Camogie players slam decision to arrange All-Star tour for week before championship

POOR TIMING: The 2022 PwC Camogie All-Stars team. Players now have to decide whether they want to go on the tour a week before championship is due to begin. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Bryne

The Gaelic Players Association has contacted the Camogie Association about rescheduling the 2023 All-Stars trip to Canada as camogie players are incensed at the “farcical” decision to arrange the tour just over one week out from the start of the All-Ireland Championship.

It was announced last Friday that the 2023 PwC Camogie All-Stars tour, comprising the 2021 and ‘22 All-Star winners, will travel to Calgary, Alberta from May 19-25.

News of the May tour to Canada was met with disbelief and anger by inter-county managers and affected players, given the proximity of the trip to the start of the 2023 All-Ireland senior camogie championship.

Although the draws have yet to be made for the 2023 All-Ireland championship, the Camogie Association’s master fixture plan states that the first round of senior group games are down for decision on the weekend of June 3/4.

With the All-Star trip concluding on Thursday, May 25, players will arrive home just over one week before they are due out in championship action. Not alone that, but the touring players will miss a week of collective training in the fortnight before the championship throws in.

In response to queries from the Irish Examiner, the Camogie Association said “split season pressure” influenced their decision to schedule the trip so close to championship.

“The split season has placed pressure on all availability, combined with a league, provincial championship and club window,” said a Camogie Association spokesperson.

“The Association has engaged with managers over the weekend, to alleviate any initial concerns managers may have had.” 

Despite this, the exasperation of managers and players remains unabated.

Numerous players contacted the GPA over the weekend expressing frustration over the date that has been announced.

A GPA spokesperson told the Examiner that players feel the date of the trip “will make them choose between championship preparation or travelling”.

The GPA has described as “fantastic” the return of the Camogie All-Star tour with the support of PwC.

However, the frustration of their members has led the players’ body to make contact with the Camogie Association.

“We have contacted the Camogie Association on players’ behalf and hope that this can be resolved to allow a fantastic tour with all the top players involved.” 

If there is no change to the scheduled dates, a strong likelihood is that some players will not sign up for the trip.

Camogie’s big three of Kilkenny, Cork, and Galway are the most affected. All-Ireland champions Kilkenny boast 10 players who picked up an All-Star award across the 2021 and ‘22 seasons, Galway have eight, with Cork one less at seven.

Two of the Cork seven, dual players Libby Coppinger and Hannah Looney, could find themselves lining out in a Munster ladies football final three days after arriving home from Canada, should Cork reach the provincial decider.

The 2023 Munster ladies football final is fixed for Sunday, May 28. The fixture is important for the fact that the winners earn top seeding for the All-Ireland group stages and avoid the other provincial winners until at least the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

The 2023 tour to Canada will be the third ever Camogie All-Stars trip, and first post-Covid. The 2017 and 2019 trips to Madrid and New York respectively took place in November, and there is bewilderment as to why this latest tour isn’t taking place when the club season is winding down.

It has been mentioned by Camogie top-brass to disgruntled counties in recent days that the start of the championship could be pushed out to the weekend of June 10/11, so as to widen the gap between the All-Stars trip and championship throw-in.

Following Cork’s opening round league win over Dublin on Saturday, Cork manager Matthew Twomey told local radio stations that the timing of the trip was “embarrassing”. He too is looking for new dates to be arrived at.

“It’s farcical,” said Twomey. “It wouldn’t happen in the men’s game. If it happened in a club team where they were going away on holidays a week before championship, you’d drop them. They wouldn’t be considered. Why is our own association putting this on us? There has to be serious consideration.”