A recent survey carried out by the Women’s Gaelic
Players Association (WGPA) has found that 82% of Camogie players are in favour
of trialling news rules in league competitions while 70% agreed that rules on
physical contact 'very much' need to change.
Support for rule changes, particularly around
physical contact was apparent. There was a sense that the game was not keeping
up with developments in player conditioning and technical ability.
Players also responded to factors around refereeing,
indicating a poor experience overall in elements such as consistency, accuracy,
communication and transparency. Consistency was the main cause for concern with
60% of respondents agreeing that it was “poor”, but communication was one of
the more positive aspects.
Maria Kinsella, WGPA Chairperson said, “There has
been a lot of discussion around rule changes and refereeing standards in
Camogie over the past number of years. A proper objective analysis of the
trends in the game and refereeing needs to be carried out because players
currently don’t feel engaged through the current mechanism for changing rules.
We welcome the motion passed at congress to allow the trialling of new rules
but it now needs a proper plan in place in order to be effective.”
Speaking from a player perspective Gemma O’Connor of
Cork Camogie said, “Players have been expressing frustration around rules and
referees publicly for a long time and this now represents a collective call for
change and an opportunity to improve the game. We as players, or the review
group, don’t have all the answers but we are willing to support the process of
finding them. We respect referees and the important work they do, we want to
work with them to ensure the game is as enjoyable for players and spectators as
it can be.”
A working group with representatives from 12
counties have agreed three main actions points from this recent survey:
Set up a player engagement group with current and
past players to discuss how these findings can be integrated into the new
Camogie Development Plan.
Commence a referee engagement process to include all
stakeholders in a discussion around the policing of the game.
Conduct a rules review to expand on initial
statistical analysis in the report and develop an action plan on trialling news
rules and making informed decisions around long term changes.
However, players are, in general, positive about the
game, particularly in observations about increasing playing standards over the
last 15-20 years. The club game was identified as an important factor in
driving playing standards, technical skills and participation which suggests it
requires further investment.
Other findings from the survey included:
97% felt attendance growth is very important to
camogie
99% were willing to help move the game forward
87% have a strong pride in the game
243 players responded to the survey carried out in
January 2019 from across all grades and counties. A dedicated working
group of players came together across several meetings to steer the player
engagement and included some of the leading figures in the game; Cork's Gemma
O'Connor, Kilkenny's Anne Dalton, Limerick's Niamh Mulcahy, Dublin's Aisling
Maher, Clare's Chloe Morey, Waterford's Niamh Rockett, Westmeath's Denise
McGrath and Kildare's Siobhan Hurley, among others.
The group has welcomed an initial player feedback forum organised by Camogie on Saturday as a step in the right direction, and hope to kickstart a process with all parties involved to work towards the actions raised in the report.
Report:
http://www.wgpa.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Camogie-Players-View-2019-SMALL.pdf
