wearing shorts or skorts.
There had been protests in recent weeks over whether camogie players should have the option of wearing shorts or skorts, leading to some matches being postponed or delayed.
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Previous rules had dictated that camogie players must wear a skort during matches, which has the appearance of a skirt, but has built-in shorts underneath.
Camogie is the female equivalent of hurling, a team-based field game played with a wooden stick called a hurl or hurley and a ball called a sliotar.
The special congress meeting was held at Croke Park in Dublin.
Camogie Association president Brian Molloy said: 'We are pleased to announce that delegates have voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of giving players greater choice in their playing attire.
'From midnight tonight, each individual player will have the option to wear skorts or shorts – adding choice while maintaining the professionalism and uniformity of our team kits in both colour and design.
'I want to sincerely thank our incredible volunteers for their ongoing support over the last few weeks, and to our delegates for voting on behalf of over 120,000 members, including 94,000 playing members.'
A statement from the Gaelic Players' Association (GPA) welcomed the vote.
It said: 'The GPA would like to put on the record our admiration for camogie players across Ireland and beyond, both at inter-county and club level, who made their voices heard to ensure this outcome.
'To our own membership who have led the campaign for choice, we salute your willingness to stand up for both yourselves, and future generations of camogie players.
'We thank the delegates who listened to players' call for choice.
'The last few weeks have once again shown the necessity of putting players at the heart of decision making within Gaelic Games.'
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The Guardian
23-05-2025
- The Guardian
Irish camogie players triumph after skorts backlash and can now wear shorts
Irish camogie players who objected to wearing skorts in the female-only sport have triumphed: they can now wear shorts. The sport's ruling body on Thursday ended the obligation to wear skorts – a portmanteau of shorts and skirt – and said players could choose to wear shorts. A special congress of the Camogie Association voted in a landslide – 98% of 133 delegates – to change a dress rule that critics said was archaic and deterred girls and women from taking up Ireland's female version of the Gaelic game of hurling. Brian Molloy, the association's president, said: 'We are pleased to announce that delegates have voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of giving players greater choice in their playing attire. 'From midnight tonight each individual player will have the option to wear skorts or shorts – adding choice while maintaining the professionalism and uniformity of our team kits in both colour and design.' Traditionalists had favoured skorts – a hybrid garment comprising an overlapping fabric panel over compressor-type shorts – as feminine but many players said the garment was uncomfortable and affected their confidence on the pitch. Years of discontent flared into mutiny in recent weeks. On 3 May Dublin and Kilkenny players turned up at their provincial Leinster semi-final in shorts. They changed into skorts after the referee threatened to abandon the game but the protest galvanised solidarity and calls for change. Government ministers expressed support for the players, female lawmakers from the opposition party Sinn Féin wore shorts to parliament, and the sport's administrators faced being grilled by parliamentary committee. The Camogie Association, which in 2023 had upheld the ban on shorts, bowed to the pressure by holding the special congress on Thursday to vote on a motion to change the rule. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion Aisling Maher, the captain of Dublin's camogie team, welcomed the decision. 'It's a victory for players who are presently playing inter-county, it's a victory for young players coming up who now have a choice about what they wear,' she told RTE on Friday. 'You have to see the positives in this. The beginning of the All-Ireland championship has never got as much attention or publicity. Hopefully some of that attention will stay with camogie in a more positive light.'
Belfast Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Camogie Assocation gives green light to wearing of shorts
The ballot on Thursday night saw 98% vote in favour of the change which will result in players across Ireland having the option of wearing shorts or skorts. There had been protests in recent weeks over whether camogie players should have the option of wearing shorts or skorts, leading to some matches being postponed or delayed. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Previous rules had dictated that camogie players must wear a skort during matches, which has the appearance of a skirt, but has built-in shorts underneath. Camogie is the female equivalent of hurling, a team-based field game played with a wooden stick called a hurl or hurley and a ball called a sliotar. The special congress meeting was held at Croke Park in Dublin. Camogie Association president Brian Molloy said: 'We are pleased to announce that delegates have voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of giving players greater choice in their playing attire. 'From midnight tonight, each individual player will have the option to wear skorts or shorts – adding choice while maintaining the professionalism and uniformity of our team kits in both colour and design. 'I want to sincerely thank our incredible volunteers for their ongoing support over the last few weeks, and to our delegates for voting on behalf of over 120,000 members, including 94,000 playing members.' A statement from the Gaelic Players' Association (GPA) welcomed the vote. It said: 'The GPA would like to put on the record our admiration for camogie players across Ireland and beyond, both at inter-county and club level, who made their voices heard to ensure this outcome. 'To our own membership who have led the campaign for choice, we salute your willingness to stand up for both yourselves, and future generations of camogie players. 'We thank the delegates who listened to players' call for choice. 'The last few weeks have once again shown the necessity of putting players at the heart of decision making within Gaelic Games.'
Reuters
22-05-2025
- Reuters
Ireland's Camogie Association votes to allow players to wear shorts
May 22 (Reuters) - Ireland's camogie players have won the right to wear shorts after the female sport's governing body voted overwhelmingly in favour of changing its rules at a special congress on Thursday, putting an end to the recent controversy and protests which hit the headlines. The contested rule of camogie, the women's equivalent of hurling, stated that playing gear must include a skirt, skort or divided skirt, and the vote was taken after players' protests put pressure on the Camogie Association of Ireland to call a special congress. "We are pleased to announce that delegates have voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of giving players greater choice in their playing attire," a Camogie Association statement said. The new rule, passed with 98% of delegates in favour, will come into effect from midnight on Thursday, in time for the start of this year's All-Ireland championship on Saturday. Two motions to introduce shorts were defeated at last year's Congress but the issue came to the fore again in the past few weeks when the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) published the results of a survey showing 83% of players wanted the choice to wear shorts. "The GPA would like to put on the record our admiration for camogie players across Ireland and beyond, both at inter-county and club level, who made their voices heard to ensure this outcome," the GPA said in a statement. One provincial final went ahead after players were told to change into skorts after taking to the field in shorts in protest, but another was postponed when Cork and Waterford said they would also protest but would not be changing into skorts.
