These Irish Women Camogie Players Defied A Rule Forcing Them To Wear Skirts And Wore Shorts In Protest
“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?” Dublin captain Aisling Maher wrote.
Irish women camogie players wore shorts to protest the sport’s rule that forces them to wear a skirt or skort during matches.
The Camogie Association rules require women players to wear a skirt or a skort – a skirt with shorts underneath – while playing camogie, a traditional Irish stick-and-ball sport.
Many players have said the current uniform is uncomfortable and have pushed for the association to allow shorts in matches.
On Saturday, May 3, women players from Dublin and Kilkenny camogie teams coordinated their outfits and wore shorts during the semi-final of Ireland’s senior camogie games, the sport’s highest level of competition.
The players entered the pitch wearing shorts, but they were forced to change into skorts after the referee said the game would be abandoned.
“Career low for me today when 60 plus players ready to play a championship game in shorts are told their match will be abandoned if every player doesn’t change into skorts,” Dublin captain Aisling Maher wrote on Instagram.
“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?” she added.
On May 7, the All-Ireland champions Cork team planned to continue the protest by wearing shorts in their final game, even if it meant canceling the game.
A survey by the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) found that 70% of women who play camogie reported “discomfort” while wearing skorts and 83% said they wished they had a choice between shorts and skorts.
Despite criticism from women players, the Camogie Association rejected at least two motions that would have allowed players to wear shorts in April 2024.
The protests have sparked controversy about sexism women and girls face in sports just because of their gender.
However, efforts to give women more autonomy over their uniform has been growing.
Under the Camogie Association's current procedures, the next opportunity to change the rule will be at the Association’s Congress in April 2026; until then, the existing rule remains in place.
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