The GAA have come under pressure from intercounty ladies football and Camogie sides in recent weeks, as the #UnitedForEquality protests continue.
On Saturday afternoon, intercounty teams across the country protested ahead of the All-Ireland Ladies SFC group stages, calling for the LGFA, Camogie Association, and GAA to improve operating conditions for women's inter-county players.
The game between Mayo and Laois was delayed by five minutes, as players retreated to the dressing rooms after Amhrán na bhFiann in protest at perceived delays in introducing a charter for inter-county teams.
1 July 2023; The Mayo panel pose for a photo before the TG4 LGFA All-Ireland Senior Championship match between Mayo and Laois at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar, Mayo. Photo by Tom Beary/Sportsfile
This comes after last month's announcement that the remainder of the 2023 football and camogie championships would be played under protest, after incidents which saw the Cavan football team involved in a dispute over training conditions, and the Kildare camogie team learning of their withdrawal from the All-Ireland intermediate championship through WhatsApp.
The protests were announced in a statement by the Gaelic Players' Association at a media event in Dublin, which read:
It has been over 18 months since integration was declared a priority and voted in by the membership of the three Associations. While the National Governing Bodies claim to be listening, it is evident that they are not truly hearing us. Urgent issues affecting player welfare have been brought to their attention, yet they refuse to even engage collectively to discuss solutions.
We as players are not receiving the respect we deserve. Therefore, do not expect business as usual in the upcoming weeks and months.
They have received praise for the execution of the protests thus far and, on Tuesday, received a public show of support from their counterparts in the men's game.
GAA: Male intercounty captains call for support for female players
In a joint statement, the captains of the senior men's intercounty football and hurling teams said:
To the leadership and management of the GAA,
We, the 68 captains of the male senior intercounty teams, want to express our full support for our female colleagues and stand beside them #UnitedForEquality. As such, we are asking you to work with the Camogie Association, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and the Gaelic Players Association to discuss the steps necessary towards providing the minimum standards of welfare and care for female players for 2024. They cannot be expected to wait any longer.
We do not accept that this is a matter solely for the two female governing bodies which is the response you have given to date. Among the GAA's values is that of Community Identity. Community is at the heart of our Association. We know from our own communities that if our neighbour is struggling or requires help, the local GAA club steps forward to provide it.
We know our female inter-county colleagues in the Gaelic games community are in need of support. They need help to provide basics such as medical support, nutritional support, access to facilities and financial support to offset travel expenses.
Are you going to live that value of community, or will you allow this opportunity for positive change to pass us by? In the GAA we know and love, there would only be one answer to that question.
Yours sincerely,
The captains of the senior inter-county football and hurling squads (2023)
There is now yet more renewed pressure on the GAA to implement drastic change ahead of the 2024 intercounty season.
Featured image: Sportsfile
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