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Kerry Camogie vow to back players in shorts/skorts controversy

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12 months ago

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Niamh Leen and her Kerry teammates want to wear shorts instead of skorts. Photos: Diarmuid Greene and Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile.

by Adam Moynihan

The Kerry County Board will back their players if they decide to defy the rulebook and wear shorts after officials at the Camogie Association’s National Congress voted to keep the controversial skort.

Speaking to the Killarney Advertiser, Kerry Camogie chairperson Ann Marie Russell confirmed that she is fully behind the players, the vast majority of whom want the skort to be binned.

“I know there have been calls for a protest, that they would all go out the first weekend of the championship and wear shorts,” Russell said. “If the players felt that was something they wanted to do, Kerry Camogie would absolutely support them.

“It should be up to the people who it affects. It doesn’t matter to me what the players wear or what they look like. They should be comfortable.”

The punishment for not wearing the correct playing gear is a yellow card which can be followed by a red card for dissent if not rectified.

Players say the skirt-like garment is not comfortable and they were hopeful that it would finally become a thing of the past when the issue was raised at Congress in Kildare last weekend.

However, a motion by Tipperary and Kerry to replace it with shorts was defeated by 64% to 36%. A similar proposal by Great Britain and Meath which would have given players the option to choose between skorts and shorts also fell well short of the two-thirds majority required (55% against, 45% in favour).

Voting was carried out by delegates from the various county boards as well as members of central and provincial councils. The majority of voters were female.

As one of Kerry’s two delegates, Russell confirmed that she voted in line with the players’ wishes, but she fears that delegates from some counties didn’t do likewise.

“Our job as delegates is to speak on behalf of the players and I definitely felt as though that wasn’t reflected by some of the other counties. I don’t know any girl in any age group at any level that goes to training in a skort. That, in itself, should speak volumes to the powers that be. Even the counties that wanted to keep the skorts, there’s no way their girls go training in skorts. I know they don’t.

“When camogie first started, women weren’t allowed to wear pants, so they had no choice but to wear skirts. They were longer at the time and things have evolved since then. The design is better. But there is a misconception that there are shorts underneath the skirts so ‘what’s the big deal?’ They’re not shorts, they’re compression shorts. That’s not the same thing.

“And look, I’m not wearing the skorts so it doesn’t matter to me. You have to listen to the players. That’s what I feel.

"We’re making decisions that really have little relevance to us, so we really have to take our players’ opinions into it. I’m not sure how many delegates go back and ask their players about these motions before they vote on them.”

Also speaking to the Killarney Advertiser, Kerry senior player Niamh Leen outlined the specific issues players have with the skort.

“If you went around the country, I guarantee you that you’d only find a handful of girls actually training in a skort,” the Clanmaurice woman said. “I’ve never been to a training session where someone was wearing a skort. We’re all in shorts.

“The practical side of it is that they’re really uncomfortable. They’re constantly rising up and I spend the majority of the match pulling the skort down instead of concentrating on the game. It shouldn’t be that way.”

According to Leen, the discomfort felt by players is not just physical. There is also a psychological discomfort involved.

“I am very paranoid about the skort, especially the length. You spend a lot of time bending over to pick up the ball and I am conscious of it. Even if you size up, it’s still too short. The only way to counteract it is to wear Skins (base layer) underneath which I don’t really like doing because that’s not overly comfortable either.

“It should be a players’ vote at the end of the day. We’re the ones who actually have to wear them and we should be the ones having the say. But, unfortunately, it’s not up to us.

“It’s very, very annoying. I could use harsher words but it is just frustrating, you know? We’ve wanted this motion to be passed for so many years.

"Nobody I know likes playing in a skort and it’s frustrating that our own organisation aren’t taking the players into account.”

This is not the first time a proposal to replace the skort has been rejected and players will have to wait another three years for the next Congress to try to alter the rules on an official basis.

Leen believes that she and her colleagues should not have to wait that long and questions the reasoning of those delegates who voted to keep the status quo.

“Honestly, I think it’s to keep the tradition and to keep us unique, and maybe they see the skorts as being more feminine, which is just mind-boggling for me. I just don’t understand how that could be a reason to keep something that’s making girls uncomfortable.

“I understand that it’s the tradition, but sometimes traditions have to move on.”

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Competition and camaraderie at Flesk Valley indoor event

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7 days ago

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14 March 2025

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Flesk Valley Rowing Club hosted an enjoyable and competitive indoor rowing competition at the Killarney Racecourse on Sunday last, in association with the Kerry Coastal Rowing Association.

