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Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
‘A great challenge': Former Dublin GAA star Tomás ‘Mossy' Quinn relishes new Shelbourne CEO role
Tomás 'Mossy' Quinn's arrival as Shelbourne chief executive in April raised a few eyebrows simply because people embedded in Irish sports tend to stay in their lane. Sure, there is plenty of intellectual property shared between the GAA , the IRFU and the FAI , but for the most part the big three organisations are trying to entice the same paying customers. The Dubs draw Shels , Bohemians , Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick's Athletic fans on to Hill 16 in high summer. Quinn, who won three All-Irelands in his Gaelic football career as a sharpshooter for Dublin and St Vincent's, saw the irony of the very same people being segregated for the recent derby between Bohs and Shels at Tolka Park. 'You could see guys segregated in the home and away sections, and the next morning they would be down in Na Fianna coaching. That took a little getting used to.' READ MORE Currently, Shels's average attendance is 4,600, which could be significantly more if Tolka is improved. 'Gaelic football, GAA, was what I played my whole life but I think sport is my passion,' he said. 'Across multiple sports, I've always had an interest. I was fortunate enough to be on the board of directors of Golf Ireland for the last year. 'I worked in Dublin GAA for 11 years [as the commercial and marketing director] but I would have had opportunities within that time to spend time with other sports, from rugby to soccer to American football. So I've always had that natural interest in working in sport. 'There's not that many jobs in Irish sport at a significant level, or to keep progressing, so I think what appealed to me was that opportunity. Tomás Quinn in action for Dublin in 2012. Photograph: Donall Farmer/Inpho 'It's a broader role than I was in with Dublin, there's obviously more to it. And to be honest, it's outside my comfort zone, so it's a great challenge.' Challenges are widespread at a club like Shelbourne despite investment from tech entrepreneur brothers Neil and Cathal Doyle. But it helps that Quinn arrives in the wake of Damien Duff guiding the club to a first Premier Division title in 19 years. [ How Damien Duff delivered Shelbourne's first league title since 2006 Opens in new window ] 'The financial footing of clubs – there's an onus on clubs to have an ability to make sure they're operating in a responsible way and generating enough revenue to maintain having a men's team, a women's team, underage academy and everything else that goes with it. 'That is the biggest challenge for any club, I would say from my initial assessment. How do you continue to grow that? How can you do that in a sustainable method? What does that actually look like? 'And tied to that is facilities. We're here in Tolka Park. I see opportunity in it, but there's a massive cost associated with upgrading [the stadium].' Quinn's time working under Dublin GAA's quietly efficient administrator John Costello, who retired in 2023 , along with football managers such as the successful businessman Pat Gilroy and the rule-bending Jim Gavin, should ready anyone for the crossover into professional soccer. 'The biggest difference is John probably wouldn't be sitting here doing one of these,' said Quinn of Costello's famous reticence. 'Straight away he'd be giving out to me. 'The big thing is their values are authentic and how they communicate with people. Sport to me is bringing people with you. Shelbourne fans during Shels' clash with FC Zurich in the Europa Conference League last year. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho 'When I think about those people, Pat Gilroy is a clubmate of mine, and I worked with a company alongside Pat for 10 years before working for Dublin. 'More so from working directly with John and Pat, it was their ability to communicate with people. If they make a decision, say why you're making that decision.' Costello transformed the Dublin GAA into a commercial behemoth, while Shelbourne have lost about €1 million per year since Duff arrived in 2022. 'No, we can't [continue to lose money]. I think the onus is on us to strive and try and reduce that. It's not good enough for me to come in and say 'we lost a million last year, we can lose a million this year.' That needs to change.' Still, it's a good time to become the Shelbourne CEO. Next stop is Nyon, Switzerland, for the Champions League draw, with Quinn determined to meet every Uefa stipulation to ensure the first-round qualifier in June can be held at Tolka. 'We are working through stuff with Uefa. There were Conference League games played here last year. Champions League is slightly different. 'Our intent, if we are fortunate to progress to a certain round, it has to be a Uefa-approved stadium, which is Tallaght or the Aviva. 'That would be a good problem to have as it means we are winning games. First and foremost, Tolka Park is where we are playing European games.'
