THE CONTROVERSY REGARDING the schedule of the 2021 camogie season appears to be resolved after 53% of clubs voted in favour of a split-season format.
The Camogie Association announced the result this afternoon after polling its members on what direction the 2021 schedule should take.
This means that the Camogie Association will now run the 2021 Inter County Championship, after the Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues which start this weekend, followed by club Championship competitions.
A poll was announced following a turbulent time for the association after initially proposing a controversial fixture plan which would adopt an inter-county/club/inter-county model.
A statement from the association reads that 62% of clubs voted in the poll, with 47% voting in of that controversial format.
The Camogie Association was heavily criticised in recent days as it deviated from the formats being implemented by the GAA and LGFA, which would have had a significant impact on dual players.
The backlash also resulted in teams threatening to boycott the upcoming leagues over the situation. The GPA published a statement at the time, saying that 84% of players would not be participating in the inter-county leagues if the unpopular fixture plan was retained.
Speaking to The42 last week, Cork defender Laura Treacy said her county was prepared to boycott their league outing this weekend if the issues was not resolved. She also said that the ongoing saga was “massively frustrating” and that she was saddened to see her sport receive such negative media attention.
Following the announcement of today’s poll, the GPA has released a statement welcoming the outcome of the vote.
“The Gaelic Players Association welcomes today’s announcement by the Camogie Association that a split season structure will be used for club and county action in 2021.
“As this is the case, inter-county squads will now proceed with their games in the Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues which are due to get underway this coming Saturday.
“We thank the Camogie Association for taking the time to pause and reflect on the fixtures schedule and for their constructive engagement with us in the last ten days.
“We look forward to games getting underway.”
Clubs were informed about the process for the polling system on Friday, after a consultation document was released by the association.
Members were asked to consider two options.
Option 1 in the document fell under the controversial inter-county/club/inter-county model, meaning the season would begin with the Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues next weekend followed by the club championship and then inter-county championship later in the year.
It also proposed the completion of the 2020 All-Ireland club championships.
The second option, which won the polling vote, follows the inter-county/club schedule which the GAA and LGFA are implementing for this season.
