Ladies Gaelic Football Association

Thank you [chuckles].

Um, I've mentioned that there's Sunday is gonna be one of the biggest games in Carrigaline LGFA's history.

So how are preparations coming along?

Yeah, I think, um, it's exciting.

Um, two stories, John, you wanted to touch on.

So- James McLean with a very interesting interview in the paper this Sunday, and Camogie Association versus LGFA, not for the first time over fixture clashes.

This is kind of, uh, the business end of the club championships across the country.

So in Meath, for instance, there was just a, a, a, an, an, a nightmare clash for Kilmessan, Meath, Junior A Camogie semi-final, the same day, same time as the Junior B football final.

Kilmessan say they raised this with the Camogie Association earlier in the year.

"This, this, this could...

This very likely to happen for us." And as often seems to happen, almost with the Camogie Association and the LGFA more than GAA, um, clashes, very little, uh, cooperation between the two, given they're on the road to integration suddenly, and so the two matches are just locked in for those times.

Yeah.

Well, lads, I, I, I think we'll, we'll get straight into it because it's ahead of time and, a- a- and, and plenty to get through.

Um, obviously, look, there's been a story developing over the last few weeks in relation to, um, dual players in the LGFA and, uh, camogie having to play games, having to choose really between games, Ferdie.

Um, and you've kind of been, been following along with that and, and just to, to, we said we'd start the podcast with, with an update in that situation.

Yeah.

Look, we, um, we posted a story online which was written by Anna Gardiner, who, um, thank God for Anna because, uh, we won't get into, get into it again 'cause we, we mentioned the last few weeks, but the, the level of publicity and, um, communication between the LGFA and the Camogie Association with the local media has been awful, um, in that nothing comes tr- you know, a sentence message here or an email there, but nothing comes into the, the Meath Chronicle, uh, official channels to let us know about fixtures or results or anything like that coming in.

So in fairness, Anna Gardiner noticed this and, uh, has come on board as our, uh, LGFA and camogie correspondent this year, and she's been brilliant.

But, um-

That's great.

This week, we're in a, a county final on Saturday at 4:00 with, with, with, uh, the camogie girls, the senior team, against Navan.

And then, uh, lo and behold, the LGFA fixes the Dunsany match for Friday night at half seven in Summerhill.

So by and large, the same group of girls play their football with Dunsany and their camogie with, with Kilmessan, and we have two associations that's meant to be looking after girls' sport, and really all they're doing is destroying the girls' welfare.

If this happened at men's level, there'd be a riot.

Okay.

So there is no, there is no poker.

Now- I know Dunsany have gone back to the LGFA, and LGFA says, "You can change it out to a week if Kells agrees."

Okay.

And I know it is complex and there's lots of different factors involved.

But at the end of the day, we've all agreed as a GAA, LGFA, Camogie community that this is where we want to go and this is what we want to do.

And the further we kind of keep kicking it down the line, you know, the situation is still going to be the same for female players.

And I think everybody recognises that that can't stay that way.

know, there are two of the budgets for the Department of Sport and Culture and Media and the budgets for the Department of Agriculture are really important budgets in terms of signalling government policy and government direction and what the government believes in.

I think I wanted to get your take just adjacent on politics you were writing about the Oireachtas the sports Oireachtas committee on Sunday they've had two very high profile outings they had the FAI in and then they had the three GEA associations the GEA the Camogie Association and the LGFA to almost say well what's going on with integration this week so they've had two big outings you weren't impressed with their performance with the FAI in your piece on Sunday

Yeah, I don't think many could be.

I mean, they were in to talk about safeguarding and football and structures.

He let some really, really low blow, unnecessary low blows go.

He let a couple of grandstanding moments go.

And you take that last Wednesday then, you were literally recording as it was happening and you just referenced DGA and Camogie Sussion and the LGFA were in.

And it was a completely different tone being taken towards them.

... kind of her background from the, the fight city of Belfast.

But then you look at Aoife and Lisa O'Rourke recently when they're both topped the podium at the European Championships, coming from a LGFA background in rural Roscommon or Castlerea, right? So, like, not exactly a boxing stronghold, right? And then you look at the professionals, I suppose Christina Desmond, she's one of the most successful Irish female boxers of all time.

She comes from the Gaeltacht in Munster, and a ladies football background as well.

And then Kelly Harrington from the inner city in Dublin has been through different clubs.

Because at the moment, like, we're producing these amazing boxers that are going to Olympic Games and competing really well, but, like, imagine if, if there was a, an even bigger pool to draw from.

So, like, if you got boxing into, like, and, and I know we always talk about boxing is a predominantly working class sport.

Could, but can you imagine, like, if it had, um, you know, if it was spread out across all different demographics as well? Like, you know, you mentioned there the girls, the O'Rourkes coming kind of from an LGFA background.

And I just think the more the sport can embrace, um, everybody, no matter kind of, I suppose, what, what your class demographic is, or male or female.