Cost of play for camogie and ladies footballers 'increasingly unsustainable' - WGPA report

Nine-time All-Ireland winner and former Cork camogie goalkeeper Aoife Murray said: “It’s now time to ensure that practical steps are taken to work towards equality in Gaelic Games.” Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Female inter-county players are spending up to €200 per week on fuel costs to accommodate training, but only 7% of players are in receipt of any form of travel expense, a new WGPA report has found.

The ‘Levelling the Field’ report, released this morning, shines a light on the "increasingly unsustainable" commitment of female inter-county players without progression on minimum standards, travel expenses, and equitable funding.

The report reveals that 77% of female inter-county players pay towards their own physio services; 69% of players pay towards their own gym fees; 55% pay for their own medical treatments; and more than three in five do not receive any compensation for taking part in marketing and promotional activity linked to their sport.

The average round-trip to a collective training session was measured at 80km, undertaken by players at least three times a week, for which only 7% of players receive any form of financial recompense.

Case studies with individual female players found some players drove over 2,400km per month, with none of the expenses covered.

The report also found female inter-county players train five to six days per week and that 74% are so tired from the mental demands that they struggle to work/study.

Arising from the report, the WGPA are recommending the introduction of a player expenses model. The players’ body will also lobby the Government to increase funding for female players through the grants scheme so as to achieve a more equitable balance in comparison to male counterparts.

“These findings clearly demonstrate the increasingly unsustainable demands of the female intercounty games,” said WGPA Chairperson Maria Kinsella.

“We fully appreciate there are no short-term solutions to a lot of the issues identified and on the back of a trying year, it will be a challenge for us all to ensure that the interests of female players remain on the agenda as we rebuild.”

Nine-time All-Ireland winner and former Cork camogie goalkeeper Aoife Murray said: “There has been significant conversation and concentration on female sport in the last number of years, in particular with the new Women In Sport policy from Sport Ireland and the 20x20 campaign, which came to a close last week. It’s now time to build on this momentum and ensure that practical steps are taken to work towards equality in Gaelic Games.” 

534 members completed an online survey for the purpose of this report, the largest study into the experiences of female inter-county players since the ‘Making Things Better’ report in 2014. 

While a team grant was introduced off the back of the 2014 report, male players continue to receive over four times more investment through government funding than female players (€3m v €700k in 2020).