Social Democrats TD Sinéad Gibney has welcomed the resolution of the dispute over the compulsory wearing of skorts during camogie games, but called for the focus to now switch to the funding and visibility of women’s sports.
Deputy Gibney, who is the party’s spokesperson on sport, said:
“The overwhelming vote in favour of allowing women players to choose whether to wear shorts or skorts is a very positive outcome and should put this farcical controversy to bed once and for all.
“I again commend the Dublin and Kilkenny players who took a stand against this nonsense during the Leinster semi-final earlier this month, which ultimately brought matters to a head and led to last night’s special conference of the Camogie Association. Credit must also go to the Waterford and Cork teams who saw their final postponed after they signalled their intention to defy the skorts regulation.
“It is only right that camogie players are given the autonomy to choose what they want to wear during matches. It is unbelievable that we even had to talk about this issue in modern day Ireland, where we are supposed to embrace values such as equality dignity and respect.
“I want to congratulate all the players who campaigned against this ridiculous rule and succeeded in forcing the Camogie Association’s hand in holding a new ballot on the issue.
“We must now draw a line under this fiasco and shift the focus to the funding and visibility of women in sport. While there has been some progress in this area in recent years in terms of increased attendances and viewership of women’s events, much more needs to be done to ensure a level playing field.”
May 23, 2025