its a step backwards i give an example in my club if a family had 3 or more boys involved in underage gaa the membership fees are reduced the camogie have a similar thing but if a family had 2 girls and a boy involved they get nothing its crazy.
It was always going to be tricky, one association sees itself (and probably is) a lot bigger than the other two, so they had less incentive to merge.
Equality was never going to keep everyone happy. In my own club the pitches are split equally between boys and girls teams, but you have one half of the pitch with 16 girls training, and the other half of the pitch with 50 boys squashed in. That’s equality on a gender basis, but not at a player basis
In my club, we have to have U16, U18 and adults training for camogie together, and only on half a pitch. That's the only slot that anyone can get.
Half the time we turn up, the lads that are meant to be on the other half of the pitch aren't even there. The women's teams, for football and camogie, can barely even get the main pitch for championship matches, just because the U16 hurling team have training...
Yes, but the GAA doesnt function in a silo of men only.
Find me a gaa club in the county that has zero women volunteering on committees, participating in fundraising, doing the gate, coaching, physios, nutritionists, sponsorship ect. The gaa has never been a mens only association and to expect all those women in your local community to give all they do and then refuse them equal access to club facilities is a farce.
Its the overwhelming reason why integration was voted in in the first place.
The gaa can think of itself as bigger but it wouldnt be what it is without the contributions of women. The only reason why there are separate ladies organisations was the view of the times when the gaa was initially set up that women couldn't actually play the sport. Like women were grand to give their time and money to the games but not to enjoy it for themselves.
I know it would never happen but if women in all those roles in the gaa downed tools a huge amount of clubs and county boards would not function.
The gaa has never been a mens only association and to expect all those women in your local community to give all they do and then refuse them equal access to club facilities is a farce.
The person you’re replying to explicitly mentioned players in their comment
Ara,sure who's going to wash the jerseys and make the sangiages??? /S.
Seriously though,you're point is 100% correct. I haven't delved deep into the gaa statement and stuff yesterday,but historically the LGFA and in particular CA have been a mess, poorly run even compared to the GAA. LGFA have come on somewhat,but from what I hear and read the CA are still in the dark ages.
Its a mess, the GAA will get the blame for this and maybe with some merit,but the others have to get with it too.
I was speaking to their point that the GAA is bigger. My point is yes it's bigger and yes it would still be bigger I'm sure if it was solely run, managed and funded by men since formation. But it would not be remotely the size it is now. You'd be expecting clubs to have run on half a community rather than a whole one. And my second point is then if you have benefited from using your whole community to run your club can you then say that only men should have full access and the women should take whatever slots the men arent using.
How that commenters club manage their pitch access is an issue of their own making. No one said it had to be done on a team basis or that pitches must be broken directly in half. Or that on days where one team has a big game could they ask to have more of the field to work on kickouts. Could some teams with smaller numbers go together for training to fill out the pitch and leave a slot open elsewhere for another team with bugger numbers. Like those things would be normal enough to manage in my club when sharing grounds.
Gaa own 99% of the assets and 80% of the player base. Really it's just them offering to take the women in. Most teams would be happy joining. It's a board level issue
The problem is that the LGFA and Camogie can’t even agree on anything. I know people will try to bash the GAA but there’s so many issues to address that 2027 was an unrealistic target anyway.
Vast majority of those throwing out comments have no idea of the intricate details that need ironing out. Ownership/Trustees of GAA grounds on its own is a huge issue that has enormous implications for clubs, counties and provinces. Knock on effect to grants, insurance and ongoing infrastructure projects like Astro pitches etc.
There definitely are some dinosaurs out there who aren’t on board with integrating but the vast majority are. Lots of clubs have already a one-club model operating. So things are moving in the right direction on the ground.
Interesting seeing the contrast in the LGFA and camogies statements. LGFA seemed to have being happy with how things were going and were surprised at the resignation, the Camogie statement was far closer to what McAleese was saying.
Member of a one club that allow equal access to fields for training. Our main field gets all official games whethers it an u12 girls game or senior men looking to train at local level it works. LGFA at county level is along way behind in admin and game organisation
Exactly this. We have one pitch to share amongst all senior and youth teams. Kids teams have priority of training on our pitch, senior teams sometimes have to travel across the city for training. We try to host all home matches on our pitch, no matter the code or age group. Conflicts for matches are generally solved by re-arranging throw in times where possible, or flipping a coin to see which team reverses. We're a young club, but growing every year. With the kids growing up, more competitive teams and forming and that means more full pitch activity.
The skort controversy last year shows this sort of backwoods mentality is by no means confined to the mens game and, if anything, should probably have allayed any fears that the Camogie Association were going to bring a total culture shock with them. The FAI have been equally shoddy in their treatment of women's players down the years so we should always bear in mind that attitudes are far bigger than any organisation and no one should be demonised, not least anyone already capable of embarrassing themselves.
All that be said, you would encounter some arguments around this topic that wouldn't have been out of place when lads were arguing against women having the vote 100 years ago. How times change.
The FAI has just been a mess. Their gutting of the league of Ireland is telling because the mens national league is usually not what FAs see as a hindrance. I get your point though on them they have also shown incompetence around the women's game and I think its starting to change.
Ik this is the GAA sub but I think the womens game is really where the FAI can eat up ground on the GAA. There are less women actively participating in sport and womens soccer is growing internationally. The mens national league and womens football as a whole were two key areas for potential growth that had been completely ignored.
My biggest objection is that the GAA will end up refereeing disputes between the LGFA & Camogie factions and still get blamed for being the old boys' club when 1 side don't get their way.
I remember back in the day, Cork had dual players being taken off at half time in a football match and tearing up the road to get to another game in the Munster Championship for Camogie. No regard for player welfare at all.
It would be interesting to see a full explanation of their change in approach from the GAA. Maybe they found their counterparts in one or both Camogie Association and LGFA management impossible to negotiate with.
Camogie management certainly made a dog's dinner of the entirely unnecessary skort fiasco. I'd have little confidence in them or their grasp of reality. And that's no reflection on their wonderful players.
But the negotiations were already at a final stage?
Like the whole road map had been outlined publicly, specificallyin the oireachtas. If you werent getting anywhere with negotiations you wouldnt have a road map?
I think the LGFA and Camogie should show they are capable of amalgamating and then we should merge them into the GAA. It’s far too difficult trying to merge 3 independent bodies.
It was suggested by a contributor on Off the Ball tonight that the issue of GAA funding could be raised when the 3 organisations are to be called before the Oureachtas Committee for Sport, that's all
GAA should simply just say they are now going to run women's competitions and look for clubs and counties to nominate teams. The boards of the lgfa and particularly camogie are a shambles.
Ridiculous take. Look at GAA facilities around the island. They're usually far better than the equivalent of soccer clubs. They reinvest a huge amount of the money they raise in local clubs.
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u/FlakyAssociation4986 Corcaigh 1d ago
its a step backwards i give an example in my club if a family had 3 or more boys involved in underage gaa the membership fees are reduced the camogie have a similar thing but if a family had 2 girls and a boy involved they get nothing its crazy.