MAYO LGFA HAS called for a “timetable people can trust” in a wide-ranging statement on integration as the fallout from Mary McAleese’s resignation continues.
This comes as the GAA Steering Group on Integration (SGI) meet on Monday morning to consider its next steps. RTÉ are reporting that the SGI will identify a new independent chairperson as they reconvene after McAleese’s explosive departure earlier this month.
“I hate to say this but I suspect that there are people who are not entirely happy about the idea of including women in decision-making at the top level of Gaelic sports,” said former President of Ireland McAleese after the GAA told the SGI that it could not commit to the 2027 timeline.
The GAA’s top brass refuted accusations of misogyny towards the association.
Mayo LGFA appear to share McAleese’s sentiment as it details its experience with the integration process.
“In November 2025 every county in Ireland was instructed by the Steering Group to set up a County Integration Committee: two people from each association, an independent chair, monthly meetings with minutes returned to Croke Park,” the statement reads. “The terms of reference were broad, covering fixtures, facilities, finance and governance.
“In Mayo, no such meeting has taken place in 2026. Not one. No minutes have been returned. As far as we can establish, that is true across this entire province and most of the country.
“That is how this was done. Not with a decision. With inaction, without a word.”
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Mayo GAA and LGFA accounts are compared in the statement, while it details resistance towards sharing facilities and reimbursing female players.
“Institutions built around men develop structures that suit men. These structures are now held up as insurmountable practical constraints. Only two dressing rooms, only one good pitch, the standard of the toilets. We understand entirely how that happened.
“But you cannot build something for one half of a community and then point to the state of the building as the reason that the other half must wait to come inside.
“Some still appear to expect the LGFA to remain silent about inequality and to be grateful for whatever access it receives. We know all too well why people hesitate to challenge that expectation. When access depends on goodwill, speaking plainly can feel like putting hard-won cooperation at risk. That fear has kept too much unspoken for too long. Mayo LGFA has more than 7,000 reasons why saying nothing is not an option.”
The statement adds: “Our senior county players receive €20 a week towards nutrition during the inter-county season. Their mileage is capped. This year’s training camp was one night in Enniscrone. This is what the LGFA can currently provide for them. It is not remotely what they are worth.”
Mayo LGFA challenge readers to, “Ask your county board when its Integration Committee is holding its first meeting, and ask to see the minutes” as it details six action points.
The statement concludes: “Equality is always impractical until it is inevitable. The GAA can lead this change and take pride in it. That means turning its commitment into a timetable people can trust, shared decisions and access that women and girls can rely on.
“We love the GAA, and you cannot love something honestly and lie about it at the same time.”
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'Equality is always impractical until it is inevitable': Mayo LGFA call for integration action
MAYO LGFA HAS called for a “timetable people can trust” in a wide-ranging statement on integration as the fallout from Mary McAleese’s resignation continues.
The Mayo LGFA County Executive assessed the current situation in their county in a 2,000 word reflection entitled, ‘We Love It Too,’ which was published on Sunday evening.
This comes as the GAA Steering Group on Integration (SGI) meet on Monday morning to consider its next steps. RTÉ are reporting that the SGI will identify a new independent chairperson as they reconvene after McAleese’s explosive departure earlier this month.
“I hate to say this but I suspect that there are people who are not entirely happy about the idea of including women in decision-making at the top level of Gaelic sports,” said former President of Ireland McAleese after the GAA told the SGI that it could not commit to the 2027 timeline.
The GAA’s top brass refuted accusations of misogyny towards the association.
Mayo LGFA appear to share McAleese’s sentiment as it details its experience with the integration process.
“In November 2025 every county in Ireland was instructed by the Steering Group to set up a County Integration Committee: two people from each association, an independent chair, monthly meetings with minutes returned to Croke Park,” the statement reads. “The terms of reference were broad, covering fixtures, facilities, finance and governance.
“In Mayo, no such meeting has taken place in 2026. Not one. No minutes have been returned. As far as we can establish, that is true across this entire province and most of the country.
“That is how this was done. Not with a decision. With inaction, without a word.”
Mayo GAA and LGFA accounts are compared in the statement, while it details resistance towards sharing facilities and reimbursing female players.
“Institutions built around men develop structures that suit men. These structures are now held up as insurmountable practical constraints. Only two dressing rooms, only one good pitch, the standard of the toilets. We understand entirely how that happened.
“But you cannot build something for one half of a community and then point to the state of the building as the reason that the other half must wait to come inside.
“Some still appear to expect the LGFA to remain silent about inequality and to be grateful for whatever access it receives. We know all too well why people hesitate to challenge that expectation. When access depends on goodwill, speaking plainly can feel like putting hard-won cooperation at risk. That fear has kept too much unspoken for too long. Mayo LGFA has more than 7,000 reasons why saying nothing is not an option.”
The statement adds: “Our senior county players receive €20 a week towards nutrition during the inter-county season. Their mileage is capped. This year’s training camp was one night in Enniscrone. This is what the LGFA can currently provide for them. It is not remotely what they are worth.”
Mayo LGFA challenge readers to, “Ask your county board when its Integration Committee is holding its first meeting, and ask to see the minutes” as it details six action points.
The statement concludes: “Equality is always impractical until it is inevitable. The GAA can lead this change and take pride in it. That means turning its commitment into a timetable people can trust, shared decisions and access that women and girls can rely on.
“We love the GAA, and you cannot love something honestly and lie about it at the same time.”
You can read the full Mayo LGFA statement here
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