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National Forum

What Now For Merger Of GAA Camogie And LGFA

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Replying To Viking66:  "I think it would be more important to get attendances at Camogie and Ladies Football games up to around the level there is at men's games , and therefore revenue from gates and sponsorship, up first if you are talking about achieving true parity and financial sustainability?"
And the ladies game will need upfront investment to be able to do that, how else would you propose two organisations with c€10mil in the bank account (per the last annual reports) to be able to grow the game without significant investment? In comparison, the GAA has nearly €80mil cash at their disposal to deploy and a collection of cash generating assets. The ladies organisations have very modest resources at their disposal. The upfront investment will have to come from somewhere, be it the GAA, Government or other sources.

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 2429 - 10/09/2026 12:54:20    2693403

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A couple of "cat amongst the pigeons" thoughts. If they make it past the mods ;)

First, a statement like how camogie players "want equal recognition, equal opportunity, proper investment".

If the assertion is that this can't happen without integration, is that not a stinging criticism of the Camogie Association? i.e. that they're incapable of looking after their own players themselves, that there's no point campaigning from within, and it'll take a different Association altogether to improve things?

Second, suggestions that women who currently volunteer their time to the GAA should withdraw their services until this is all sorted.

Is this not demeaning towards those women? Suggesting that they volunteer only on a basis of "what's in it for the sisterhood?". And not that they volunteer out of a genuine interest and desire to keep things running as well as possible at all levels, same as all the male volunteers in the GAA do?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 4017 - 10/09/2026 13:02:24    2693404

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After thinking about it again this is my observation.
All that's wrong here is an amateur game is gone so professional in all but name that it can't mind itself not to mind two other organisations.
Harry styles 2 nights in croker in August 27. It'll be bring back the trip to tipp all of this has to be paid for somehow. The whole thing needs to be pared back to its foundations which is supposed to be a game everyone can play for fun. Now you've every sort of dietician/physio and S/C involved with counties getting paid. Triple that and you won't be too long heading for the poor house.
So you can have extra concerts or charge every child €2 a training session, it has to be paid for.
There's enough coaches on social media now that you can use that for diets and training, it's not sustainable at the current rate, wether that's one association or three merged together.

2maroonjerseys (Galway) - Posts: 200 - 10/09/2026 14:26:01    2693417

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Replying To Square_B:  "What a bizzare post."
Sq._B Don't be wasting your green thumbs.

supersub15 (Carlow) - Posts: 3417 - 10/09/2026 16:01:05    2693431

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "A couple of "cat amongst the pigeons" thoughts. If they make it past the mods ;)

First, a statement like how camogie players "want equal recognition, equal opportunity, proper investment".

If the assertion is that this can't happen without integration, is that not a stinging criticism of the Camogie Association? i.e. that they're incapable of looking after their own players themselves, that there's no point campaigning from within, and it'll take a different Association altogether to improve things?

Second, suggestions that women who currently volunteer their time to the GAA should withdraw their services until this is all sorted.

Is this not demeaning towards those women? Suggesting that they volunteer only on a basis of "what's in it for the sisterhood?". And not that they volunteer out of a genuine interest and desire to keep things running as well as possible at all levels, same as all the male volunteers in the GAA do?"
If the volunteers in the GAA feel the association is backtracking on its democratically supported proposal to introduce amalgamation on the basis of integration and equality(changing the goalposts to federation and equity) how would a backlash from those volunteers, especially female volunteers, be seen as demeaning to anyone.

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 1184 - 10/09/2026 16:16:38    2693438

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Replying To supersub15:  "Sq._B Don't be wasting your green thumbs."
Great to see 2 other posters agree with me.

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 2429 - 10/09/2026 16:33:15    2693441

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The volunteer element in all games remains strong when it comes to coaching club teams, and club work in general. Where it is dwindling at a high rate is on match days, big club games and all intercounty games. While there may have been a saving in terms of cash coming into the account, by going card only instead of the unregulated cash at the turnstile this saving is being eroded by the cost of providing security firms to do the work that Maor's did, and did much better. Another question that needs to be asked, is, what would need to happen in the woman's games in order for the public to be as keen to pay to see them as they are the men's? I think, and I may be miles out, but I think the rules need to exactly the same in LGFA and GAA football.

giveitlong (Galway) - Posts: 1340 - 10/09/2026 17:06:30    2693450

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Replying To sligo joe:  "If the volunteers in the GAA feel the association is backtracking on its democratically supported proposal to introduce amalgamation on the basis of integration and equality(changing the goalposts to federation and equity) how would a backlash from those volunteers, especially female volunteers, be seen as demeaning to anyone."
There's a big difference between "backtracking" and needing more time to resolve the many complex issues involved.

And worth noting that the motion actually passed at the Congress of all three Associations in 2022 didn't specifically mention any timeframe. It was the Steering Group itself who set the 2027 target date and who announced that in 2024, despite being advised by other stakeholders that a 2027 target would be somewhat optimistic, to say the least.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 4017 - 10/09/2026 17:32:49    2693453

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I'm just surprised that people are surprised. There have been some great moves made in recent years across the board and that should highlight the size of the task. I'm not 100% the way the GAA are hanging their hat on the whole cost thing unless the other organisations said that this is a must from the outset.

