Enforced skort rule in camogie 'screams sexism'

Former Antrim camogie All-Star Jane Adams has said the enforcement of skort wearing in camogie "screams sexism" and has urged the Camogie Association to "be transformational" and change the rule.

County and club teams have been mounting pressure on the Camogie Association to relax the rule and give women and girls the choice between wearing skorts or shorts in camogie matches.

It comes after the Kilkenny and Dublin teams were forced to change into skorts before their Leinster Championship semi-final could go ahead last Saturday.

On Thursday the Camogie Association called a Special Congress for 22 May to vote on the issue.

The current rules governing playing gear for camogie state that it must include a skirt, skort (a pair of shorts with an overlapping fabric which resembles a skirt) or a divided skirt.

This is in contrast to women's gaelic football where shorts are allowed.

Camogie is governed by the Camogie Association of Ireland, which is closely linked to the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and alongside the Ladies Gaelic Football Association which is scheduled to formally integrate into the wider GAA in 2027.

Ms Adams told BBC News NI that throughout her "20-year career, this has always been an issue for players".

She retired in 2016 and said she "can't understand or believe that in 2025, this is still a debate and not a choice".

"Personally, it does scream sexism - girls shouldn't be being told what they have to wear. Skorts and shorts look similar, but it's all about comfort."

Ms Adams described the issue as "a no-brainer" and "should have been changed a long time ago".

"I guarantee that one of the reasons why girls are dropping out of camogie is because of this issue.

"So let's look at a solution instead of turning it into a fight."

She said during her career, there was a lot of things she "didn't agree with in the Camogie Association", which caused her to retire sooner than she would have liked.

A recent Gaelic Players Association survey highlighted how 70% of players experienced discomfort while wearing the skort, and that 83% of players wanted an option to choose to wear shorts.

Speaking to RTÉ News on Wednesday, Cork camogie player Ashling Thompson said Cork would wear shorts in Saturday's Munster senior camogie final and if they were asked to change to skorts they would refuse to do so, even if it risked the game being abandoned or forfeiting the Munster title to Waterford.

On Friday evening, Munster Camogie's Christine Ryan said the final would be deferred.

"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," a statement said.

A rescheduled fixture is set to be announced in due course.

Aislín Ní Choinn from St John's in west Belfast told BBC News NI that skorts "aren't fit for purpose" and that "it would always be the talk in the changing rooms".

"It would always be something that would annoy everybody but we just never challenged it," she told BBC News NI.

"No one would ever come to training in a skort, all training is done in shorts because it's the most convenient and comfortable," she said.

She said player welfare should be the focus, and the skort causes a problem for that.

"If you're on your period, if you're having a week like that and you're bloated, the skorts are very uncomfortable, they're very tight.

"When you're playing and you're bending down to go for the ball, you're worrying: 'Am I exposed here, are people going to be able to see":[]}