Andy Gray and Richard Keys, the Sky Sports presenters who were caught uttering misogynistic sentiments off-screen, raised a serious question for soccer to answer - is the sport inherently sexist?
It makes sense for the GAA to also reflect on the role women play in the organisation.
In days of yore, the role of the women in the GAA was largely consigned to that of making sandwiches and tea at half-time in clubrooms across the country. While, that tradition certainly continues in places, thankfully, women have more involvement in the association as a whole.
When you look around at marquee matches in Croke Park now, women make up a substantial percentage of the total crowd who come to cheer their teams on. As little as 20 years ago that may not have been the case and 50 years ago a large percentage of women at an All-Ireland final would have been unheard of.
The fact that more and more women are going to games dispels the myth that gaelic games are of more interest to men and that is why traditionally women's role within the association has been muted.

The ugly truth is that men have been happy to marginalise women in the association but there are signs that this is now changing. Women are more likely to be donning club jerseys these days than washing them.
When the first game of camogie was played in 1904 women the very concept of women wearing the normal club regalia was deemed outlandish and so the first women wore restrictive dresses while playing the game.
It took until another 28 years for the organisation to stage a camogie All-Ireland competition. Women playing gaelic games continued to be something of a non-issue for the association and it wasn't until 1974 that the Ladies Gaelic Football Association was formed.
Since then the women's game has grown in popularity, size and the participants have become more skilled with every passing year. But still is enough being done to encourage women to participate in gaelic games?
The big issue is at underage level where things are rapidly changing. Where football and hurling had very much been seen as a domain for boys, girls are now being encouraged to participate in gaelic games at their schools and in their communities across the country.
Those women who stick with their chosen code are every bit as committed to the cause as their male counterparts. In fact, it could be argued that they are more committed. They have to overcome a stigma associated with playing football or camogie. The fact is that while more is being done to promote women's role in the association it does not attract the crowds, the money or attention it deserves.


I found this on the interweb and thought it was a good article

dammon (Meath) - Posts: 1291 - 23/02/2011 13:46:45    874458

its a good article but i have a minor problem and that is with womens football why won't they come under the unbrella of the gaa they are still a seperate organisation.
The Gaa has asked on numerous occasions for them to join but still they say no. The gaa are more than accomodating to the women's football, maybe if clubs didn't allow women to use gaa pitches then they would come on board. I've had family that play ladies football and am supportive of them but maybe at an execitive level things need to change.

shaggylegend (Monaghan) - Posts: 1948 - 23/02/2011 14:51:41    874557

Not so sure how welcoming the GAA would be to all those new votes coming to the organisation, the status Quo, jobs for the boys might get upset a tad. They have made overtures to the womens organistion to to come under the umbrella for sure but on their terms, with a view to subsuming them. Not cooperating with the womens game might be a regrettable step in the longer term considering the contribution women make at grassroots level.

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 23/02/2011 15:15:32    874597

Jeez i rememember growing up playing underage football.
The worse critics were always the women.
the dogs abuse they used to give the palyers and the poor referees.

Trainers, refs used to be cowering when they saw these women walking towards them

woops (Kerry) - Posts: 2073 - 23/02/2011 15:23:10    874611

Sharon McGing ;)

mayoboy1 (Mayo) - Posts: 1654 - 23/02/2011 15:28:22    874617

woops
County: Kerry
Posts: 587

874611 Jeez i rememember growing up playing underage football.
The worse critics were always the women.
the dogs abuse they used to give the palyers and the poor referees.

Trainers, refs used to be cowering when they saw these women walking towards them.

Some of those kerry women came over to dance in Newmarket, I know how the refs felt

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 23/02/2011 15:39:47    874629

In days of yore the women made sandwiches????


