Efforts to unite the GAA and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and the Camogie Association under the one umbrella have strengthened considerably with the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) submitting a motion for consideration at Congress later this month.
It calls for “proactive, meaningful and swift action” to bring about full integration with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and the Camogie Association, recent research among the GPA membership showing that 97 per cent of all intercounty players backed integration between the three.
The GPA further outlined their case that “it is intercounty players’ firmly held belief that for equality to be achieved within the Gaelic games family, integration of the three National Governing Bodies (NGBs) must be made a priority. This can then, in turn, have a major positive impact on wider Irish society.”
The motion for Congress, taking place in Mayo on Saturday, February 26th, also notes: “The GAA shall prioritise integration with the LGFA and Camogie Association in order to jointly ensure equal investment, recognition and opportunity for all genders to play all sports in the Gaelic games family.
“We believe that as the Gaelic games family is the largest sporting and community entity in Irish life, it has an unmatched capacity to herald a cultural change in the experience of girls and women in sport and in the communities that they live in.
“This change begins with a reflection on recognition for women in Gaelic games. This includes how women are represented in local and national leadership, the level of support and visibility for women in coaching and officiating, the investment and development of female players, and the acknowledgment of the contribution of women in Gaelic games. Critically, this process must be led nationally by the leadership of our three NGBs.
GPA chief executive Tom Parsons said integration was clearly the way forward. “The spirit of this motion is about action for gender equality in sport and bringing the Gaelic family together,” he said.
“It is about showing women and girls, whether they are involved in Gaelic games or not, that the biggest sporting and cultural organisation in Ireland values you every bit as much as it does your brothers, partners, nephews and husbands.”
Early last year, the GPA merged with the Women’s Gaelic Football Association (WGPA), Sport Ireland also announcing last May that funding for women’s intercounty players would increase from increase €700,000 to €2.4 million, and with that equalling the level of funding for the men’s intercounty game, which averages about €1,200 per player per year.
Parsons also highlighted some of one national organisation overseeing the games across all codes: “The outcome players want to see is a road map that sets out clear actions and timelines that leads to one national organisation overseeing our games. Players believe in today’s world we must deliver equal opportunity, recognition and investment regardless of gender and that this motion supports the GAA mantra ‘Where we all belong’.”