Given the costs of running the Mens teams maybe there is some merit. It seems wrong just to basically multupily by 2 but would that then be inequality if you didn't.

As Aristotle said: "The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal."

ponger (Cavan) - Posts: 617 - 10/09/2026 17:45:08    2693455

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Replying To giveitlong:  "The volunteer element in all games remains strong when it comes to coaching club teams, and club work in general. Where it is dwindling at a high rate is on match days, big club games and all intercounty games. While there may have been a saving in terms of cash coming into the account, by going card only instead of the unregulated cash at the turnstile this saving is being eroded by the cost of providing security firms to do the work that Maor's did, and did much better. Another question that needs to be asked, is, what would need to happen in the woman's games in order for the public to be as keen to pay to see them as they are the men's? I think, and I may be miles out, but I think the rules need to exactly the same in LGFA and GAA football."
Apart from Katy Taylor bandwagon hysteria girls sports are poorly attended all round.
60,000 in total at the 6 All Ireland Finals.
Was there even 10k in total at the 12 semi finals?

Seanfan (Roscommon) - Posts: 918 - 10/09/2026 18:29:12    2693460

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Replying To sligo joe:  "If the volunteers in the GAA feel the association is backtracking on its democratically supported proposal to introduce amalgamation on the basis of integration and equality(changing the goalposts to federation and equity) how would a backlash from those volunteers, especially female volunteers, be seen as demeaning to anyone."
We are the Association.

ORIELMAN85 (Monaghan) - Posts: 1234 - 10/09/2026 20:09:26    2693469

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Replying To giveitlong:  "The volunteer element in all games remains strong when it comes to coaching club teams, and club work in general. Where it is dwindling at a high rate is on match days, big club games and all intercounty games. While there may have been a saving in terms of cash coming into the account, by going card only instead of the unregulated cash at the turnstile this saving is being eroded by the cost of providing security firms to do the work that Maor's did, and did much better. Another question that needs to be asked, is, what would need to happen in the woman's games in order for the public to be as keen to pay to see them as they are the men's? I think, and I may be miles out, but I think the rules need to exactly the same in LGFA and GAA football."
The bottom line is that you can make the ladies games as attractive a product as you like but plenty of people will still have no interest in watching them.

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2686 - 10/09/2026 20:22:13    2693470

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Replying To ponger:  "I'm just surprised that people are surprised. There have been some great moves made in recent years across the board and that should highlight the size of the task. I'm not 100% the way the GAA are hanging their hat on the whole cost thing unless the other organisations said that this is a must from the outset.

Given the costs of running the Mens teams maybe there is some merit. It seems wrong just to basically multupily by 2 but would that then be inequality if you didn't.

As Aristotle said: "The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.""
There's a good recent article on this - https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41909308.html

An extra 11mil is a hefty amount to find (which is the minimum) and even with proposals to add a levy of sorts to match tickets / increase revenue from GAA+, the merged organisation would likely breakeven or generate a small surplus in the short term which is not ideal if the GAA is funding all this. The ladies will, no doubt, require assistance by way of financial investment to generate more interest in their games with appropriate capital expenditure to support this (in the short to medium term as part of a merged organisation) but ultimately the ladies game will have to stand on its own two feet. Government will likely be looked to to assist with this but they don't appear to be making any moves on this front whatsoever. That could change of course.

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 2429 - 10/09/2026 22:31:07    2693477

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Replying To Square_B:  "There's a good recent article on this - https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41909308.html

An extra 11mil is a hefty amount to find (which is the minimum) and even with proposals to add a levy of sorts to match tickets / increase revenue from GAA+, the merged organisation would likely breakeven or generate a small surplus in the short term which is not ideal if the GAA is funding all this. The ladies will, no doubt, require assistance by way of financial investment to generate more interest in their games with appropriate capital expenditure to support this (in the short to medium term as part of a merged organisation) but ultimately the ladies game will have to stand on its own two feet. Government will likely be looked to to assist with this but they don't appear to be making any moves on this front whatsoever. That could change of course."
Am somewhat surprised all those details came out. The journalist must have a good source!

To me, the obvious stand-out difficulty is the "minimum tier 2 charter" of a €300k spend per annum on all inter-county teams (men's football, hurling, ladies football, and camogie), and how the required €11.5 million to make up the shortfall would be split between the 32 counties, working out at €360k each.

Consider the case of a county already spending more than the minimum threshold on its two men's teams, and spending €150k on each of its women's teams.

Instead of just having to find an extra €300k to make up the shortfall on its own women's teams, it would also have to generate and hand over an additional €60k, essentially to subsidise the costs of running teams in other counties. Basically, helping to pay for what your potential opposition do as they prepare to try beat you!

Also consider the 15 counties who currently spend less than €300k on their hurling team. For some, their total spend is only around €200k. These would basically be told they either have to find an extra €100k for hurling, or else take that amount from the budget for their flagship football team, and spend it on their Div. 4/Lory Meagher Cup hurlers instead.

Personally, I'd love to see hurlers in these counties get better treatment (and better support!), but realistically, that would lead to issues even in the GAA itself as it currently stands, even without any consideration of integration at all.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 4017 - 11/09/2026 10:33:58    2693496

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