Meathwoman's Diary: No wonder camogie layers have a skort fuse

Leah Doherty

Why did the Camogie Congress decide to defeat the proposal for players to be allowed wear shorts instead of skorts? It baffles most players of the game.

A survey went out to inter-county camogie players to vote on certain motions that were put forward at the Camogie Congress on April 6th.

The biggest motion of them all that the players got to vote on was the choice to wear shorts or skorts as part of their playing gear or to completely change to shorts.

As 150 county delegates at the congress voted for what they wanted, the players voices were not heard.

Sixty-four per cent of county delegates at the congress were entirely against the idea for players to completely change to shorts while 55 per cent were also against the idea to even have the choice of wearing shorts.

Current Meath camogie player Rachel O’Neill summed up the mood when she said: “They’re not listening to the players. We are the people that are playing the sport. We have to wear the skorts. No matter how many surveys we are asked to fill out, they are always overruling what the players want.”

Is it tradition? Is it symbolism? Or is it simply just conservatism? Questions camogie players asked when they wondered why their vote didn’t matter.

Eighty-two per cent of players preferred to wear shorts over skorts according to a survey conducted by Thomas McCurtain's club in London in 2023 when they asked 240 players what they wanted.

Skorts are becoming more unpopular for players due to discomfort and inconvenience and the demand to wear shorts increases.

Knee-length gym frocks may have been the style of the 19th century for players, but it is time to put the past behind us and move beyond history and on to the 21st century democratic society that county delegates seem to forget we live in.

While the majority of camogie players wear shorts to training, they are obliged to wear the skorts during matches.

“Teams are constantly complaining about the discomfort of the skort. I wear shorts to training all the time because they are more comfortable” O’Neill says. “If the majority of players are voting to wear shorts, then I don’t know why they are going against it”

A hurl and helmet gives camogie enough distinction between it and other sports.

The next voting opportunity on playing uniform for the delegates will be 2027. Another three-year battle. What will it take for the players voices to be heard if it didn’t work the first time?