Sandwiches were unheard of in days of yore at Gaa matches unless it was eating them out of the back of the car at Croker (everyone did it not just us)

The premise of the argument is flawed because girls make up a significant percentage of the playing members at most clubs and women officiate across all aspects of club life and so it should be

Whether peil na mBan should be under the Gaa is something they may or may not have merits but the poor attendances relative to mens is more to do with hype and marketing and some tradition than discrimination


In my view

ochonlir (Cavan) - Posts: 4343 - 23/02/2011 16:42:51    874713

what have women got to do with GAA?

gaafarmer (Wexford) - Posts: 280 - 23/02/2011 21:57:45    875040

Be interesting to see how many men go to watch the camogie match that is on before the Dublin v Kerry match on Sunday, I would hazard a guess that 99% of the crowd will not arrive until the camogie game is over. Personally I have no interest in women's football or camogie, but without trying to sound condescending I say good luck to them.

gilly0512 (Galway) - Posts: 1176 - 24/02/2011 14:36:17    875486

Be interesting to see how many men go to watch the camogie match that is on before the Dublin v Kerry match on Sunday

The funny thing is that most women also primarily follow mens sport first over their fellow females. I would even venture that the male-female ratio is roughly the same at a championship womens football game as it is at a mens game. That's what tends to be overlooked in all these debates on womens sport.

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 24/02/2011 14:58:04    875510

I'd rather watch a cricket match before a womans Gaa match. And i'm a big Gaa fan. They should stick to the more traditional role of tea and sandwhiches. Andy Gray's right!

gaa4life. (Galway) - Posts: 94 - 24/02/2011 17:33:43    875684

I remember a particularly spiteful match a few years ago between two neighbouring clubs. There were about 15 women from the one extended family on the sideline umbrellas in hand supporting their young relative. The lad got a few dirty thumps to the utter disgust of these women. When a lad was eventually sent off and was about to leave the field on the far side the women roared at the referee "send the ****** off over this side ref "" !! Judging from their reputation they would have killed him !!

Cavan_Slasher (Cavan) - Posts: 10253 - 24/02/2011 17:50:49    875713

There might be more women going to matches but do they know the Square Ball Rule? Thats the one.....!!!

Lifford Gael (Donegal) - Posts: 1925 - 24/02/2011 17:55:41    875719

Lifford Gael
Yes we do know the square ball rule unlike some umpires and Joe Sheridan.

rossielassie (Roscommon) - Posts: 672 - 24/02/2011 18:51:24    875781

rossielassie
County: Roscommon
Posts: 660

875781
Lifford Gael
Yes we do know the square ball rule unlike some umpires and Joe Sheridan.

----------------------------------------

Lol......

Lifford Gael (Donegal) - Posts: 1925 - 24/02/2011 18:55:14    875787

Joe Sheridan???????

Lifford Gael (Donegal) - Posts: 1925 - 24/02/2011 18:55:43    875788

Actually apologies I didnt mean Joe but wasnt it a square ball first of all before he rugby tackled it over the line? I cant think of the players name.. seamus something for meath was in the small square before the ball entered it.. and resulted in that "goal".
And I see your just itching to pounce on a girl's view to try and make it look like we know nothing about the sport.

rossielassie (Roscommon) - Posts: 672 - 24/02/2011 19:50:56    875840

rossielassie
County: Roscommon
Posts: 661

875840
Actually apologies I didnt mean Joe but wasnt it a square ball first of all before he rugby tackled it over the line? I cant think of the players name.. seamus something for meath was in the small square before the ball entered it.. and resulted in that "goal".
And I see your just itching to pounce on a girl's view to try and make it look like we know nothing about the sport.

Leave Joe out of this you're not helping at all..

Royal_Girl2k9 (Meath) - Posts: 2107 - 24/02/2011 20:10:53    875857

RG i did apologise for my error... but did he for his....

rossielassie (Roscommon) - Posts: 672 - 24/02/2011 20:16:29    875862

rossielassie:

i don't know if you're trying to be funny or doing it naturally but you're making me laugh (in a good way)

Lifford Gael (Donegal) - Posts: 1925 - 24/02/2011 20:19:49    875870