'They're the girls playing the sport' - Anna Geary on heated camogie skort controversy

Anna Geary has urged the Camogie Association to listen to the voices of camogie players across the country who are seeking changes to the mandatory rules surrounding wearing skorts while playing matches. 

The All-Ireland winning camogie captain appeared on RTÉ's Prime Time on Tuesday night to discuss the ongoing controversy concerning the wearing of skorts which reached boiling point last weekend as the Kilkenny and Dublin senior camogie teams staged a protest before their Leinster semi-final by taking to the pitch in shorts rather than the regulation skorts.

The protest came following the significant findings of a survey conducted by the Gaelic Players Association which reported 70% of players experienced discomfort wearing skorts and a major 83% said they should have the option to choose either shorts or skorts. The survey recorded responses from 650 intercounty camogie players. 

Now, the Cork and Waterford camogie squads are also considering wearing shorts at Saturday's Munster final in a show of protest against the rule which has been described as "archaic." Geary told Sarah McInerney: "The players feel that a stance was taken by Dublin and Kilkenny last weekend and now we're in a situation where we're in limbo because there's no real change being made, there's no real discussions happening between the players and the Camogie Association."

Geary said that both teams have been informed that if they wear shorts the match will be abandoned and although the players have worked very hard to get to this point and it shouldn't be impacted by the controversy, "the players feel it's necessary because they have to take a stand now."

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The camogie star continuously pointed out that the entire debate is about giving women and girls the right to choose whatever is most comfortable for them when they play. She explained: "It isn't about anti anything. It's not about getting rid of skorts outright. It's giving players a choice. Everyone deserves to have their voice heard in anything we do in life and that's all they're asking for."

Geary quite simply puts it: "They're the girls playing the sport. They're not comfortable or confident in a skort."

One of the solutions put forth by the Camogie Association is redesigning the skort. However, she argues they don't know how long that could take and a more immediate fix is needed. 

Last year, there was a vote by Congress to allow players to have the choice to wear shorts or skorts but it narrowly did not pass. Geary argued that the result could be different this time around given last week's report which proved that there is a need for change. 

The rule itself is being pushed down the line by the Association until Congress 2027, two years from now. The Camogie Association rule changes only happen every three years, hence the delay. Geary argued, however, "that's actually not the case." She referred to previous incidents such as the coin toss case in 2015 between Dublin and Clare wherein the rules were able to be changed outside of the norm.

Geary told McInerney: "I've being playing Camogie a long time, over three decades, and when I was younger the skort was still an issue. It was something that a lot of people, myself included, weren't necessarily comfortable in and I suppose you looked at other sports and you saw them be able to wear shorts.

"If you look at any training ground the length and breadth of the country, whether it's under12s or senior, and you walk in on a random evening, they're not wearing skorts training. They're wearing shorts because that's what they feel more comfortable in. To me it's an obvious thing to listen to the players and say well those that want to wear shorts, wear shorts.

"There's a disconnect between those who are voting at Congress and those who are on the playing pitches across the country."

Ultimately, Geary said that playing gear is a "number one reason" why girls leave sport, so a change is desperately needed to keep girls playing camogie.

At the end of the show, Marty Morrissey added that reliable sources informed him that the President of the Camogie Association will be bringing forward the motion of making shorts an option for matches to the annual Congress in 2026 as a compromise.