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
After More Than a Century in Skorts and Skirts, Ireland's Camogie Allows Shorts
The sport's rules were written more than a century ago, when the mere playing of Gaelic games was a political act in British-occupied Ireland. Much has changed for the island and its athletes since then, but one thing has not: Women on Gaelic Camogie teams are forbidden from wearing shorts during official play and are required to wear a skort. On Thursday, 121 years since the first rules ensconced the gendered uniform requirements, the Camogie Athletic Association voted to allow players to choose to wear either shorts or a skort. 'We welcome the result of this evening's vote for choice,' the Gaelic Player's Association, which includes Ireland's Camogie players, said in a statement posted on X. '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.' In a country that prides itself on contemporary, progressive policies, the exhaustive debate over Camogie apparel has needled some of Ireland's most entrenched underbellies. For years, athletes have said they would prefer to play in shorts. Young girls have said the same, and studies have shown that attire concerns are one of the main reasons girls quit athletics at a young age. Still, the sport's global governing body, the Camogie Association, had repeatedly voted to keep the skort rule in place, endorsing tradition and history — and, players said, gender bias. The rule 'screams sexism,' Jane Adams, a former Camogie All-Star from County Antrim, in Northern Ireland, told the BBC. Camogie is a brutal game, known for its physical demands and high-stakes contact, played with paddle-shaped wooden sticks and a small, hard ball. A uniquely Irish sport with few comparisons, at least in the American sporting landscape, Camogie is something like a cross between field hockey, baseball and lacrosse. A similar sport played by men is known as 'hurling.' Camogie was also one of the last major sports in the Western world to force its athletes to abide by a gendered dress code. Those regulations were written in the early 20th century while Ireland was still occupied by the British crown, which would declare Gaelic sports 'dangerous' and ban them from being played without permits. Many women's sports have faced similar reckonings in recent years, and there is growing consensus within the athletic community that concessions ought to be made for the differing needs of female athletes. In 2023, the International Hockey Federation voted to allow players the choice on what sort of kit — shorts, skirts or skorts — they would wear for official play. Manchester City Women and the England Women's Football Team have adopted darker uniform options, to address concerns over athletes' periods. Even Wimbledon has reconsidered its stringent dress codes; its all-white undershorts requirement now has an exception that likewise allows for darker garments. Despite a long-running debate among players over the skorts requirement, the Camogie Association voted as recently as last year to keep the measure in place. But recent weeks have seen the skorts question explode into the public forum after widespread protests by players disrupted several league semifinals and championships. Earlier this month, players in Derry arrived on the field in shorts and were sent back to the locker room to change. In Dublin, players from the city's squad and Kilkenny staged a protest, wearing shorts as they appeared for a semifinal; both teams were sent back to the locker room after officials threatened to cancel the match, leading to a forfeit if the women didn't change. The images of female athletes being directed off the pitch by male officials have become emblematic of the debate. 'Career low for me today when 60 plus players ready to play a championship game in shorts are told their match will be abandoned if every player doesn't change into skorts,' Aisling Maher, the captain of the Dublin Camogie team, said on social media after the protest. Days after the Dublin match, Camogie officials were made aware of a planned protest by the Cork and Waterford teams, who were due to face each other in a provincial final. The game was postponed, and players doubted it would be rescheduled. 'We were willing to take that stance. We knew we'd have to drive this forward,' said Lorraine Bray, 28, the captain of the Waterford team. It was only the second time the county had appeared in the provincial final, she said, so the postponement stung. But, she said, it had led to something: 'I suppose that's what made it go to congress,' she said of the vote. '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,' Brian Molloy, the president of the Camogie Association, said in a statement after the vote. 'We cannot set aside rules just because people want us to.' The vote, held by a Special Congress in Dublin's Croke Park, was approved by 98 percent of delegates. From midnight Thursday, players will be permitted to choose between shorts or skorts during official play. The move comes just in time for the beginning of the busy All-Ireland tournament season that is a touchstone of the summer and Gaelic sport calendar.
The Sun
12-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Major women's sporting final CANCELLED over clothing row as furious players take a stand
A CAMOGIE final has been cancelled in Ireland - after players from both teams attempted to wear shorts. Cork and Waterford players claimed they had been "completely let down" by league bosses after the postponement. 2 2 Camogie is the women's version of hurling and is hugely popular in Ireland. The teams had been due to play in the final of the Munster Senior Club Camogie Championship on Saturday afternoon. But because players wanted to wear shorts in the hot weather, the match was called off shortly before the off. Per Camogie Association rules, players are required to wear skorts - a skirt cut to the length of shorts. Refusal to wear skorts under the rules can lead to sanctions for breaching rules on dissent. Munster Camogie wrote in a statement: "As the current Camogie Rules of play are still in place and the players have indicated they would not be prepared to play the game in skorts, the decision has been made to defer the game in the best interests of all players and officials involved." Players from both sides had made it clear in the build-up to the game that they would be wearing shorts. Cork star Ashling Thompson told Her Sport: "We're going to wear shorts and if we're asked to return to the dressing room we won't. "It's not about us versus the association. It's about standing up for what is right." The teams later penned a joint statement in response to the postponement. It read: "As a united group of players, we want to express our bitter disappointment that today's Munster Senior Camogie Final has been postponed. "It shows scant regard for the preparation of players both physically and mentally to be ready for a provincial showpiece, to make this decision just 16 hours before the scheduled throw-in. "We feel completely let down. Both panels had meticulously planned to peak for today. "Training schedules and workload will now have to be readjusted, while not even knowing when the game will take place." A Special Congress is set to take place on May 22 at Croke Park. Members will vote on a rule that would allow players to choose between either skorts or shorts. Speaking to RTE Radio One, Camogie Association president Brian Molloy said: "I'm very comfortable that we will get the support [for shorts] to get it across the line. "I don't set the rules of the association. The association rules are set by the members and they do that in Congress. "And my role as president is to make sure that those rules are respected and those decisions of Congress are respected. "We spent the last few days trying to resolve this issue and it's been difficult."
