Latest news with #MairéadTeehan
BreakingNews.ie
17-05-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Offaly's Mairéad Teehan says there is no guarantee skorts issue will be resolved
Offaly camogie player Mairéad Teehan warns there is no guarantee the vote for players to have the choice to wear shorts instead of skorts will be passed at congress. The issue has dominated the sport since the Leinster semi-final between Dublin and Kilkenny, when both sets of players walked on to the pitch wearing shorts instead of skorts as part of a protest. Advertisement Both sets of players were made to go back into the changing room and put on skorts, or else the game would not have gone ahead. A week later, Cork and Waterford had both agreed to wear shorts in protest, but the Munster final was called off the night before the game was set to take place. A GPA survey indicated 70 per cent of players had experienced discomfort wearing skorts, and 83 per cent wanted the option to wear shorts. However, at last year's Congress in Waterford, two motions were tabled proposing the inclusion of shorts as part of the playing uniform, both of which were defeated. Advertisement As a result of the dispute, a special congress has been organised for May 22nd, where it is widely expected the motion to have the option to wear shorts will be passed. However, speaking as she was named the Camogie player of the month for April, Teehan is not holding her breath the motion will pass. "They are after calling for the special congress, which is great, but that is not a guarantee that it will be changed. "It's the same delegates that are going to this Congress to vote. Advertisement "We can make noise about it now and in fairness to the media, it's been widely shared. But we still don't have any real power in terms of changing that, if the delegates don't actually listen and vote to allow that choice for us. "I will be hopeful that it will go our way, but I know when you don't have that voice to be heard, you are relying on county boards to survey their clubs, talk to their players and say what do you want? And then for the delegates to take that to the camogie board. But you just hope that the delegates would listen to what is going on around the country." Teehan expressed her disappointment in the Munster final being called off due to the players wearing shorts, and says it could have been a moment to show the players are being listened to. She also praised the Offaly minor team, who warmed up in shorts. Advertisement "I was disappointed it was postponed, it would have been a great way for the Camogie Association to be say we are listening to the players and we want it to go ahead. "Even let the match go ahead and fine the teams a euro for wearing the shorts. If they have to follow their own rules, fair enough, but there could have been a way that the match went ahead. "I don't know when the game is going to be played again. It is very difficult on Waterford and Cork. You are preparing for a game, you are doing everything right, and it is just pulled from you on short notice." Sport Camogie finals to go ahead with teams playing unde... Read More After Offaly won Division 2A in April and the championship on the horizon, there are plenty of talking points in the next two weeks. Advertisement While Teehan appreciates the attention the skorts debate has received, she admits the issue is drawing focus away from the games. "It is great to get the attention on this issue because it has been an issue for players for quite a while, so it is great to get that attention. "It does detract massively from the actual games. The championships is starting on the 24th of this month, we should be talking about the great matches and hopefully great championship we will have but it is overshadowed by this."
RTÉ News
14-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Leinster camogie final going ahead, Kilkenny to protest by wearing shorts
Saturday's Leinster camogie finals are to go ahead as planned, with Kilkenny intending to wear shorts in protest against the ongoing skorts controversy, but the panel will change into skorts if directed to do so by the referee. The Cats' opponents in the senior final, Wexford, have yet to indicate whether or not they intend to join the protest. Last weekend's Munster final was deferred with less than 24 hours' notice due to Cork and Waterford's determination to wear shorts - risking the cancellation of the fixture. The Camogie Association has called a Special Congress for 22 May, where a motion to resolve the controversy surrounding players being forced to wear skorts will be put to a vote. Saturday's Leinster final is fixed for 4pm at Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow, and will be preceded by the intermediate decider between Laois and Carlow. It was an attempt to wear shorts by the Kilkenny and Dublin teams before the Leinster semi-final on 3 May that sparked the current controversy. Offaly's Mairéad Teehan told RTÉ Sport that they had intended to join the protest until they learned Wexford were going to wear the regulation skorts for their semi-final encounter. The Cork and Waterford panels expressed their disappointment and anger with the decision to postpone their game, which was widely criticised by former players such as Ursula Jacob. Speaking to RTÉ Sport, the four-time All-Ireland winner described the late call as a "real kick in the teeth". "I can see why the players feel let down by the association. I can sense the frustration from these girls," said the four-time All-Ireland winner. "Sixteen hours notice? Why were they only given that amount of notice? When is it going to be refixed for?" The former Wexford forward referenced the Leinster minor final on Saturday afternoon, where both Dublin and Offaly wore shorts before a lengthy consultation with officials, which saw them change into skorts. "Players don't want to be in the spotlight for these reasons. They want to focus on the games. This week has been a little bit of a circus," Jacob said. "It's not good enough."
