Ms Aisling Groarke:

Through a strong ethos focused on teamwork and inclusion, we see ourselves as a club of equals in terms of branding and communication with one sponsorship model for the club. In our experience as players, there are a multitude of benefits associated with integration. The first is player welfare. While our club offers equal opportunity to all players, male and female, the often intricate logistics of three separate administrations means that players, particularly female players, find themselves having to commit to one sport over another, or in some cases, dropping out entirely. There are real challenges faced by female dual players - at juvenile level through to adult. We have encountered hugely unfair choices with some of our female adult teams with regard to matches, as have other clubs in the country.

Integration would allow for player welfare to be looked after under one alliance, allowing pitches to be allocated fairly, games to be scheduled appropriately and, in turn, creating more opportunities for players. The second benefit is in the administration by club volunteers. As players, we see the crucial value of volunteers.

We rely on volunteers to complete endless paperwork, collect fees and registrations, as well as to act as coaches, players, administrators, physios and so on. With different forms of administration, including processes, in each association, as well as different courses being run and separate resources being distributed, the varying demands on our volunteers are unsustainable. Integration would, hopefully, reduce this current intricacy and allow for sustainability and growth.

Our third point, on equity, is that integration across all codes would allow for all clubs to follow a one-club model that sees equity for all members and allows members to access club facilities, resources and coaching through an equal and more inclusive practice as one unit. Such an inclusive practice will showcase clubs as more attractive to potential new members while also retaining current members. In 2018, 32% of Cuala members were female. As of 2024, with a continuing rise in membership, 50% of our members are female and 50% are male.

There will be challenges associated with integration. We believe, however, that the benefits heavily outweigh any potential hurdles and see this integration as crucial and necessary to allow Gaelic games to thrive while looking after the members. We thank the committee members for their time today and for providing an opportunity to allow a players' perspective in this significant discussion. Go raibh míle maith agat.