Ms Sinéad McNulty:

Continued investment in women’s sport throughout education, in all areas, locations and among all demographics is vital. In camogie, we have demonstrated the impact of investment and focused interventions on women's sport with wonderful progress being made in counties such as Cavan, Kerry and Mayo providing living proof. The costs for a young person starting out in camogie can be €100 to €130. This can a limiting factor for some parents and many schools and clubs, which has been further complicated by the Covid-19 restrictions.

The key transition stages regarding drop-off in women's sport constitute a predominant issue. Teenage girls fall through the cracks and leave sport at transition stages from primary to secondary school through to third level and into the workforce. We need to extend the lifespan of female sports participation and engagement through the development of more recreational camogie opportunities with coaches and, most importantly, facilities available to support these additional players and recreational teams. There is a need for early intervention and engagement with girls during primary and second level education to prevent this drop-off.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our association. Without them, there would be no camogie. Recruitment, retention and ongoing support and upskilling of volunteers represent a challenge, particularly as the demands continue to increase. There remains much work to do to eliminate the gender gap in participation and even more so when it comes to volunteering where significant disparities exist.

Women's sport needs to be broadcast and seen. Our athletes train as hard as the men do yet they do not achieve the screen time resulting in reduced investment by sponsors and broadcasters, which, in turn, impacts the sports. Broadcasting of sport has a long way to go to achieve parity. Recent research showed a high of 10.5% coverage of women in sport in March 2021 with the remainder going to their male counterparts. Women’s sport needs to be broadcast with high production values and excellent commentating. Irish broadcasters have made huge moves in this regard but more needs to be done.

As a national association, we plan prudently every year to support our members and deliver on our ambitions. Our work is focused and our output for investment is high.