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Irish Examiner
23-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
The struggle and spirit of Irish sprinters: ‘The lads are living off absolute scraps'
For Sophie Becker, the choice was straightforward. It was up to Gerard O'Donnell as her coach to spell it out: Go to Bali or invest in your sporting future. Spikes over sunsets. The Leitrim native knows what it is like to have next to nothing. He spent his first few years training in Dublin on social welfare and flat broke. His Carrick-on-Shannon childhood initially consisted of running on the road. Stick that athletics club into Google Maps and nothing appears. They have no home. Once during the Celtic Tiger, a credit card company came to town and developed a park. Their winding, gravel-filled path was soon consistently occupied by dog-walkers and O'Donnell practicing hurdles. The only time he put his foot into spikes and onto a track was for the Connacht or All-Ireland Championships. His first time in Santry was earth-shattering. An indoor area to warm up? What a wonder. He knows hardship. He knows how to get through it too. 'The athlete I work with now can achieve much greater things than I did and have already,' he says, revelling in the Dublin sunshine. What is a simple pleasure for most is an occupational gift for them. 'I don't see why they would do anything different. You have more talent, more opportunity, why put roadblocks in your own way if you can afford not to do it? I remember when Sophie first got her relay funding a few years ago. She was working full-time in Pfizer at the time and I was encouraging her to go to four days a week if it was an option. 'Then she got her funding and the next day we had a conversation. 'You know what that money is? That means you can work one day less a week, rather than going to Bali this summer.' She was like, 'I was literally looking up flights to Bali.' 'I just kept saying, 'That is a fifth of your wage or more. You can take every Friday off work now.' The next week she did exactly that. She made that decision and it paid off right away. Six months later, she went down to three days a week and now she is a full-time athlete because she can now afford to do it and she saw the benefit. 'Every Friday she had services provided in Sport Ireland; Friday she is with her physio, nutritionist, sports psychologist. Now that is a very good use of your day rather than sitting in the office for another eight hours.' O'Donnell is a high performance athletics coach, specialising in sprints and hurdles. He has recently returned from the World Relays in China where he was the head coach of the 4x400m relay teams. A seven-time national 100m hurdle champion, he can still remember looking at renowned coaches during meets and wondering if they missed competing. Now he realises one is tied to the other. Take a warm-up. As an athlete, he became incredibly rigid and diligent. The warm-up was his bible. He learned the hard way. Each injury forced him to reconsider every component of his plan. He ran it meticulously. This was one of the reasons Jeremy Lyons asked him to move from athlete to coach in the Dublin Sprint group, which now includes Olympians Sophie Becker, Cillín Greene and Jack Raftery. They are part of a recent sprint boom. At the bedrock is a dramatic improvement in facilities and funding. Tracks are popping up all over the country. Beyond that, indoor facilities in Athlone and Nenagh have been a godsend. Think about it this way: What does a kid want to do? Run fast. They don't need endless reps and endurance. Go out. Go as hard as they can in a safe, dry hub. O'Donnell didn't have such luxuries. Thankfully. 'It is frustrating in a way, but as a coach I'm more creative because of what we dealt with. What I mean is if we rock up to a track with no shelter, no toilets, no anything, it is pissing rain, everyone is wondering how do we get a warm-up done and I'm used to it. 'I know how you can get strong and fast with good basics. So hop on a track and you can fly. That is easy. How do we do the work without the track? During lockdown I was like, this is fine. 'I was probably under-trained throughout my teenage years. I wasn't hitting max velocity in training because you couldn't on the road in trainers. You are not on the track in spikes with a tail wind. 'But I know lads that were a year younger than me, you go to a competition and they beat you, you think they are just super talented. In one case, years later I was chatting to him and he was telling me his dad had them basically on a training camp all year long. He was reading Ben Johnson's training logs. 'He had his 13-year-olds doing plyos down the central reservation of a motorway while they were on holidays in France. I was running twice a week and a bit of high jumps. It got me thinking, maybe talent wasn't the factor here. But he doesn't make it past 20 in the sport and I didn't win my first national senior title until I'm 26. Which would I trade for? I'd definitely take what I got out of it.' They have it good. In Guangzhou, the women's 4x400m relay team and the mixed team secured qualification for the World Championships. The women's foursome featured three of the team that finished fourth in the Paris Olympics last summer. Becker opens her individual season in Brussels this weekend. It could be better. There is an urgent need for more indoor tracks. The funding increase is yet to substantially impact coaches. Sport Ireland's recent funding allocation continued the trajectory of investing significantly in high-performance sport. It can also function as a reward for performance, rather than rewarding future success. Take Cillín Greene and Jack Raftery. Both Olympians. Both in the top 10 for the all-time 400ms. 'The lads are living off absolute scraps. They got more funding this year because the relays did well last year, but Jack is in college and Cillín is working part-time because they have no other option.' Part of the problem is the lack of different revenue streams. Others can skip around the country and pocket some prize money from a local 5km. That option doesn't exist for sprinters. 