The 2024 camogie season is getting well underway with the final stages of the Purcell and Ashbourne Cups approaching in the next couple of weeks. This year, every manager in the inter-county camogie campaign is male, a trend also evident in gaelic football. However, Kilkenny camogie legend Ann Downey has created a pathway and milestone for women entering the coaching profession after becoming only the second woman to ever manage a senior camogie team with her career as Kilkenny manager.
Winning 12 All-Irelands with Kilkenny and seven with clubs St. Paul's and Lisdowney, Ann Downey managed the Kilkenny camogie side and Ballyragget's intermediate hurling team before coaching SETU Waterford.
Currently in her role as manager of SETU Carlow, Downey's side will compete in the semifinal stages of the Purcell Cup on Sunday against UCC in the University of Galway's GAA pitches at 3pm.
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The Importance of Female Coaches
Speaking this week on behalf of Electric Ireland ahead of the 2024 Ashbourne Cup's closing stages, former Kilkenny camogie player and coach Ann Downey gave her thoughts on women in coaching and her predictions for this year's tournament. She spoke passionately about the current lack of female representation in coaching and management roles:
"I don't know why more clubs are not getting women involved to be quite honest. There are so many great former camogie players and they wouldn't necessarily have won All-Irelands but the one person that keeps popping into my mind is Fiona O'Driscoll. She coached my club when we were playing with Lisdowney, we got to an All-Ireland with her. That was back, you know, 20 years ago and her coaching methods, her management was brilliant. I couldn't understand how it has taken Cork this long to have her on board. She has certainly been an asset. There are plenty of players that are available, it is a cause for concern.
You have to think too that it's a seven day week thing. For managing a team, it's not just the three nights that you're training. It's all the preparation beforehand if you're in a job, you have to give your full commitment to your job aswell. You have to be there at the end of a telephone for players that are in difficulty or need a helping hand. That takes a certain energy, and you have to have that want and give your best. It's not something that everyone is prepared to do. Having said that, I think that clubs should keep that leap of faith and ask someone. If you see someone that has been through it all, knows what it takes to win an All-Ireland or knows what it takes to take a club team over a line, I think they should be asked whether it's a female or male team.
There are coaching courses that women can go on that weren't available to us. I learned my trade from being inside Nolan Park watching Mick Dempsey and Martin Fogarty and Brian, writing down the drills. There are so many different levels of coaching now that we can all attend and be a better coach. Certainly, starting with underage and get that confidence, but it's up to the clubs to do the asking. There are probably women in every club, in every county that would love to get involved but haven't been asked, and if you put yourself forward and fail, that's another kettle of fish. There are certainly plenty of coaches out there who are more than capable of the job and have plenty to offer."
Wednesday, February 7 2024: Pictured is former Kilkenny player and current SETU Carlow manager, Ann Downey, as she looks ahead to the Electric Ireland Camogie Third Level Championships Finals weekend.
This year, through its #FirstClassRivals campaign, Electric Ireland celebrated the unexpected alliances formed between county rivals as they come together in pursuit of some of the most coveted titles across Camogie and GAA.
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
The Ashbourne and Purcell Cups
The Ashbourne Cup semifinals take place on Saturday, in two fixtures. UCC will take on UL at 2pm, while DCU and UCD will clash at 4pm. Both matches take place in the University of Galway Connacht Air Dome. UL will be eager to secure a place in the finals after being eliminated due to an administrative error in last year's semifinals, where DCU took their place. SETU Carlow will also compete in the Purcell Cup semifinal this Saturday against UCC. A thrilling weekend of matches is expected, and Ann Downey provided us with her view on the importance of college camogie:
"Ashbourne is so important to the players that won't make the county teams. That's where I see it. Having worked with Waterford and now working with SETU Carlow, I can see club players that I know in my heart and they know themselves that they will never grace the county jersey. This is such an opportunity for those students to get to an All-Ireland. It's a huge calendar weekend for camogie players, in both the Electric Ireland Ashbourne Cup and the Purcell Cup.
I think it gives them an opportunity for their county to see them. They may not see them at club level, but you can be sure that most of the county managers will be in Galway at the weekend looking at their players, hoping they will come away without an injury and see how they perform. It certainly gives the weaker county players that opportunity to play All-Ireland semi finals and hopefully an All-Ireland final on Sunday. It's their dream, and I think it inspires them to stay playing camogie. Certainly when we were in Waterford we had a girl from Westmeath, a great football player that went on to Ashbourne. We talk to her now and she still talks about that weekend. We have girls in Carlow from Limerick, from Cork, Wicklow and obviously Carlow or Kilkenny. It's a great opportunity for them to learn their skills at college level, and to get the exposure that they will get this coming weekend."
Ashbourne Cup Predictions
The closing stages of the Ashbourne Cup are expected to be a tight competition. Ann discussed her predictions for this year's winners and the potential of UL after their disqualification in 2023:
"I think that UL are disappointed over last year. They might have a point to prove or I think UCC always have a sting in their tail. I suppose if I was to put my money on anyone it would be UL to win at the weekend. They have great players, we played UL's second team the Tuesday night of the hurricane. They were on the pitch after us, the caliper of players they have are intelligent and great camogie players. They are going to take a lot of beating to be quite honest.
They've gone into every match they've played this year as underdogs and have come out as All-Ireland Champions. Again, it will be really interesting to see how they'll get on. They're probably knocking at the door too, but again I think UL have that heart from last year and they'll take stopping."
Former Kilkenny player and current SETU Carlow manager, Ann Downey, as she looks ahead to the Electric Ireland Camogie Third Level Championships Finals weekend.
This year, through its #FirstClassRivals campaign, Electric Ireland celebrated the unexpected alliances formed between county rivals as they come together in pursuit of some of the most coveted titles across Camogie and GAA.
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
