President Breslin: ‘Would I like the interest football has? Yes, but our game is better’

Pictured are (L-R) Clare’s Sinead O’Keefe (Premier Junior), Tipperary’s Claire Stakelum (Premier Junior), Camogie Association President, Hilda Breslin, Waterford’s Keeley Corbett-Barry (Senior), Cork’s Amy O’Connor (Senior), CFO of Glen Dimplex Group, Yvonne Burke, Derry’s Aine McAllister (Intermediate) and Meath’s Ellen Burke (Senior). Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

AN UACHTARÁN-TOFA of the Camogie Association has just been dragged into a debate which could be entitled: ‘If hurling is more loved than men’s football, can the same can be said about camogie over ladies football?’ 

Generally such curveballs are dealt with tactically through excruciating, deferential diplomacy by Presidents, Secretary Generals or Chairpersons of major sports organisations – but that’s not Hilda Breslin’s style.

While a highly skilled political and organisational figurehead – this great-granddaughter of Jim Larkin - cannot pass the opportunity to address the question of whether ladies football receives the greater attentions and affections of the female codes.

“Would I like the interest football has? Yes, but I’ll still always think of our game as a better game, I think it’s a better game to watch and that’s no disrespect to football,” is the honest and unapologetic presidential view.

“They’re different games - you can’t compare hurling and football and I don’t think you can compare camogie and football - they’re just a different type of game and to us that’s what we’re going for - we’re going for a game that moves very fast and is very skilful.” 

Indeed, as the mother-of-one from Athy, Co Kildare, explains, much work has already been done and is continuing to be reviewed during her term to change perceptions about camogie which she says is now a faster and more exciting sport.

“We redid our rules - I was part of that three years ago - and without doubt that has changed our sport, it is not the same sport that it was before,” she explains.

“There is an element that you must retain the skill in the sport and you make it fast and we are looking at our playing rules again, and again the focus will be the skill and the speed of the game, because I think that is often what drives people’s interest.

“If you can give them a fast skilful game… nobody wants a game which is particularly physical.

“There is physicality in camogie, absolutely, but it can’t be the key aspect of the game – it has to be incidental.

While she’s at it, Hilda Breslin also believes that Camogie is a more attractive option than hurling too, by being less formulaic in its play and tactics, for starters.

“In lots of ways hurling has become slightly predictable in terms of the puckout, the drive it down (approach),” she explains.

“Camogie has a lot more interplay around the field and I think we’ve probably driven the game to be very fast and skilful, and if we keep it on that tact, that’s the way forward for it.” 

There is real passion when the president speaks of her sport - as you would expect from any sporting leader – but it’s that layer of calm certainty which impresses most.

This despite playing catch-up with football, where the LGFA is a bigger organisation – 170k registered players versus the Camogie Association’s 110k participants. Breslin believes such comparisons are not healthy.

“I certainly don’t see it as a them or us,” when asked about a perceived rivalry between the two sports.

“I’m a firm believer - and I was chair of competitions for six years - and I said this every time people raised ladies football, that we need to stop looking at other people looking over our shoulder all of the time.

“Because if you do that you can’t move, you’re forever watching what someone else is doing.

“Ladies Football is always going to have, in some ways, a different scope than us. It’s very similar to hurling and football.” 

But is there any truth in the perception that the game is played by two different types of women and girls, from different backgrounds with contrasting demographical profiles, albeit two sports with increasing memberships?

“You’re not always going to have the same market,” agrees the former Kildare county chair.

“Ladies football has achieved enormous growth to be very fair to them, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t achieve growth where ladies football has.

“It also doesn’t mean that we can’t achieve growth where ladies football hasn’t achieved growth.” 

Camogie, she points out, is moving into new markets, with counties like Donegal, Cavan and Sligo reporting increases in participation numbers, as well as the game overseas.

An All Star trip to Canada this summer to promote the game in North America was pulled earlier this year after players objected to the short run-in time to the County Championship season.

That incident appeared to show a divide between players and the NGB, with the tour scrapped and calls from a small but vocal few on the need for better relations between association and player.

“I don’t think it’s a question of rebuilding relationships,” she insists.

“We have a very good relationship and we had a very good relationship, and we engaged with the GPA and engaged with the players to see was there a window - there wasn’t a window for the trip this year.” 

As she observes from her vantage point at tomorrow’s Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Finals, Breslin will take in proceedings for the last time as President – next April she will be replaced by incoming Uachtaran Brian Molloy, a first man to occupy the post in 120 years.

Along with an expected 30,000 supporters who will watch Cork take on neighbours Waterford in a highly anticipated Senior Final, there will surely be a sense of achievement by the President as she surveys the scene.

As terms of office go, this has been one which started off with a remote coronation during Covid times and will end with the extraordinary first steps towards the integration of the Camogie Association, Ladies Gaelic Football Association and the GAA.

In between there has been the expansion of the organisation as a highly valuable commercial business, one which now boasts a suite of blue ribband sponsors under the top-tier partnership of Glen Dimplex and co-owner Carmel Naughton, through a multi-million euro five year deal.

Almost €3m in commercial revenues are now recorded at the body through a portfolio which includes corporate heavyweights Alliance and Electric Ireland.

Such growth has been elevated through a commercial agreement with the GAA – the Camogie Association retains the services of Croke Park’s commercial team, led by Peter McKenna, to manage its sponsorship affairs.

The biggest business activity of all is yet to come, however, with the merger between the three main Gaelic games sports bodies.

The Camogie Association will have its plan in place by next February - to be part of what will become the biggest and most powerful sporting body of all - under a ‘One Association’ union of almost one million members.

When asked if she has any fears around the merger, the President responds with optimistic certainty, but then and very interestingly, checks her answer slightly.

“To be absolutely honest with you, I don’t have a fear of integration,” she begins.

“I suppose if there was a fear, my fear is that there is a window of opportunity and if that window passes us by, integration will not come and that’s a fear to me because the sports will not grow to a level that they should grow.

“Then we will not have an association that we can truly say is one association for all - I think that’s my fear.” 

The key aspect for the formative steps of integration, says Breslin, is the calibre and quality of those charged with putting the various kingdoms together into one empire.

“If you do it properly and you have quality people you have nothing to fear,” she continues.

“If you go in with agendas and hidden agendas that’s where fear comes.

“We must do this properly and lay our cards on the table and if we do this for the good of everybody we have nothing to fear.” 

With the desire and the right attitudes from all parties, Breslin believes the whole process can be completed by 2026, by which time the then former President will have played a significant role in making history.

Tomorrow’s showpiece Senior decider between Cork and Waterford for the Seaghan O’Duffy Cup, will be preceded by Meath versus Derry in the Intermediate Final, while Tipperary and Clare fight it out for the Junior title with coverage on The Sunday Game Live starting at 12.40pm on RTÉ2.