Camogie players have begun wearing shorts to matches after multiple motions to update the skort mandate were defeated last year in Ireland. The issue has highlighted a gendered divide within Irish sports
On May 3, Irish camogie players from Dublin and Kilkenny wore shorts in a planned protest against the sport’s skort mandate. During the provincial Leinster semi-final match, players from both teams turned up in shorts, but were forced to change into skorts when the referee threatened to abandon the game.
Camogie is considered the female counterpart to men’s hurling, with minor rule and code variations. One of which is the dress code. Unlike hurling players, camogie players do not have the option to choose between shorts and skorts during play. For years, camogie players have been protesting rule 6(b) of the sport’s code which mandates that players wear a “skirt/skort/divided skirt”.
The players say skorts are not only uncomfortable during play, but deter girls and women from taking up the sport. In advance of the championship protest, the official player representative body for footballers and hurlers in Ireland, Gaelic Players Association (GPA), released its Annual Player Survey which confirmed the discomfort that skorts cause camogie players.
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According to GPA’s research findings, 70% of players reported discomfort while wearing skorts and 83% of camogie players would prefer to wear shorts or have the option to choose between shorts and skorts. The findings also revealed that skorts and skirts have a mental toll during play, with 65% of players sharing that concerns about exposure in the media affects their mental state.
Aisling Maher, a Dublin Camogie Captain said it was a “career low” when all players were forced to change before the semi-final match. Posting on her Instagram account after the match, Maher wrote: “I love this game but I am sick of being forced to wear a skort that is uncomfortable and unfit for purpose. How are female players still having to push for permission to wear shorts while they compete at the highest level of their sport”.
Maher continued: “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?” The GPA’s position paper states that the Camogie Association’s skort mandate “no longer reflects the preferences or welfare needs of today’s players.”
While the semi-final players changed into skorts under pressure from match officials, the protest has sparked renewed conversation about the traditionalist and unfair dress code. Many sports associations including the European Athletes and Players Association have expressed their support for camogie players and their protests alongside the GPA.
Simon Harris, Ireland’s Tánaiste, also posted his support on X: “Rules forcing camogie players to wear skorts while playing are archaic. Players have made their views clearly known.” Similarly, Alan Kelly, the chair of the Irish parliament’s sports committee, said he would like to invite the Camogie Association to address the issue before the committee. “It’s bananas that in today’s day and age there are rules forcing our camogie players to wear skorts rather than their preferred choice of clothing when playing matches,” says Kelly.
The Camogie Association has now announced it will call a Special Congress on May 22 in a bid to resolve the controversy over players being forced to wear skorts rather than shorts. That said, there were already two votes on the issue in Congress last year, according to Maher.
Speaking to Ireland AM, Maher shared that last year two motions – one to introduce the option of wearing shorts and the other to replace skorts with shorts – were both defeated separately. Following the defeated votes, Maher highlighted that there was no effective dialogue between the Gaelic Players Association and the Camogie Association, and that the latter was prioritising developing a “better skort” as opposed to introducing shorts.
The player protest continued to escalate following the semi-final demonstration. The Munster Council postponed a major final between Cork and Waterford with less than 24-hours’ notice when players shared their intention of playing in shorts.
The Waterford and Cork Senior Camogie Panels shared an official statement following the abrupt postponement. The statement expressed the “bitter disappointment” of the players and said it showed “scant regard” for their physical and mental preparation.
The statement said that the association forfeited an opportunity to show their support for players in light of recent events. “There was an opportunity to take a step forward from the recent controversy. Instead, a provincial final has been postponed because we took control of what we would wear. To us, that feels like a massive step backwards.”
In the statement announcing the expedited vote taking place on May 22, the Camogie Association acknowledged that the original plan to wait until 2026 is “not acceptable for many”. In their official statement, CA also shared that: “although similar motions did not pass at the 2024 Congress, the Association is committed to representing the voices of players who wish to have a choice in their playing attire.”
If the motion passes, the new rule allowing for the option to wear shorts would take effect two days later, from May 24th 2025.