THE CHAIR OF the Oireachtas Sports Committee, Labour TD Alan Kelly, says that he intends to invite the Camogie Association to the committee to deal with the issue of skorts, after a match was almost called off over the issue yesterday.

Camogie players from the Kilkenny and Dublin senior teams yesterday wore shorts rather than the mandated skorts in a coordinated protest. However, the referee said that if the players didn’t change into skorts – a skirt with a pair of shorts attached underneath – the match would be postponed.

Eventually, all thirty players from the two teams reentered the dressing rooms to change and emerged in the mandated skorts to play the match.

Under the rules of the Camogie Association, players must wear a “skirt/skort/divided skirt” while playing matches. A referee can issue players with a yellow card for not wearing the correct uniform, and a red card if they continue not to comply.

Kelly said that it is “bananas” that there are rules “in today’s day and age” forcing camogie players to wear skorts rather than their preferred choice of clothing while playing matches.

The vast majority of camogie players train in shorts, and then wear the skort for matches.

“It beggars belief that at a time when we should be working to continue encouraging women and girls to participate in sport, we’d see an own goal like this from the Camogie Association,” Kelly continued.

He referenced a position paper released by the Gaelic Players Association on the matter this week that found that 83% of the 650 inter-county camogie players surveyed want the right to choose between wearing shorts or a skort while playing a match.

“We can’t continue to ignore this. No sportsperson should have to tog out in gear that’s unsuitable and uncomfortable.

“While a motion on this was defeated at last year’s congress, I think we need to move faster on the issue of skorts, before the next time delegates can vote on the uniform at congress in 2027.

“I intend to speak to my Committee colleagues about inviting the Camogie Association to the Oireachtas Sports committee on this issue. We simply shouldn’t still be forcing women to wear skorts in this day and age.”

Fine Gael’s spokesperson on sport, Senator Evanne Ní Chuilinn – who previously worked as a sports broadcaster – said that the skort rule “is becoming a barrier and it has also taken way from the sport itself”. She said that the sentiment that players find skorts uncomfortable isn’t new.

“Yesterday’s protest by Dublin and Kilkenny players was replicated fifteen years ago,” she said.

“To think that the Association was happy to let two senior intercounty squads turn up to a championship match and then refuse to let them play is infuriating for anyone trying to encourage women and girls to be active in sport.

“It is time to listen to the players and give a choice at the very least.”