Davina Tobin: Expenses the next step on road to equality

Davina Tobin of Kilkenny and Emeralds GAA Club at the launch of the new Gaelic Games Player Pathway. Picture: Matt Browne/Sportsfile

Female inter-county players being paid travel expenses is the next step in correcting gender imbalance within the Gaelic games family, according to Kilkenny camogie player Davina Tobin.

A WGPA report, published last October, highlighted that 93% of female inter-county players received no travel expenses over the previous four years. The report also revealed some players are forking out up to €200 per week on fuel to get to and from inter-county training.

The LGFA did reimburse female inter-county footballers for matchday travel costs during last year’s All-Ireland championship, but it remains to be seen if this practice will continue in 2021.

The Kilkenny camogie board covered players’ fuel expenses for last November’s All-Ireland semi-final against Cork at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and while Tobin and her teammates were appreciative, the recent All-Star winner cites a need for a more sustainable model to be put in place.

At present, the annual Government grant of €700,000 towards female inter-county activity is a team rather than an individual grant, differing from the €3m directly allocated to male inter-county players.

“With travelling to matches, we don’t get expenses and your male counterparts do. Hopefully, down the line, that will come,” said two-time All-Ireland medal winner Tobin.

“There are girls coming down from Dublin to training in Kilkenny, from Cork, Galway, coming from college. One of the girls is a nurse in Dublin. There isn’t any mileage for them and they are obviously travelling a lot further than girls based in Kilkenny. You would like equality on that front.

Kilkenny’s Davina Tobin in action against Cork’s Ashling Thompson. Picture: INPHO/Oisin Keniry

“There’s always something to improve on and that [travelling expenses] could be the next step on that grant scheme.”

Commenting on the player pathway launched this week by the GAA, LGFA, and Camogie Association, Tobin stressed the importance of coaches and managers making training as enjoyable as possible for players of all ability levels as her own experience is that girls are dropping out in their teenage years because they find the game is becoming “too competitive”.

“At U16, there is a big dropout. I don’t know if it does get too competitive, but girls just like the social aspect of it and they just can’t deal with every manager who wants to just win at that age.

“Every coach should understand that every player is at a different level and to try and keep players coming back. And if it is getting too serious, maybe have a few sessions that are fun, make it enjoyable for everyone.

"This pathway is really looking at the subject of looking after your players. Without the players, it is very hard to have a team.

You are just trying to make it to suit everyone and keep everyone active no matter what level they are at.

Tobin is a hairdresser by trade, but with such personal services under lock and key since Christmas, she admits the days are “really long”.

“It is hard. The last two times we went back to work, I thought ‘this is it, we’ll never have a lockdown again.’ I should have enjoyed the last lockdown more and took the time to rest, but I suppose when we do get back in May or June, you are hoping we won’t be locked down again. It has been a very hard year.”