Camogie players now free to wear shorts

Camogie players are free to wear shorts or skorts, after a special congress voted 98% in favour of choice.

The Camogie Association held the special congress at Croke Park tonight.

The issue came to light a few weeks ago, when Dublin and Kilkenny senior sides took to the pitch wearing shorts and were told they had to change into skorts.

Cork and Waterford senior sides said they were going to follow suit and wear shorts in the Munster Championship final, which was postponed less than 18 hours before the game was due to go ahead.

Other games were also postponed, with more going ahead under protest ahead of the vote last night.

Players across the country have been campaigning on this issue for some time, with the likes of Ashling Thompson saying they were not backing down on the issue.

The Cork delegates voted in favour of players having the choice, following an extensive consultation process with clubs and players in Cork.

The rule change comes into effect from Saturday as the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Championship gets under way, with Cork at home to Limerick at 4pm.

A statement from the Gaelic Players Association said:

"We welcome the result of this evening's vote for choice at the Camogie Association Special Congress.

"The GPA would like to put on the record our admiration for camogie players across Ireland and beyond, both at inter-county and club level, who made their voices heard to ensure this outcome.

"To our own membership who have led the campaign for choice, we salute your willingness to stand up for both yourselves, and future generations of camogie players.

"We thank the delegates who listened to players' call for choice.

"The last few weeks have once again shown the necessity of putting players at the heart of decision making within Gaelic games."

Camogie Association Uachtarán Brian Molloy said:

“We are pleased to announce that delegates have voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of giving players greater choice in their playing attire. From midnight tonight, each individual player will have the option to wear skorts or shorts - adding choice while maintaining the professionalism and uniformity of our team kits in both colour and design.

"I want to sincerely thank our incredible volunteers for their ongoing support over the last few weeks, and to our delegates for voting on behalf of over 120,000 members, including 94,000 playing members.

"As the All-Ireland Championships begin this weekend, we ask everyone to support their teams, drive higher attendances at all upcoming games, and help us fill Croke Park for the finals on August 10th.”