The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
‘Just give us the choice' – Offaly star Mairead Teehan backs shorts switch ahead of camogie Congress
OFFALY camogie star Mairéad Teehan hopes delegates vote for choice between skorts and shorts at a special congress on May 22. The pressure of player protests has forced 2 PwC GPA Player of the Month for April in camogie, Mairéad Teehan of Offaly, with her award outside the PwC offices in Cork 2 Mairead Teehan of Offaly has weighed in on the shorts vs skorts controversy Saturday's Munster final between And Teehan hopes the player's wishes will be granted to end the saga later this month. read more on gaa She said: 'Look, it has dominated discussions. It's something that needed to be done in terms of players standing up and saying, 'Look, we want a choice here.' And it's great to see that teams have been standing up. 'Even in the background, the GPA have been working on this for quite a while, trying to figure out the logistics of it and what we could do. 'But, yeah, look, it's great to see that we're standing up for ourselves as well. "Like that, it's been an issue for a number of years and when it goes to Congress or something like that, we don't necessarily have that, I suppose, power to actually make those decisions for ourselves. Most read in GAA Hurling 'You're relying on your county boards and your delegates to pass those motions. "So, yeah, it's just something that we felt as a players group that we felt needed to be addressed at this point. It's just great to see everyone coming out in support of us. Dublin and Kilkenny camogie players wear shorts in protest against skorts 'In fairness to the Camogie Association they did call the Special Congress to try and change the rule. 'But it is now up to the delegates to vote and to listen to what players are saying across the country and listen to what we want. 'It's just that thing of, we want a choice. Like, if you want to stay wearing a skort, that's absolutely fine but it's also that we have that choice to wear the shorts as well.' Teehan was voted on to the GPA's National Executive Committee this week. The player's representative body have unanimously passed their own motion to remove the skort as compulsory - and Teehan never liked them. She said: 'No, I never liked them, to be honest. I was never a fan of them. And I just, yeah, just find them uncomfortable in general. 'Just, I suppose, then like that when you're growing up with brothers and you're kind of watching them going, it's like, why do I have to wear these? 'And like that, you train, you play practice matches in shorts. I'd never personally wear the skort in training or in our practice matches. So, yeah, it's just always something I wasn't a fan of, I suppose.' Mairéad Teehan of Offaly is the PwC GPA Camogie Player of the Month for April. PwC are proud sponsors of the Player of the Month awards across camogie, hurling, football and ladies football.
