Latest news with #MunsterCouncil
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Camogie skorts protest leads to Cork-Waterford final being postponed
The skorts have been described as "uncomfortable and unfit for purpose". Photo: AFP A major final in the Irish sport of camogie has been called off after the women playing in the game refused to wear skorts. The Munster final between Cork and Waterford was postponed as the stars of camogie, the women's version of hurling, made it clear they wanted the option to play in shorts. The Camogie Association of Ireland broke its silence eight days after player protests began, as the governing body's president said he wants and expects a motion to change the rule to be successful. The rules governing camogie state that playing gear must include a skirt, skort or divided skirt. Last Saturday (local time), Dublin and Kilkenny entered the pitch wearing shorts before changing into skorts to avoid their Leinster Championship semifinal being abandoned, but after Cork and Waterford announced their intention to play in shorts, the Munster final was postponed. The Munster Council postponed the game, giving less than 24 hours' notice, and the teams issued a statement that said the decision showed "scant regard" for the players. "We feel completely let down," the statement from Waterford and Cork read. "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. "There was an opportunity to take a step forward from the recent controversy. Instead, a provincial final has been postponed because we took control of what we would wear. "To us, that feels like a massive step backwards." Camogie Association President Brian Molloy told local radio he "empathised with where the players are coming from". "From Munster Council's perspective, I 100 percent support their decision," he said. "The key here is that we were working right up to the wire to try and resolve the issue, and we thought we had." Dublin captain Aisling Maher had been vocal about the issue, saying the skorts were "uncomfortable and unfit for purpose", but stressing the issue is more about the lack of choice. "How are female players still having to push for permission to wear shorts while they compete at the highest level of their sport," she wrote on Instagram, describing the scenes before the Leinster semifinal as a "career low". "In no other facet of my life does someone dictate that I have to wear something resembling a skirt because I am a girl. Why is it happening in my sport?" The Gaelic Players' Association (GPA) released research saying 83 percent of players would prefer to wear shorts or believe players should have the option. It also showed 70 percent of players reported discomfort while wearing skorts, 65 percent were concerned about exposure in photographs and video content, and half said they had experienced anxiety around period leaks. Two motions to change the rule were defeated last year, and player pressure has seen the association call a special congress for 22 May to vote on a new motion to introduce shorts as an option. "We proposed to the GPA that we would bring forward the congress decision to 2026, and I had a very detailed conversation with the GPA chief executive, who welcomed that proposal," Molloy said. "Then 24 hours later, and I have no issue with this whatsoever, the players indicated, no, that wasn't enough. They wanted it faster than that." Louth and Wicklow also joined the protest movement, saying the rule was "outdated" and urging the sport's governing bodies to get with the times. The All-Ireland championship is scheduled to begin two days after the congress, and another vote against shorts would put the sport's premier competition at serious risk. "I have to be careful not to be seen to be telling anybody how to vote. I am saying unequivocally that I want to see choice. That's my personal view," Molloy said. "I've spoken to a lot of delegates, and the consistent feedback is that they are 100 percent behind keeping the skort but giving the option for shorts. "I'm very comfortable that we will get the support to get it across the line." - Reuters/ABC
Irish Independent
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Camogie president confident upcoming vote will allow players option to wear shorts
It comes after the Munster senior camogie final between Cork and Waterford that was due to be played on Saturday was postponed after both panels said that they would wear shorts instead of the mandatory skorts, which are mandatory under Camogie Association rules. In a bid to end the crisis, Camogie Association president Brian Molloy had issued a special congress note, sent to all clubs and secretaries, ahead of a crucial vote on the issue on May 22, confirming that he supports the proposal to add the option of shorts for players. Speaking to This Week on RTÉ Radio 1 yesterday, Mr Molloy said he has had a lot of contact this week over girls who 'want to keep wearing the skort'. Mr Molloy said he '100pc supported' the decision of the Munster Council to postpone the regional camogie final. He stressed that the association got a unanimous agreement to go to a special congress to resolve the issue, which he 'hoped would be sufficient'. On why the match was postponed, Mr Molloy said as president he doesn't have the authority to tell a referee to put the rule (of mandatory skort-wearing) to one side. Mr Molloy said he empathises with the Cork and Waterford players, who learnt of the postponement less than 24 hours before the game. 