14-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
'I don't think in a million years that would have happened in the men's game.'
Tom Parsons has hit out at the decision to postpone the Munster camogie final, saying it would never have happened in the men's game.
The ongoing skorts/shorts controversy deepened further last Friday night when the Munster Camogie made the decision to pull the decider between Cork and Waterford which was scheduled for the following afternoon after both sets of players had pledged to wear shorts.
Feeling that the match officials couldn't be asked to turn a blind eye to the rule, which states that players must wear skorts, the provincial postponed the game until after a Special Congress called for May 22 to specifically deal with the issue.
As things stand, the Kilkenny-Wexford Leinster camogie final is scheduled to take place on Saturday at Netwatch Cullen Park.
GPA chief executive Parsons said: 'Moving the Congress to the 22nd of this month, of course, it was a positive intervention. But the intervention that was needed to quell this quickly was a suspension of the rule.
'And it's been hugely disappointing that a Munster final was postponed. I don't think in a million years that would have happened in the men's game.
'It would have been resolved - a Munster final, you can only imagine the preparation that goes in there. It's disappointing.
'Rules are there to serve the people. And when those rules hurt the people they're meant to serve, you need to address them immediately.
'It's not the other way around. Why do we have rules? It's to serve the membership. We have a rule that's not fit for purpose. The choice is really important,' said Parsons, who was speaking at a press briefing after the players' body held its AGM on Monday night.
A motion at the upcoming Special Congress will ask delegates to vote on whether players should have the choice to wear shorts or skorts, though a similar motion was defeated at Congress last year, with 64% voting against it.
A 67% majority would be required for the latest motion to pass though Parsons said that he didn't think 'there's any position where players are going to be mandated to wear skorts after Special Congress'.
Dublin captain Aisling Maher, who is co-chair of the GPA's National Executive Committee, was part of the protest taken by her teammates and Kilkenny players earlier this month ahead of their Leinster semi-final which ignited the whole controversy, isn't viewing the Special Congress vote as a fait accompli.
She said: 'Obviously, there's a certain scepticism as players until that vote actually happens and obviously, we'll be hopeful that the vote will go across, but it's very difficult to know, it's very difficult to say.
'Obviously you can't get around the fact that it's the same delegates voting again that voted last year and unfortunately that vote came up short. I think we had 45% on that vote last year and that needs to get to 67% for it to pass.
'So it is a significant jump that's required and I think it's important that we remember when we're looking at this that we're not looking to replace the skort, we're not looking to get rid of the skort, it is just the opportunity for choice for the player.
'It's as simple as that and I would hope that delegates see that and are reminded of that and that that is the underlying message for them going in, is that all that we're asking is for them to give the choice back to the player.'
