Time to merge the LGFA and Camogie Association under the GAA umbrella

[Eamonnca1]

Is it time for the sister sports to come under the GAA's wing? I think it's long past time.

To use a Pat Dalyism, there are economies of scale with being part of a larger organization.

The GAA would gain from having more progressive input since women tend to be more open minded about trying new ideas, hence the sin bin and hooter in ladies football.

The LGFA and CA would gain from having easier access to facilities instead of hoping the GAA can spare their grounds. It'd open the door to mixed-gender double headers. Want to promote ladies football and get a big crowd at the match? Have the opening rounds of the league or championships with the ladies match as the curtain-raiser before the men's game, that way you could potentially have the Armagh and Tyrone ladies playing before the Armagh and Tyrone men. Then you'd be looking at big attendances. With the cameras already there it'd be easier to get TV coverage for the women's game. Same as how women's Olympic events and grand slam tennis matches already get plenty of coverage since they play at the same time as the men when all the media is in place.

There's a boatload of advantages to amalgamation and I think the LGFA and CA are shooting themselves in the foot by holding back on it.

[AZOffaly]

I wonder why they don't do it? Is it the equivalent of jobs for the boys? Or is it a fear that they'd be swallowed up by the GAA? Women are represented in officer roles in every GAA club in the country I'd say, so it's not like the GAA is a cold house for women.

[Eamonnca1]

Probably fear of change. Fear of losing control. They'd need to go and look at how things are run outside of Ireland where things are already amalgamated. They'd learn something.

[Syferus]

I can see why independence has for the LGFA, and likely Camogie too. Grandstanding like this is more Tony Feron's wheelhouse than yours, Eamonnca. I certainly wouldn't know enough about the inner workings of either to say it's some sort of slam dunk to be under the same group as the mens' games.

BTW, there are more than a few inter-gender double headers already.

[Eamonnca1]

Grandstanding? It's a topic I'd like to discuss and I'm interested in hearing people's take on it.  Didn't know about the inter-gender double-headers, for example. Where have these happened and in what competitions?

[magpie seanie]

I think it's a disgrace it hasn't happened already. I'm 100% in favour, the sooner the better. And the masters competitions need to be brought back into the tent also.

[Zulu]

It's the ladies associations that are holding this up.

[mrhardyannual]

Does anyone on here really believe that there would be "parity of esteem" for women if they came under the GAA umbrella. Would a ladies senior football team get equal access to a club's main pitch as the senior men's team or even the minor boy's team.

[Eamonnca1]

Does anyone on here really believe that there would be "parity of esteem" for women if they came under the GAA umbrella. Would a ladies senior football team get equal access to a club's main pitch as the senior men's team or even the minor boy's team.

Based on the experiences here, yes. It'd be easier for them to get equal access when they're in every meeting where fixtures are discussed and on the actual committees that set the fixtures.

[Syferus]

Does anyone on here really believe that there would be "parity of esteem" for women if they came under the GAA umbrella. Would a ladies senior football team get equal access to a club's main pitch as the senior men's team or even the minor boy's team.

Based on the experiences here, yes. It'd be easier for them to get equal access when they're in every meeting where fixtures are discussed and on the actual committees that set the fixtures.

A lot of clubs field teams teams in both - the ladies are very much under the same banner in those cases. Clubs aren’t treating their own ladies teams as outsiders. A bit like hurling only clubs, there are a few ladies only clubs, however.

Ladies matches have regularly been curtain raisers before underage championship (and even senior on occasion) out west. The last AI U21 final Roscommon reached in 2014 featured Roscommon v Antrim in the D4 ladies final beforehand, with the ladies team giving the lads a guard of honour after they collected the D4 title.

To my eyes the LGFA is doing more than fine on its own, and I don’t see why they’d change what’s working unless the GAA were to make an offer they couldn’t refuse.

[sligoman2]

Does anyone on here really believe that there would be "parity of esteem" for women if they came under the GAA umbrella. Would a ladies senior football team get equal access to a club's main pitch as the senior men's team or even the minor boy's team.

Based on the experiences here, yes. It'd be easier for them to get equal access when they're in every meeting where fixtures are discussed and on the actual committees that set the fixtures.

A lot of clubs field teams teams in both - the ladies are very much under the same banner in those cases. Clubs aren’t treating their own ladies teams as outsiders. A bit like hurling only clubs, there are a few ladies only clubs, however.

Ladies matches have regularly been curtain raisers before underage championship (and even senior on occasion) out west. The last AI U21 final Roscommon reached in 2014 featured Roscommon v Antrim in the D4 ladies final beforehand, with the ladies team giving the lads a guard of honour after they collected the D4 title.

To my eyes the LGFA is doing more than fine on its own, and I don’t see why they’d change what’s working unless the GAA were to make an offer they couldn’t refuse.

Excuse my ignorance but where do the two codes diverge?  Feile for example has men and womens teams as does the cyc in North America, I thought they were both GAA competitions not LGFA.  Is it only in junior and senior competitions or is it at all age groups.
It seems that the LGFA is doing fine on its own, 46,000 at Croker, ever improving standards, time clock, sin bin, are all good things in the game and I am a big fan of ladies football.  If they were to merge, it would be crucial that some of the top table in the GAA were LGFA representatives and that they received the recognition and publicity that they undoubtedly deserve...

[Eamonnca1]

AFAIK the CYC is a joint operation run by a steering committee consisting of people from USGAA, NYGAA, and Canada GAA and is accountable to the GAA's international committee. The LGFA and CA are involved too but I'm not sure exactly where they fit in as institutions.

[magpie seanie]

Does anyone on here really believe that there would be "parity of esteem" for women if they came under the GAA umbrella. Would a ladies senior football team get equal access to a club's main pitch as the senior men's team or even the minor boy's team.

Based on the experiences here, yes. It'd be easier for them to get equal access when they're in every meeting where fixtures are discussed and on the actual committees that set the fixtures.

A lot of clubs field teams teams in both - the ladies are very much under the same banner in those cases. Clubs aren’t treating their own ladies teams as outsiders. A bit like hurling only clubs, there are a few ladies only clubs, however.

Ladies matches have regularly been curtain raisers before underage championship (and even senior on occasion) out west. The last AI U21 final Roscommon reached in 2014 featured Roscommon v Antrim in the D4 ladies final beforehand, with the ladies team giving the lads a guard of honour after they collected the D4 title.

To my eyes the LGFA is doing more than fine on its own, and I don’t see why they’d change what’s working unless the GAA were to make an offer they couldn’t refuse.

Excuse my ignorance but where do the two codes diverge?  Feile for example has men and womens teams as does the cyc in North America, I thought they were both GAA competitions not LGFA.  Is it only in junior and senior competitions or is it at all age groups.
It seems that the LGFA is doing fine on its own, 46,000 at Croker, ever improving standards, time clock, sin bin, are all good things in the game and I am a big fan of ladies football.  If they were to merge, it would be crucial that some of the top table in the GAA were LGFA representatives and that they received the recognition and publicity that they undoubtedly deserve...

They're currently relying on the goodwill of the GAA to provide pitches etc. That shouldn't be the case - they're as entitled to those grounds as anyone else.

[magpie seanie]

It's the ladies associations that are holding this up.

Whatever the problem is it needs to get sorted.

[screenexile]

The costs involved in Ladies Football far outweigh those in the Men's game and you would hope that if they came under one umbrella the costs would fall immediately.

The problem with amalgamating all would mean job losses for both Ladies Football and Camogie employees which is probably why there it hasn't happened yet!