'There is a process they [Munster Council] had to go through. They made it as quickly as they possibly could and then communicated it out to the county boards,' he said. 'Could it have been done faster? Possibly. But you have to remember, this landed on my desk less than two weeks ago .' On why the association took eight days to answer questions, Mr Molloy said it was working behind the scenes with the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) to find solutions. ADVERTISEMENT 'We have issued statements to say we were working on it. But I have responsibilities to my members. 'I wrote out to all the county chairs and secretaries to let them know unequivocally that the position of Ard Chomhairle [governing body between congresses] and of me is that we support the right to protest. 'We support the introduction of choice and that they are to engage with their players and make sure their players' voices are heard on this.' Mr Molloy said they are putting forward a choice, where a player can decide if she wants to wear shorts or the skort. 'I am confident that the change will happen. I have spoken to a lot of delegates and the consistent feedback is that they are 100pc behind keeping the skort but giving the option for the short,' Mr Molloy added. On a loss of confidence in the association and Mr Molloy's leadership on handling the issue, he said it was the first time the issue was raised in the last 12 months. '
Straits Times
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Camogie Association president confident shorts ban will be overturned
The Camogie Association of Ireland broke their silence eight days after player protests for the right to wear shorts began, with the governing body's president saying on Sunday that he wants and expects a motion to change the rule to be successful. The rules governing camogie, the female version of hurling, state that playing gear must include skirt, skort or divided skirt. Last Saturday, Dublin and Kilkenny entered the pitch wearing shorts before changing into skorts to avoid their match being abandoned, but when Cork and Waterford announced their intention to play in shorts, Saturday's Munster final was postponed. The Munster Council postponed the game giving less than 24 hours notice and the teams issued a statement saying the decision showed scant regard for the players. "I empathize with where the players are coming from, and from Munster Council's perspective, I 100% support their decision," Camogie Association President Brian Molloy told RTE Radio. "The key here is that we were working right up to the wire to try and resolve the issue and we thought we had." Two motions to change the rule were defeated last year, and player pressure has seen the association call a special congress for May 22 to vote on a new motion to introduce shorts as an option. "We proposed to the GPA that we would bring forward the congress decision to 2026, and I had a very detailed conversation with the GPA chief executive who welcomed that proposal," Molloy said. "Then 24 hours later, and I have no issue with this whatsoever, the players indicated, no, that wasn't enough, they wanted it faster than that." The All-Ireland championship is scheduled to begin two days after the congress, and another vote against shorts would put the sport's premier competition at serious risk. "I have to be careful not to be seen to be telling anybody how to vote. I am saying unequivocally that I want to see choice. That's my personal view," Molloy said. "I've spoken to a lot of delegates and the consistent feedback is that they are 100% behind keeping the skort but giving the option for shorts. "I'm very comfortable that we will get the support to get it across the line." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Camogie Association president confident shorts ban will be overturned
(Reuters) - The Camogie Association of Ireland broke their silence eight days after player protests for the right to wear shorts began, with the governing body's president saying on Sunday that he wants and expects a motion to change the rule to be successful. The rules governing camogie, the female version of hurling, state that playing gear must include skirt, skort or divided skirt. Last Saturday, Dublin and Kilkenny entered the pitch wearing shorts before changing into skorts to avoid their match being abandoned, but when Cork and Waterford announced their intention to play in shorts, Saturday's Munster final was postponed. The Munster Council postponed the game giving less than 24 hours notice and the teams issued a statement saying the decision showed scant regard for the players. "I empathize with where the players are coming from, and from Munster Council's perspective, I 100% support their decision," Camogie Association President Brian Molloy told RTE Radio. "The key here is that we were working right up to the wire to try and resolve the issue and we thought we had." Two motions to change the rule were defeated last year, and player pressure has seen the association call a special congress for May 22 to vote on a new motion to introduce shorts as an option. "We proposed to the GPA that we would bring forward the congress decision to 2026, and I had a very detailed conversation with the GPA