Freedom of choice crucial in skorts issue - Keating

Westmeath camogie player Fiona Keating has called for freedom of choice for female players in the skort-versus-shorts debate, saying it’s a matter of comfort, retention, and respect for athletes at all levels of the game.

Fiona, the county’s Gaelic Players Association (GPA) representative, was speaking as momentum grows ahead of a special Congress vote that will determine whether players can opt to wear shorts instead of the traditional skort. It is an issue that has sparked national conversation in recent weeks.

“I think it's just important that everyone does get to choose; not only for the players now but for the players coming up through the ranks at underage levels, at county and at club level as well.

“I think you can see it all over social media at the moment, the profile of it has grown in the last week. A lot of people didn't actually realise that we wore skorts. In some cases it was brought into the spotlight that we are still wearing them and that it is the only sport where you are wearing a skirt and you don't have the choice to wear shorts.”

The Camogie Association has announced that it will call a Special Congress on May 22 at Croke Park in a bid to resolve the controversy.

See next week's paper for more.