Irish Examiner view: Gender quotas will be fair game

Female leadership

Saoirse Noonan of Republic of Ireland celebrates after scoring her side's ninth goal during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 qualifying group A match between Republic of Ireland and Georgia at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Picture:  Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

If anyone still regards women’s soccer, GAA, or rugby as the Cinderellas of sport, they need to think again. The number of females playing football, camogie, and rugby is growing every year, while an average audience of 209,000 watched the Republic of Ireland’s 11-0 win over Georgia on Tuesday night on RTÉ2. The peak viewership for the soccer international was 340,000 as Vera Pauw’s side made it a record victory in what was a major boost to their hopes of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. This begs the question that if our female sports stars can make winning decisions on the field of play, why are so few of them making equally important decisions in leadership management roles?

On a positive note, the Government plans to ensure that women will need to make up 40% of the leadership of sporting organisations by 2023.