At a venue more renowned for the soothing sounds of traditional music and dance, the relentless grind of rowing machines dominated.

Flesk Valley welcomed 10 clubs from as far afield as Cahersiveen and Ballinacurra in County Cork and the event proved a great success, with racing from U12 beginners up to Masters.

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the relay showdown between the appropriately named ‘Legends’ and the mixed U18 crews of the participating clubs. On this occasion – perhaps not surprisingly – experience won out.

Speaking after the event, the Flesk Valley chairman John Fleming (himself a medal winner on the day) said that the club was delighted with how the event went and thanked the Kerry Coastal Rowing Association, the Irish Coastal Rowing Federation and participating clubs for their support. “This is our first time running an event like this and there was a fantastic atmosphere in the venue all day. The racing was very competitive but there was also great camaraderie and fun amongst all the clubs which is every bit as important.”

John also thanked the members of his own club who organised and ran the event. “We have a very enthusiastic and proactive committee in the club, and we get great support from parents and rowers whenever we ask for it.”

John went on to thank Celtic Steps and the Killarney Racecourse for their encouragement and support, and he expressed optimism that it might become a fixture on the Kerry rowing calendar moving forward.

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Is Gooch the GOAT? Players and fans have their say

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7 days ago

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14 March 2025

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Legendary Killarney footballer Colm Cooper is the greatest Kerry player of all time, according to former teammates Seán O’Sullivan and Barry John Keane.

Speaking to Killarney Advertiser sports editor Adam Moynihan on The Kerry Football Podcast, O’Sullivan and Keane both selected the Dr Crokes man as the county’s best-ever talent, with the great Maurice Fitzgerald and modern-day superstar David Clifford also name-checked in the conversation.

In an Instagram poll hosted by Adam that had over 500 respondents, Kerry supporters also chose Gooch as the Kingdom’s GOAT. The five-time All-Ireland winner attracted 44% of the vote, with Clifford (26%) and Fitzgerald (24%) in second and third.

A fourth option of ‘someone else’ was selected by 6% of fans with Jack O’Shea, Séamus Moynihan, Declan O’Sullivan, James O’Donoghue and Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh all mentioned.

“From the first night at training (in 2002), Gooch just changed our set-up,” O’Sullivan recalled. “He lit the place up and didn’t stop for the bones of 14 years. I think that really says it all. I wouldn’t do him justice if I tried to describe the things he did at training.

“The biggest compliment I could give Colm Cooper is he brought the best out of the rest of us. No matter where you were, whether it was the Stadium, Stack Park, Páirc Uí Chaoimh or Croke Park, once you saw Colm running out alongside you, you knew you had a chance. Clifford is in that vein and so is Maurice Fitz, but the Gooch was just incredible.”

Keane agreed. “It’s so hard but Gooch has always been my GOAT,” the Kerins O’Rahillys forward said. “Clifford is 100% my number two but even if he goes on to do better things, I probably won’t change my mind. There’s just something about the Gooch. He was a cheat code.”

Putting forward an argument for Clifford, Adam said he believes the two-time Footballer of the Year is capable of doing things no one else could. “I loved watching Gooch. Some days he was just untouchable. He was a warrior and an unbelievable player.

“The things you single Gooch out for – his skill levels, his scoring, his creativity and his passing – I think Clifford can do most, if not all, of what Gooch could do. I think he’s that good. And there are certain things, because of his size, that Clifford can do that Gooch and Maurice Fitz couldn’t.

“Of course, legacy comes into it too and if you’re talking about legacy the Gooch has more All-Irelands, so he goes ahead. But, for me, just judging the player out on the field, I’m going to go for David Clifford. I just think he’s the best footballer I’ve ever seen.”

There were honourable mentions also for Pat Spillane, Mikey Sheehy, Mick O’Connell and Dick Fitzgerald, though the lads agreed that it was difficult to fairly assess players from past generations. 

The question was also put to former Kerry captain Dara Ó Cinnéide on last week’s episode of The Kerry Football Podcast. He opted for Fitzgerald.

“I always say to people that Maurice had as many bad games for Kerry as he had good games. He wasn’t as consistent as someone like Séamus Moynihan or these lads. But when he was good…

“When Maurice hit the high notes, there was nobody to compare with him.”

What do you think? Who is Kerry’s greatest ever player? Email sport@killarneyadvertiser.ie to join the debate.

You can listen to The Kerry Football Podcast on Patreon. Become a member and get exclusive access to all episodes, including big game previews, post-match analysis and interviews with Kerry stars past and present.

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