Latest news with #DublinCamogie
Irish Independent
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Dublin camogie chief Karl O'Brien fears for game if ‘shorts' motion fails
Dublin Camogie chairperson Karl O'Brien believes this week's Camogie Special Congress could prove to be a 'defining moment' for the sport if the motion that proposes a choice between skorts and shorts within the playing attire passes.
Irish Times
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
D-Day for Lions hopefuls as Andy Farrell's squad announced
For all those with hopes of making Andy Farrell's Lions squad, it's D-Day. At 2pm today, in the O2 Arena in London, Lions chair Ieuan Evans will announce the names of the players chosen for this summer's tour to Australia . If the crystal ball used by the Irish Times' rugby crew was in good working order when they sat down to predict the squad, then between 10 and 14 Irish players will make the cut. Gordon D'Arcy was the least patriotic, only selecting 10, John O'Sullivan the most generous, with 14. Gerry Thornley and Nathan Johns went for 13, the unluckiest omission from all their squads Caelan Doris due to that shoulder injury. In Gaelic games, skorts-gate could soon be at an end after the Camogie Association announced that it will hold a special congress at Croke Park on May 22nd when delegates will again vote on whether players should be allowed wear shorts. This news comes after some defiance from Dublin camogie on the long-rumbling controversy , Malachy Clerkin reporting on their decision not to enforce the skorts-only rule for their players, while Cork and Tipperary also planned on defying the rule in Saturday's Munster final. Ciarán Murphy, meanwhile, is bemoaning the daft scheduling of championship games which is resulting in clashing fixtures or, worse, tasty looking games not making it to our screens at all. Mercifully, Sunday's Leinster final between Meath and Louth will be televised, Gordon talking to Louth manager Ger Brennan in advance of the game. In golf, Philip Reid previews Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry's trip to Philadelphia where they will be teeing off in the first round of the Truist Championship today, McIlroy the defending champion. There's been no end of distractions for McIlroy since he won you-know-what, so he's eager to 'get back in the groove, especially with next week's US PGA at Quail Hollow on the horizon'. READ MORE Bill Belichick, it might be said, found his groove when the 73-year-old NFL coaching legend struck up a relationship with a former college cheerleader 49 years his junior. It is, writes Dave Hannigan in his America at Large column, a relationship with which the country is obsessed . Is Belichick 'some lovestruck Learesque character prone to exploitation in his dotage', or is he just happy? TV Watch : You can watch live coverage of the announcement of Andy Farrell's Lions squad from 2pm today (Sky Sports Main Event). A bit later, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are back in action at the Truist Championship in Philadelphia (Sky Sports Golf, 4pm), and at the same time Sky Sports+ starts its coverage of the LPGA Americas Open where Leona Maguire is in the field. And this evening, there are three European semi-final second legs to choose from – Manchester United (3) v Athletic Club (0) (Premier Sports 1 and TNT 1) and Bodø/Glimt (1) v Tottenham (3) (Premier Sports 2 and TNT Sports 2) in the Europa League, and Chelsea (4) v Djurgården (1) (TNT Sports 3) in the Conference League. All three games start at 8.0.
