Maria Kinsella: Do the GAA, LGFA, and Camogie Association really want to unite?

Maria Kinsella: 'If Sunday is not a tipping point, what is it going to take for it to be a tipping point?'

The head of the Women’s Gaelic Players Association has questioned the appetite of the GAA, LGFA, and Camogie Association to merge into one organisation.

Chairperson of the WGPA Maria Kinsella has said the events surrounding Sunday's Cork-Galway All-Ireland ladies football semi-final highlighted the urgent need for the three governing bodies to come together under the one umbrella to improve the plight of the female player.

Male and female inter-county players will vote on December 14 on whether they want the GPA and WGPA to become one single players representative body, with Kinsella remarking that there is very little clarity on what action is being taken by the GAA, LGFA, and Camogie Association to similarly merge forces.

In the GAA’s Strategic Plan 2018-2021, one of the objectives set out is to ‘integrate more closely across the GAA family’. To realise this goal of greater integration across the GAA, LGFA, and Camogie Association, the strategic plan cites the need for a ‘feasibility assessment of a One County Model’.

Kinsella has questioned whether this feasibility assessment has been conducted and asked how committed are the three associations to joining forces.

“Where is that [feasibility assessment]? Has that work been completed? What are the findings? Are the three associations committed to integration? If not, why not? What's holding it up? What are the obstacles? There is very little clarity coming out from either of the three associations on integration and how committed they are to the process,” said the WGPA chairperson.

“You look at the success of the joint Covid Advisory group and how well that worked with the three associations involved. Players across the three associations knew the rules set out by the group applied to them and they weren't waiting to figure out what their own association was coming out with two days after a GAA announcement.

“If Armagh ladies are the only ladies football county that have access to their own facilities and pitch, how are we as women in Gaelic games going to progress if we are always on the outside looking in and very much relying on the GAA's generosity to grant us access to pitches.”

The change of venue and throw-in time just two hours before Sunday’s Cork-Galway All-Ireland semi-final, as well as the seven-minute warm-up afforded to the Galway players before being rushed into action, was a tipping point in the treatment of female players, Kinsella reckoned.

Questions remain as to why it was left as late as 10.20am on Sunday morning before a new venue was sought after the Parnell Park pitch was deemed unplayable. The LGFA have said they notified both camps of the switch to Croke Park and the throw-in time being brought forward from 1.30pm to 1pm at 11am, but Cork manager Ephie Fitzgerald is adamant he was not told until roughly 11.30am.

“If Sunday is not a tipping point, what is it going to take for it to be a tipping point? What else is it going to take to stand up and say, this isn't good enough any more,” Kinsella continued.

“I struggled with a number of the decisions that were made, and why they were made. Firstly, the booking of a venue - LIT Gaelic Grounds - that was not 100% confirmed; why not go to Thurles, why not explore other pitches that were available? It just makes me question where we are heading and what we want to achieve.

“It is 2020 and women are still not being respected in the GAA family.”

LGFA president Marie Hickey said yesterday Galway could have enjoyed a longer warm-up than the seven minutes they were afforded “had they not spent so much time in the dressing-room” after arriving at Croke Park.

Galway arrived at GAA HQ at 12.30pm and took to the field at 1pm.

“Galway arrived to Croke Park at 12.30pm and they then proceeded to the dressing-room, so they spent quite a bit of time in the dressing-room and then emerged out onto the pitch. They would have had the opportunity to get out onto the pitch earlier had they not spent so much time in the dressing-room,” Hickey told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

Galway manager Tim Rabbitt refuted the remarks of the LGFA President and wants an apology from the LGFA over how his players were treated at Croke Park.

Galway defender Sinéad Burke described Hickey’s comments as “a punch in the guts”, while Kinsella said they were unjustified.

“There is no doubt that the LGFA have done some incredible things for ladies football over the years and there have been some really, really good days, but Sunday was bitterly disappointing and the comments I don't think are justified. It is hurtful to players to hear that, particularly when you are only allowed to be in dressing-rooms for a maximum of 14 minutes under Covid guidelines.

“When you have the manager of the opposing team going on the record as to how unfair and unjust a position the Galway team were put in, that speaks volumes.”