OPINION: Let them wear shorts

Camogie is a game that demands physical courage, strength, grit and precision. Isn’t it ironic, then, to see the Camogie Association hanging its helmet as a matter of principle on the flimsy skort?

The skort - half skirt, half short, full outdated - has been part of camogie attire for decades. An odd compromise, apparently designed more for modesty or aesthetics than athletic performance, it is still, in 2025, mandated by the Camogie Association. Why? That old chestnut: tradition. But that mandate is now being challenged, not only by public opinion, but by the players themselves, who might be expected to have a say in what they wear on the pitch.

On Saturday, the matter came to a head when the Kilkenny and Dublin camogie teams arrived at St Peregrine’s GAA Club in Blanchardstown for the Leinster Senior Final wearing shorts in a coordinated, collective act of protest. Referee Ray Kelly informed them that the match would not proceed unless they changed. Under current rules, a yellow card can be issued for incorrect attire, and red if a player continues to not comply. To add insult to injury, sanctions may still be issued against the players who participated in the protest.

Last week, a new report from the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) revealed that 83 percent of camogie players want the freedom to choose between skorts and shorts. Not to abolish the skort - just to have a choice. The report also cited the UNESCO International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport, which says that participants must feel “safe, confident and respected” when participating in sport. That should be a baseline, not a lofty aspiration.

According to the GPA, 65 percent of players worry about being exposed in media content while wearing skorts. Almost half are anxious about period leaks. Many simply find skorts uncomfortable. When an athlete is thinking about whether her underwear is visible instead of where to place a pass, we have failed her. Why should any woman or girl be expected to run, jump, sweat - and bleed - while wearing attire that doesn’t fit, doesn’t function, and doesn’t feel right? It is reprehensible that we are still infantilising women and girls by telling them that they cannot choose to wear shorts when participating in a sport they love.

The Camogie Association has justified its stance on the basis that the skort reflects the sport’s heritage and distinguishes it from hurling. But what is heritage worth if it suppresses the voices of the people who create it every day? This argument holds no weight. Progress is inevitable and necessary, and does not obliterate the past. The trailblazing women who played camogie in long skirts can be honoured while also accepting that times - and athletes - change. Modern athletes – young, professional women who juggle sport, studies, jobs, and lives deserve more than symbolism. They deserve respect, and they deserve comfortable gear.

After the match, Dublin captain and GPA co-chair Aisling Maher expressed her frustration on Instagram: “How are female players still having to push for permission to wear shorts while they compete at the highest level of their sport?” she asked. “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?” It is hard to argue that this about anything other than control.

The reality is that players already wear shorts to training, gym sessions, warm-ups and running drills. So why, during the games that matter most, are they being forced to perform in garments that most wouldn’t choose? Why, in an amateur sport, are they not even being afforded the dignity of choice?

The Camogie Association can treat this moment as a threat or an opportunity. An opportunity to modernise. To listen. To lead. To say: “We trust you to know what’s best for your own bodies.” It is both ironic and offensive to use tradition as a barrier to progress in a sport that is constantly trying to grow its player base, visibility and credibility. It is especially disheartening when the people preventing choice aren’t even the ones wearing the gear. And what does it say about the relationship between governing bodies and their players if decisions are handed down like diktats rather than shaped by dialogue?

What does it say about the relationship between administrators and athletes if decisions are handed down like diktats rather than shaped through dialogue? The current approach sends a message that players’ concerns don’t matter. That optics trump wellbeing.

We cannot afford to keep losing young women from sport. We already know the barriers they face, many of those related to discomfort and embarrassment. Indeed significant public money is being invested into trying to address these barriers. We tell girls that sport builds confidence and self-respect and teaches leadership. But how can we say that with a straight face when we don’t even let them wear what makes them feel strong, happy and ready to play?

Women deserve better, and the LGFA has listened to them. Camogie players also deserve better. And if the delegates of the Camogie Association truly want to honour the game’s past, they must also be humble and brave enough to shape its future.