Enforced skort rule in Camogie ‘screams sexism’

The current rules governing playing gear for camogie state that it must include a skirt, skort (a pair of shorts with an overlapping fabric panel which resembles a skirt) or a divided skirt.

This is in contrast to women’s gaelic football where shorts are allowed.

Camogie is governed by the Camogie Association of Ireland, which is closely linked to the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and alongside the Ladies Gaelic Football Association which is scheduled to formally integrate into the wider GAA in 2027.

Ms Adams told BBC News NI that throughout her “20-year career, this has always been an issue for players”.

She retired in 2016 and said she “can’t understand or believe that in 2025, this is still a debate and not a choice”.

“Personally, it does scream sexism – girls shouldn’t be being told what they have to wear. Skorts and shorts look similar, but it’s all about comfort.”

Ms Adams described the issue as “a no-brainer” and “should have been changed a long time ago”.

“I guarantee that one of the reasons why girls are dropping out of camogie is because of this issue.

“So let’s look at a solution instead of turning it into a fight.”

She said during her career, there was a lot of things she “didn’t agree with in the Camogie Association”, which caused her to retire sooner than she would have liked.

A recent Gaelic Players Association survey highlighted how 70% of players experienced discomfort while wearing the skort, and that 83% of players wanted an option to choose to wear shorts.

Speaking to RTÉ News on Wednesday, Cork camogie player Ashling Thompson said Cork will wear shorts in Saturday’s Munster senior camogie final and if they are asked to change to skorts they will refuse to do so, even if it risks the game being abandoned or forfeiting the Munster title to Waterford.

Aislín Ní Choinn from St John’s in west Belfast told BBC News NI that skorts “aren’t fit for purpose” and that “it would always be the talk in the changing rooms”.

“It would always be something that would annoy everybody but we just never challenged it,” she told BBC News NI.

“No one would ever come to training in a skort, all training is done in shorts because it’s the most convenient and comfortable,” she said.

She said player welfare should be the focus, and the skort causes a problem for that.

“If you’re on your period, if you’re having a week like that and you’re bloated, the skorts are very uncomfortable, they’re very tight.

“When you’re playing and you’re bending down to go for the ball, you’re worrying: ‘Am I exposed here, are people going to be able to see?’ when your skort comes up.

“You’re very, very vulnerable, and if you’re worrying about that, you’re not focused on the game,” she added.

However, the captain of Ballycastle’s senior camogie team, Elen McIntosh, said she does not “feel that strongly about players having to wear skorts or shorts”.

“There are much bigger issues facing women’s sports, like access to facilities, funding and media coverage.

“I don’t think skorts should overshadow these bigger issues,” she added.

However, she added that the choice should come from the players and it should not be “imposed”.

Caoimhe Mallon is the club secretary for Fullen Gaels, the only senior camogie team in the north of England.

The Manchester club was set up in the early 2000s, and Caoimhe said the same rules apply in England.

“I play both Gaelic football and camogie, and I don’t understand the need for women to have to wear skorts for camogie and not football.

“It’s not the issue that we have to wear them, it’s the fact we have no choice,” she said.

“We are playing Gaelic games in Britain, we are making a name for ourselves here.

“Why does it matter what we wear? It matters what game we play and how we perform,” she added.