BreakingNews.ie
08-05-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Camogie Association calls special congress over Skorts controversy
The Camogie Association has announced it will call a special congress at Croke Park on May 22nd to resolve the skorts controversy. A recent survey shows 83 percent of inter-county players would prefer to wear shorts instead of skorts or be given a choice. Advertisement A protest by Dublin and Kilkenny players last weekend resulted in the game almost being called off. Cork and Waterford camogie teams also confirmed they intend to wear shorts at this Saturday's Munster Senior Final. Dublin camogie player Aisling Maher has welcomed the news. 'I really welcome the news that Camogie are recognising how significant this issue is for players, that they've obviously realised that postponing this issue until 2026, never mind 2027, is just not seen enough. So I really welcome news that it'll be addressed this year,' she told RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland. Advertisement Ms Maher said she was hopeful that delegates will have re-evaluated the situation and that the vote at the special congress will be representative of how players really feel. 'I would hope that this can be dealt with in a common sense way. Obviously, the conversation that we had at the time of our game against Kilkenny last weekend was that if we proceeded in shorts, the game would be abandoned. 'I know a number of games have since been held at club level in a number of the counties where the approach that has been taken has been to ask the ref to note any players that are wearing shorts and as it is in breach of present playing rules to report it to the county board or the organisation that's governing the game at that time. 'So I would like to think that the players in Cork and Waterford who have made it very clear that they want to play their Munster final on Saturday in shorts, that they'll be there ready to go, play, put on a great display for everybody who's going to hopefully go to support them. I would I would to think a similar approach can be taken. To ensure that they are allowed to continue to play this game in what feels comfortable for them, because it would be a backwards step to expect players in the interim of getting this across the line to wear skorts.' Advertisement When asked if the referee would be expected to 'turn a blind eye' if players come out in shorts for the Munster final, Ms Maher said that the onus should not be on referees 'in the middle of the pitch' or the players on the day to deal with the issue. 'It should be dealt with at a higher level by the administration. So between the Camogie Association and the county boards involved, I think both Waterford and Camogie county boards have come out in support of their players wearing what they feel is comfortable and appropriate for them to wear on Saturday. So I would rather see it dealt with on an administration level than for players and referees.' Ms Maher also acknowledged that the people who will be participating in the special congress in two weeks will be the same people who previously voted to retain skorts. However, she was hopeful that they will have taken on board the reaction of players as the vote in 2024 was not representative 'of how players feel on the ground". 'I would hope that each delegate will individually go back to their own players within their own counties' to ensure that the vote they bring to the special congress is representative of how players really feel." - Additional reporting from Vivienne Clarke
Irish Times
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Rebellion against ‘outdated' camogie skorts rule gathering pace
The rebellion against the Camogie Association's insistence that its players wear skorts rather than shorts in compliance with its rules is gathering pace. Reigning All-Ireland champions Cork and Waterford on Wednesday evening confirmed they would defy the regulation by wearing shorts for Saturday's Munster final. 'We will be togged out wearing shorts,' the teams said in a statement released by the Gaelic Players' Association . 'That is our choice.' Cork players had earlier said they were prepared to forfeit the game if they were instructed by the referee to change into skorts. READ MORE The issue has rumbled on for several years, with the vast majority of players surveyed saying they find skorts – half skirt, half shorts – uncomfortable and restrictive of their movement on the pitch. However, efforts to give them the option of wearing shorts were rejected by delegates at camogie's congress last year. The issue flared up again last weekend when Dublin and Kilkenny's players wore shorts for their Leinster semi-final. They were told by the referee, who was obliged to enforce the rule, that the game would be abandoned unless they changed into skorts. Which they did. The opposition to the rule has hardened since, with Dublin Camogie instructing its referees to take no action if players refuse to wear skorts . A number of league games in Dublin on Tuesday evening featured players wearing shorts, when, strictly, they should have been sent off for non-compliance. Female Sinn Féin TDs and Senators wore shorts to Leinster House on Wednesday in solidarity with the players, with several Opposition voices calling on the Department of Sport to intervene in the dispute. The Minister of State at the department, Charlie McConalogue , later called on the Camogie Association to engage with the players and urged them to find a resolution. [ Down with this skort of thing: Why are we talking about the long-rumbling issue all over again? Opens in new window ] 'Making sure that everybody is comfortable in terms of participating in sport is absolutely essential,' he said. The association is to be invited to Leinster House to address the Oireachtas committee on sport, the chairman of which, Labour TD Alan Kelly, has described the skorts rule as 'bananas' and 'outdated' . [ Ursula Jacob: The absurd skorts rule is distracting from the great things happening in camogie Opens in new window ] The association's initial response to the controversy was to stand by last year's vote by congress, the majority of the delegates female, while saying it could be reviewed in 2027. But with the pressure mounting in the face of player protests that could yet result in a string of abandoned games in this year's championship if the rules are enforced, they may have no choice but to relent. Saturday's Munster final will be the ultimate test case, unless they act before then.