'The stress of money kills athletes. They are constantly scraping and scrimping. I need to book that flight for 6am, because it is €200 and the other one is €400. It completely impacts my performance but I can't afford to book the comfortable one. I know one lad, if you gave him 100k this year, he'd break the national record. The money he is on now means he will run this time. 'It is going up and getting better, because lads are running better. Which is funny, it arrives after you really need it. Suffer through and then it starts to come.' Imagine the position this puts coaches in. They know their athletes have little money and the impact it has on their performance. They have to survive as well. There is a Sport Ireland stipend for coaching that is divvied out by Athletics Ireland. Last year, Dublin Sprint received €10,000. At the time, they had three coaches. It might cover the cost of one camp abroad. This season, they returned to training in October and funding is yet to materialise. Gerard O Donnell of Carrick-on-Shannon AC, Leitrim, Matthew Behan of Crusaders AC, Dublin, and David Dagg of Dundrum South Dublin AC, Dublin, on the podium after the mens 110m hurdle final at the Irish Life Health National Senior Track and Field Championships 2022 at Morton Stadium. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile One possible solution is to add a separate fund to athlete funding dedicated solely to coaching. Of course, there is more to this rich spell than money. Trace the roots of this hot streak. A spark. Suitable soil to ignite it. A trailblazer. For his group, it was Cork's Phil Healy. In the early days, that was their mantra. Be like Phil. 'Phil was the benchmark for so many years. 'Phil is able to do it.' She is super talented and a national record holder but it was always, 'Look what she is doing.' Phil was the hero for our whole group. She is gritting it out with Shane McCormack down in Cork or Waterford, not off in Florida or Tenerife. 'She is amazing. Competing at international level since 2014, from 60m up to 400m. She just gets out and gets it done. Why can't we have that attitude? Sophie went down and did sessions with Phil, got her ass handed to her. It was literally, someday I can get close to Phil.' Dublin Sprint continues to go from strength to strength. They are not affiliated to any club. It has all the benefits of team sport, training partners to share encouragement and the workload, without any obligations to take in more members. This team is carefully constructed, piece by piece, to suit themselves. Some of them are Olympians. Some have a good attitude and a car to take others to training. Everyone has to make it work. That's the culture. In Irish athletics, optimism is not so much a feeling as an act of faith. 'Part of it is you don't want to show people the skeletons in the closet. There is enough griping and negativity around the place. So it can seem like, fake it until you make it. Let everyone think it's great and maybe it becomes great. Sponsors, backers, the general public come on board. But also, we need our athletes to think a certain way too. 'They need to think, 'this is the best setup for me right now. If I was in Florida or Spain, the weather is better, but I wouldn't have my family close by. I wouldn't have access to same quality coach and physios. Would I be happy?' They need to be in the mindset that this is the best for me. I have given myself the best chance to succeed. It's about putting yourself in the situation that will get the best out of you. 'It's not 'why am I in Dublin instead of America where they have this and that?' It is 'why would I want to be anywhere else?' If you are not happy with the setup you have created, you are going nowhere.'
The Irish Sun
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Skorts saga comes to an end as Camogie Association votes overwhelmingly in favour of letting players wear shorts
CAMOGIE chiefs have voted in favour of allowing players to wear either shorts or skorts with immediate effect after recent protests. At tonight's Special Congress, 98 per cent of delegates voted in support of giving players choice. 1 Camogie players will have a choice between shorts and skorts Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile 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. 'As the All-Ireland Championships begin this weekend, we ask everyone to support their teams, drive higher attendances at all upcoming games, and help us fill Croke Park for the finals on August 10th.' Read More on Camogie It brings to an end a controversy that has dogged camogie and has seen player-led protests against the hugely unpopular use of skorts. Reacting to the vote, the GPA said: 'We welcome the result of this evening's vote for choice at the Camogie Association Special Congress. '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. Most read in GAA Hurling '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.' Dublin and Kilkenny camogie players wear shorts in protest against skorts While contentious for years, the issue came to a head at the start of May when the Leinster semi-final between Dublin and Kilkenny was nearly called off. Both teams came together to protest skorts by wearing shorts for the game, only to be told by the referee that the game would be abandoned if they did not change. The fall-out from that controversy was swift. Cork and Waterford both declared that they would wear shorts for the Munster senior final, which was eventually called off on 16 hours notice. This outcry led to a change in approach from the Camogie Association. In 2024, motions seeking to give players choice failed to amass the 66 per cent support required to pass. The issue was not due for another vote until 2027, only for the recent row to force chiefs to bring the vote forward to Thursday night.