The 42
13-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Special Congress 'not a guarantee' skorts issue will be resolved
OFFALY CAMOGIE PLAYER Mairéad Teehan is hopeful the skorts issue will be resolved at Special Congress, but adds 'it's not a guarantee' that rules around playing gear will change. Motions addressing the ongoing skorts controversy will be considered at the Camogie Association Special Congress in Croke Park on 22 May. The decision follows recent events where teams protested against the issue by wearing shorts instead of the mandated skorts for matches. The Dublin and Kilkenny teams were forced to change into skorts after appearing on the pitch in shorts for their Leinster senior semi-final on 3 May. The Munster senior final was subsequently cancelled by the provincial council after it emerged that the Cork and Waterford teams were planning to join the protest and wear shorts for the game at The Ragg. Teehan says the decision to have a Special Congress is 'great' but has some concerns that the players' desire for choice could still be under threat. 'That's not a guarantee that the rule will be changed. It's the same delegates that are going to this Congress to vote. Advertisement 'We can make noise about it now but we still don't have any real power in terms of changing that. 'I'd be hopeful that it will go our way. When you don't our voice there to be heard, you're relying on county boards to survey their clubs and ask, 'What do ye want?' You just hope the delegates will listen to what's going on around the country and listen to the players. At the end of the day, we're the backbone of the association.' The Offaly minor camogie team also participated in the skorts protest last weekend when they wore shorts for their Leinster minor 'A' shield final alongside their opponents Dublin. Those players were also ordered off the field to change into skorts before the game got underway. Teehan praised those young players who 'stepped up' as part of the wider effort to affect change. Teehan's Offaly teammates also hoped to wear shorts in the other Leinster senior semi-final against Wexford, but both teams ultimately wore skorts to ensure the game would be played. 'We were happy to wear shorts and were told Wexford were happy to wear the skorts so we just felt we were in a hard place whether the game would be given against us if we turned up in shorts. 'We just felt we were after training so hard for it, that we wouldn't that day. If we won that day, we would have been very happy to wear them in the Leinster final. Nothing against Wexford, that's their choice as well. We just felt nothing had happened elsewhere, so we didn't know what way it was going to go.' Teehan says she is 'disappointed' at how the Camogie Association has handled the skorts debacle and feels Munster Camogie could have found a different solution to allow the Cork-Waterford game go ahead. 'It would have been a great way to say that they're listening to players and want this competition to go ahead and have a derogation for two weeks. Or even let the match go ahead and fine the teams for wearing the shorts.' Teehan adds that it is 'absolutely crazy' that players are being forced to wear skorts and cannot fathom why it remains an issue in 2025. And while she appreciates the ongoing public attention being given to the matter, she also laments the distraction it causes for matchday preparation. 'It does take away from your preparation. I know as someone who's going to be texting into the player's group to tell them that this is what's going on, you don't like doing that, to be pulling and dragging girls the night before a game. 'It is affecting girls' thoughts around preparation, particularly this week and last week. 'Championship is starting on 24 May and we should be talking about the great matches and hopefully the great championship that we will have but it is overshadowed by this. It's overshadowing preparation for girls and players.' Earlier this season, Offaly achieved league promotion by defeating Derry in the Division 2A final, meaning they will be operating in Division 1B next year. Teehan, along with her cousin Grace combined for 4-8 in that 4-13 to 0-10 victory last month. 'Grace is fantastic,' Teehan begins. 'She was flying it in the league, scoring all round her. She's fantastic and it's a very competitive forward line this year which is great. Related Reads In camogie, the war rages on between those fighting for the past and those fighting for the future Waterford and Cork camogie players label decision to cancel Munster final 'massive step backwards' Wexford camogie team still planning to wear shorts for Leinster final 'We targeted that league to get some silverware and momentum. We're in the intermediate championship and we're going to be playing the likes of Antrim and Down. We want to be playing against those teams for us to develop.' Mairéad Teehan was speaking after receiving the PwC GPA Player of the Month for April in camogie
RTÉ News
13-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Brian Hayes and Mairéad Teehan lead the way for April accolades
Offaly's Mairéad Teehan and Síofra O'Shea of defending All-Ireland champions Kerry are the April winners of the PwC GPA Women's Player of the Month awards for camogie and football, with Cork's Brian Hayes and Meath's Mathew Costello named the PwC GAA/GPA Hurler and Footballer of the month respectively. Teehan played a central role in guiding the Faithful County to a Division 2A title and securing their promotion to Division 1B. In the league decider against Derry, Teehan accounted for 2-04 of the team's tally 4-13 in a dominant win. O'Shea notched three points in Kerry's hard-fought Division 1 league final victory over Armagh, while in the Kingdom's championship opener she contributed half a dozen points in the victory over Cork. Hayes has been chosen as the outstanding hurler for April, a key figure in a Cork forward division that has sparkled this year. The 27-year-old tormented Tipperary as the Rebels eased to a long-awaited Division 1 title, while that blistering form carried into the Munster championship against Clare – where he notched 2-02 in the opening half at Cusack Park – and again proving a thorn in the side of Tipp on Leeside. Meath's Matthew Costello – who found the back of the net in Sunday's Leinster football final defeat to Louth – was instrumental in helping the Royals navigate their way to a provincial decider as Carlow, Offaly and most memorably, Dublin, were defeated along the way.
