Dublin club Ballyboden St Enda’s have released a public statement alongside a direct submission to the Camogie Association and LGFA demanding that the two organisations work together “to protect the welfare of adult [female] dual players” who currently face “totally unreasonable” scheduling demands.
The club explained that they have seen “huge benefits” from implementing the One Club model, through which men’s and women’s Gaelic Games are promoted equally, “but the lack of a formally coordinated female adult football and camogie Club fixture schedule is placing totally unreasonable demands on our dual players and giving rise to serious player welfare concerns, e.g. league games regularly scheduled on successive days, three games within eight days and seven championship games scheduled within a four week period.”
Both the Camogie Association and LGFA have committed to the One Club model at the national level, but according to Ballyboden St Enda’s, they “have failed to deliver on their commitments… by not insisting that their respective County Boards implement formalised coordinated Club fixture programmes which fairly take into account the player welfare of adult dual players.”
In sharp contrast, “Dublin GAA County Board’s remit covers both football and hurling and their games programme facilitates dual players – broadly speaking alternative weeks of football and hurling. However, Dublin LGFA County Board view their sole remit as the promotion of Ladies Football and Dublin Camogie County Board view their sole remit as the promotion of Camogie.”
The statement made it clear that Ballyboden St Enda’s have “no quibbles” with integration, and that the issue “has nothing to do with the GAA. ”
“The solution lies solely with the LGFA and the Camogie Association, but needs both associations to cooperate together.”
Ballyboden St Enda’s have won county senior championships in all four codes as well as a Leinster camogie title and All-Ireland success in men’s and women’s football, and their children’s summer camp programme is among the largest in the country.