Editorial: There is such a thing as bad publicity

They say no publicity is bad publicity don’t they?

Well, I’m not sure the Camogie Association are thinking that after securing a spot in the global spotlight for camogie.

The skort/shorts controversy has been reported on all over the English-speaking world since the Munster Final was delayed. The idea of women being forced to play in an uncomfortable playing garments in this century has been newsworthy in all manner of countries.

One thing that has to be said is that tastes change. I saw a video on social media of some notable inter-county camogie players from 2013 being asked if they favoured skorts or shorts. The likes of former Cork captain Anna Geary, Fionnuala Carr and Kate Kelly were among those asked the question at the 2013 Championship launch in Croke Park by Jerome Quinn. The players interviews were in favour of skorts by 6 to 3. It’s a small sample size but feelings have changed.

It’s important to note that it seems the skorts of that era were quite different and the current ones are far more uncomfortable to some people.

In the short video, Anna Geary suggests she was in favour of sorts “to maintain femininity in the game”.

The former Cork captain then replied to the post on X with her current views: “Just so there is no confusion, as the current skort debate rages on, what I support is choice!! It’s not about siding with one or the other. 12 years ago, (in an older design of the skort might I add), this formed part of my opinion, but a lot has happened since then.

“For starters, I’ve done a documentary on ‘Why girls quit sport’ & seen first hand the drop out rates because of gear. It is a real barrier when it comes to keeping girls & women in sport. This conversation around skorts/ shorts is not about what one person thinks (or thought).

“It’s about listening to what the majority of players want now. We can never choose the ‘look of gear’, or tradition over the interest of players and the retention of players. And isn’t that the great thing about opinions, you have the freedom to change them,” she wrote.

And she raises some excellent points. Having watched Anna’s excellent documentary a few years ago, keeping girls and women involved in sport is so important. Anything that inhibits that is a major issue and playing gear is a big factor for many females who drop out of sport.

A recent GPA survey indicating that 70% had experienced discomfort wearing skorts and 83% wanted the option to wear shorts. At last year's Congress, two motions proposing the inclusion of shorts as part of the playing uniform were rejected by 55% and 64% of delegates.

A Special Congress on 22 May will address the issue again, but there’s no guarantee it will be resolved.

The administrators should listen to their own players who should be allowed to choose their playing gear. This controversy is reminiscent of an echo from the old, conservative, hierarchical Ireland.