Cork LGBTQ+ club slams GAA for its 'outdated' rules 

An LGBTQ+ inclusive Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) club has called for “outdated” regulations in the organisation to be addressed.

Several members of Cork city’s Na Laochra Aeracha, founded to provide a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ individuals, are ineligible to play due to boundary regulations.

The LGFA uses the 2010 city limits, rather than the broader city boundary agreed by councils in 2019, and the club does not meet the minimum level of players within this boundary needed to register their women’s team.

Research shows that up to 50% of girls in Ireland drop out of sport by the age of 20, with many citing confidence, social pressures, and lack of inclusive environments as key factors.

Equivalent LGBTQ+ inclusive teams in Dublin (Na Gael Aeracha) and Belfast (Aeracha Uladh) have been successfully integrated into local GAA and LGFA competitions without such restrictions, the club says, and the men’s football team successfully registered with the Seandun league and championship this year.

Dean Kinsella, public relations officer and club co-founder, told The Echo: “Seandun have been very friendly and helpful to us.” But for their women’s team: “We’re trying to get to the 15 players within the city boundary, but unless the players are all registered, they’re not insured so they can’t even train with us.

“We’re the only LGBTQ+ club in Munster. I think a more ‘People over policy’ approach should be considered.

“The rules are very backward and outdated, I would have expected the LGFA board to be more supportive and welcoming to us after we reached out to them. We are just trying to promote better inclusion in sport for woman.

“It has taken us over two months of back and forth emails and calls to understand what is required and how we can proceed.” Erin O'Donovan, club secretary and LGFA Coach, said that they have people who’d like to join that live outside the newer 2019 city boundary too, and that the rules should consider the unique purpose of clubs such as theirs.

“We were told that everyone that joins the club needs to live in the city and that they’ll be looking for proof.

“We’re really a social club at the end of the day, and we give a chance to players who don’t feel comfortable in a traditional GAA setting or who have stepped away and want to come back and be themselves.

“The lads have got their league, but us women want to compete. I haven’t played a competitive match in over ten years, but I joined the club in 2024 and it brought back my love for the GAA. It’s a bit of a shame that all of us who have found it are now told we can’t play.” 

Cork Labour Senator Laura Harmon, a member of the club, has written to Minister of State for Sport Charlie McConalogue on the issue, and said: “Going back to playing GAA in my late thirties wasn’t something I saw possible until I found this club.

“Boundary issues should not be a barrier to access for sport and clubs of this kind. These limitations are not only unfair, but they go against broader national commitments to women’s sport and inclusion in Irish sports.” 

Cork Social Democrat TD Pádraig Rice TD has also submitted a parliamentary question to the Minister for Sport and asked him to engage with the LGFA to find a resolution.

An LGFA spokesperson told The Echo that Na Laochra Aeracha’s application is being considered “in line with the LGFA’s established rules and governance structures, which are applied consistently and equally to all clubs and players… in all counties,” they said.

They said that “some discrepancies” have been identified in documentation submitted by the club, particularly regarding residency within city boundaries, and that this has been communicated to them.

“As an organisation, we are committed to treating all clubs fairly and cannot make exceptions outside of the rules that govern our Association,” they said, adding that the process is ongoing and they will continue to engage with the group.