Waterford's Lorraine Bray on wearing skorts: 'Players are not being listened to'

Michael Bolton

Waterford camogie player Lorraine Bray has said she was shocked that Dublin and Kilkenny players were made to change from shorts to skorts during their Leinster camogie semi-final last weekend.

Both teams had worn shorts as part of a protest calling for women to be given the choice to wear shorts instead of the obligatory skorts—skirts with shorts sewn in underneath.

However, the referee ordered both teams to return to the dressing rooms and change, stating that the game would be abandoned otherwise. The decision has since drawn criticism from players across the sport.

Speaking to BreakingNews.ie, Bray said she is disappointed that players' voices are not being heard.

“I was shocked when I saw it at first. It didn’t cross my mind that they could have been sent back, to be honest.

“I just presumed they were going to wear shorts—that, in itself, was making a stance—and that the camogie organisation would recognise this.

“Players just want to be listened to. At the end of the day, it's the players who are taking to the field. If they don’t feel comfortable, they’re not going to perform comfortably either.

“In your preparations, all you want is to feel comfortable, get that bit of respect, and be confident going out onto the pitch.”

A motion seeking to give players the option to wear shorts was defeated at the Camogie Association’s annual congress in 2024. As a result, the issue was not due to be revisited until 2027.

However, on Thursday the Camogie Association announced it will hold a special congress at Croke Park on May 22nd to resolve the ongoing skorts controversy.

For inter-county players like Bray, there is already enough preparation involved in a game without having to worry about how a skort might impact their comfort or confidence.

“It’s something you’re always adjusting—fixing it, pulling it down. They can cause discomfort, or even the fear of exposure.

“If you’re going in for a ruck ball or taking a free, you can definitely feel more exposed in a skort, and that’s how a lot of players feel.

“Nobody wants to be worried after a game about what could be online. That fear of how you might be exposed wearing a skort is very real.”

Ahead of Saturday’s Munster final, both Cork and Waterford have stated they will wear shorts, regardless of any consequences.

Bray said players are thinking not only of themselves, but of future generations, when making that decision.

“We’d know a lot of the girls. We were on the same page and knew what we wanted—we wanted to take the stand together. There’s more unity in that.

“Sometimes, unfortunately, it takes a negative incident to shine a light on something.

“We’ve had a lot of battles along the way, but we want to lead the way for the younger generation.

“If we have to carry out more actions or protests to bring about change, then that’s what we’ll do.

“Improving standards and helping more players stay in the game—playing in comfort and with confidence—is the priority.”