Irish Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Motion passed to allow Camogie players wear shorts instead of skorts
Delegates have passed a motion that will allow Camogie players to wear shorts instead of the traditional skort as part of their matchday kit. Uachtarán Brian Molloy said this evening: "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. "As the All-Ireland Championships begin this weekend, we ask everyone to support their teams, drive higher attendances at all upcoming games, and help us fill Croke Park for the finals on August 10th." The issue came to a head earlier this Summer when a string of teams wore shorts during their warmups as a protest against the rules. When Waterford and Cork signalled their intent to wear shorts for the Munster final, the game was cancelled on short notice. Last weekend's Leinster final went ahead, with Kilkenny and Dublin playing the game 'under protest.' The passing of the motion will be a great relief for players, many of whom have expressed their displeasure at wearing skorts, calling them uncomfortable and unfit for purpose in a recent survey of camogie players.
Irish Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Skorts issue is parked but Camogie Association has other challenges to address
In the end, the Camogie Association has arrived at the right solution, albeit via a rather circuitous route, as an agreement was reached tonight to allow players the choice between wearing skorts or shorts. Uachtarán Brian Molloy said this evening: "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. "As the All-Ireland Championships begin this weekend, we ask everyone to support their teams, drive higher attendances at all upcoming games, and help us fill Croke Park for the finals on August 10th." Indeed, the wait might even have been longer. A similar motion to allow players to wear shorts rather than skorts fell short at last year's Camogie Congress and wasn't due to be debated in that particular forum again until 2027. When the Kilkenny and Dublin camogie teams protested on the matter earlier this month, there came a pledge to move the matter forward to next year. With that being wholly insufficient, tonight's Special Congress was hastily convened and the matter finally put to bed, but not without further needless embarrassment, not to mention angst for players in the meantime. The Waterford-Cork Munster final was pulled at the 11th hour as players made it clear that they would only wear shorts, leaving players 'devastated' and 'demoralised'. The Kilkenny and Wexford players fulfilled the Leinster final last Saturday in skorts under protest after first presenting themselves to play the game in shorts. A Special Congress could have been called remotely at an earlier stage to avoid all of that. It wouldn't have been without precedent; the GAA convened a virtual Special Congress in April 2020 to deal with the havoc that the Covid-19 pandemic was wreaking in a more expedient manner. Desperate times and all that. The Camogie Association may argue that time was needed to tease the issue out and there is merit in that, but it was hardly worth it in the context of reputational damage suffered in the interim. Indeed, surely a derogation of rule could have been applied for the rest of the season with a Special Congress staged later in the year when emotions around the issue would have calmed? While this has snowballed into a significant story that has engaged people with less than a passing interest in sport, the reality is that the general public will move on quickly now that sense has finally prevailed. But challenges remain for the Camogie Association. As of 3pm yesterday, venues had yet to be confirmed on its website for the All-Ireland Championship games scheduled for a week from tomorrow. Female dual players remain prevalent, and every year there seems to be controversy around camogie and football fixtures going head to head and players being forced to choose. There'll surely be more before this summer is out. The LGFA has a part in that too but is generally more progressive, not least for allowing its players to wear shorts, and has drawn crowds to its showpiece events that the CA could only dream of. The integration of the CA, LGFA and GAA, which is being led by former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, is due to be completed by 2027. It seems an overly optimistic target but, for female players who feel that they are being poorly served, it can't come quickly enough.
Irish Examiner
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Camogie players given green light to wear shorts after Congress vote
The Camogie Association's Special Congress has voted in favour of allowing players to wear shorts or skorts. A motion changing the rules around player attire passed with overwhelming support, with 98% of the 133 delegates voting in favour of the switch, and is effective immediately. The Gaelic Players Association praised the actions of players who had taken a stand over the issue in recent weeks. "We welcome the result of this evening's vote for choice at the Camogie Association Special Congress," a GPA statement 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." Camogie Association President Brian Molloy said he welcomed the level of support for the change. 'We are pleased to announce that delegates have voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of giving players greater choice in their playing attire," he said. "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. "As the All-Ireland Championships begin this weekend, we ask everyone to support their teams, drive higher attendances at all upcoming games, and help us fill Croke Park for the finals on August 10th.' More to come...
