Latest news with #BrianMolloy
Irish Independent
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘Buy the ticket now, make a commitment now' – Camogie president wants to see Croke Park sell-out for the All-Ireland finals
Camogie president Brian Molloy is hoping to see a sold-out Croke Park for the All-Ireland finals in August, calling on those who got behind the movement around choice between skorts and shorts to buy tickets in a 'real tangible act of support for the players.'
Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Camogie president targets filling Croke Park for All-Ireland final
Brian Molloy has set a hugely ambitious target of filling Croke Park for All-Ireland camogie final day on Sunday, August 10th. Speaking at the launch of the 2025 GlenDimplex All-Ireland Camogie Championships on Monday, the association president called on the public to support their county teams over the coming months. The largest ever attendance at an All-Ireland camogie final was 33,154 at the 2007 decider between Cork and Wexford, though that figure was skewed by the Galway v Dublin under-21 All-Ireland hurling final acting as the curtain-raiser. The first and only time a camogie final broke the 30,000 threshold without hurling on the undercard was in 2023 when 30,191 watched Cork and Waterford in the senior showpiece event. All-Ireland camogie final day last year attracted 27,811. READ MORE In launching a three-year strategic plan in 2024, the association's stated aim was to have a crowd of 50,000 at the 2026 All-Ireland final. However, Molloy has set his sights higher. 'It was great to see so much focus and so much attention on camogie over the last number of weeks but I want all those people to keep their attention on camogie over the next number of weeks and the next number of months so that on August 10th we can fill Croke Park,' he said. 'We've never done it before. This year's All-Ireland final is going to be historic. The best way you can show actual support for camogie is by filling Croke Park on August 10th.' The Camogie Association has changed the format for this year's All-Ireland championships by not allowing any county enter a second team at junior or intermediate level. Cork and Kilkenny contested last year's intermediate final, while Cork also competed in the senior decider. 'We'll have six distinct counties irrespective of how things go because we've changed the structures and we don't have the second teams,' added Molloy. 'I think having six separate counties in our finals is going to be hugely important. So that's my key message, tickets are already on sale, they're up on the Ticketmaster website so there is no excuse for people not to have tickets for the All-Ireland finals.' All-Ireland camogie final day on August 10th will see a triple header take place at Croke Park with the junior, intermediate and senior deciders all on the card.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Irish camogie players triumph after skorts backlash and can now wear shorts
Armagh's Sophia Vallely tackles Seamim Shaw of Meath at the Camogie U16 all-Ireland championship shield final in Kinnegad, Westmeath, Ireland, on 3 May. Armagh's Sophia Vallely tackles Seamim Shaw of Meath at the Camogie U16 all-Ireland championship shield final in Kinnegad, Westmeath, Ireland, on 3 May. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho/Rex/Shutterstock 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. 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.'
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Politics
- 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.'
The 42
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
A historic moment for camogie but why did it take this long for choice to prevail?
'HE'S COMING….' The words we had been waiting for all evening had finally arrived. It was followed quickly by the sound of footsteps in the distance becoming gradually louder. In the room, there was a flicker of needless movement. A tap of a laptop key or another look at a phone to make sure a camera was facing the right way. Anything to feel a bit more ready. But, of course, we were already locked into position. Everyone had two of everything to cover both outcomes. Two drafts ready to be published. Two different messages to post on X. Motion passed. Or motion defeated. No to shorts. Yes to shorts. Which way would Caeser's thumb point? Surely, a marginal win either way, we thought. Advertisement And then Camogie Association President Brian Molloy began to speak. White smoke from the camogie conclave. An overwhelming yes to shorts and skorts together, he said. A 98% yes, if you please. In the end, it was all so simple and yet, it poses a pertinent question: why did it take this long for choice to prevail? 'Was their much debate?' one journalist asked after he delivered the outcome of the Camogie Association Special Congress. 'No,' came Molloy's response. 'There was no need for a debate,' he added later. An almost unanimous decision to empower players with the right to choose between skorts and shorts, and finally draw the curtain on a difficult few weeks for everyone involved in camogie. It comes just in time for the commencement of the All-Ireland camogie championship this weekend. Preparing for battle is the only burden players will carry. Playing under protest is no longer something they have to consider. Hearing about matches being postponed on the eve of throw-in is no longer something they have to fear. And while this was ultimately a night of celebration for camogie, one must also reflect on the misery players have endured to bring about this result. They are the ones who launched this movement. Camogie Association President Brian Molloy. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO They are the ones who emerged on pitches in shorts to make the public aware of their cause. They are the ones who either refused outright to play in skorts or would only agree wear skorts but without consenting to photography or video clips of their games. They are the ones who have been asked by media for interviews about their feelings on the matter, or for updates on what form of protest their team is planning for an upcoming game. Essentially, they are the ones left picking up the tab. Some provincial finals have been cancelled due to the protests, and there is no indication for when those games will be refixed. It will be difficult to find a free date with the All-Ireland championships now taking over the calendar. Many will feel this matter should have been resolved last year when two motions on skorts were put before the Camogie Congress. However, both were defeated. From that disappointment, a raging desire for change emerged. And yet, just one year on from that Congress, any sense of division on this matter has all but been severed. Only around three people out of 133 delegates voted to prevent the inclusion of shorts in the sport's playing attire. Since the media was not permitted to attend Special Congress, we can only rely on the president's description of how the delegates came to this decision. They began, he says, by having some food and interacting with each other. He added that it was clear that the delegates had engaged with their players before attending Special Congress to vote. Related Reads Camogie president hails 'fantastic victory for choice' as shorts added to sport's attire Shorts permitted in camogie after overwhelming majority vote at Special Congress Decision day as camogie set for major vote on skorts controversy 'It's been really difficult for the volunteers,' Molloy said while commenting on the challenging period that has preceded this historic moment. 'It's been really difficult for the players. Players just want to play camogie. 'I think the message that goes out to players is we will react, we will engage, we will work. If you talk to us we will work with you but we will do it within our rules. We can only do it within our rules. 'We cannot set aside rules just because people want us to. I'd like to see other associations that could point to turning around a rule change as quick as we have done here.' Throughout his address, he referred to how the Camogie Association responded to the outcry for choice and change within the sport. 'We didn't have you waiting too long,' he added. 'It was a fairly quick congress.' That may be true in the context of tonight. But on a broader scale, the players have waited too long for this.