chief executive who welcomed that proposal," Molloy said. "Then 24 hours later, and I have no issue with this whatsoever, the players indicated, no, that wasn't enough, they wanted it faster than that." The All-Ireland championship is scheduled to begin two days after the congress, and another vote against shorts would put the sport's premier competition at serious risk. "I have to be careful not to be seen to be telling anybody how to vote. I am saying unequivocally that I want to see choice. That's my personal view," Molloy said. "I've spoken to a lot of delegates and the consistent feedback is that they are 100% behind keeping the skort but giving the option for shorts. "I'm very comfortable that we will get the support to get it across the line." (Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
RTÉ News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Brian Molloy supports choice in skorts debate, but can't enforce change
As the debate and fallout over the Camogie Association's rules on skorts escalates, the under-fire organisation's president Brian Molloy has indicated a personal preference to afford the players the option of wearing shorts, without being in a position to unilaterally alter the existing rules. Camogie players are not permitted to wear shorts in matches, to the chagrin of many players, who have become increasingly vocal, visible and defiant in their protests against officialdom. On Wednesday, Munster finalists Cork and Waterford indicated their intention to don sports in the provincial decider, which was slated to take place on Saturday at The Ragg in Tipperary. That prompted the association to call a Special Congress for 22 May, where a motion to resolve the controversy surrounding players being forced to wear skorts would be put to a vote. However, that development was too late for Saturday's encounter, which the Munster Council opted to defer, with players and the powers that be on a high-profile collision course. "There's a process that I've got to go through. It's bottom up, not top down, I don't make these decisions, I have to go through a process." Speaking to RTÉ's This Week on Sunday, Molloy reminded listeners that rules are set by the Camogie Association members in congress and not by the president, with his role ensuring that the decisions taken in congress are honoured. He said he has had "a lot of contact" this week from girls and women who want to keep wearing skorts and volunteers have been "working hard to try and get this resolved". "We proposed, first of all, that what we would do is bring forward the decision to Congress 26 rather than Congress 27. I had a very detailed conversation with the chief executive of the GPA and he welcomed that proposal and said he'd champion it," he said. "We had a good conversation about how the two of us would then go around over the next six or seven month to the various counties to make sure the delegates understood the proposal and it would be an evidence-based process that we'd put in front of people. "And then 24 hours later - and I've no issue with this whatsoever - the players indicated that wasn't enough, they wanted it faster than that. So I went back to Ard Comhairle again. There's a process that I've got to go through. It's bottom up, not top down, I don't make these decisions, I have to go through a process." Molloy said the decision to postpone Saturday's Munster final came from the Munster Council, adding that he "100%" supported the decision. He said they received "unanimous agreement" that the issue would go to a special congress in two weeks and it was his belief and hope that that would be "sufficient to get things over the line". "I don't have the authority to tell a referee to put a rule to one side... as the president I absolutely have no choice but to operate within the actual rules," he said. "If someone else decides to do something different, there isn't a huge amount that I can do about that. I couldn't tell the referee to ignore a rule, and if I did, he would have to ignore me." Molloy said they had been working "right up to the wire" to try and resolve the issue and he believed it had been resolved. When it became clear it had not been resolved, volunteers had to "pull together the council" to make a formal decision. "I can't tell a delegate how to vote. I can and have told delegates that they are to ask their players." "There's a process they have to go through. They made it as quickly as they possibly could and then communicated it to the county board that they had made that decision," he said. "Could it have been done faster? Possibly, but you have to remember, this landed on my desk less than two weeks ago, and in less than two weeks, I will have a special congress - which is the only way I can have the rule changed. "So in total elapsed time, less than one month after it landed on my desk, I will have a special congress fixing this issue for good in accordance with rules, without any sidestepping of rules, doing it properly in line with our association and the democratic views of our association. I can't overrule the democratic processes in our association." Molloy said he cannot tell anybody how to vote because it is a democratic process, but it is his personal view that he "wants to see choice". "I can't tell a delegate how to vote. I can and have told delegates that they are to ask their players," he added.
