Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I compliment the Minister on piloting this important order through both Houses. It is positive and groundbreaking to have these important finals designated as free-to-air. They are overseen by two different organisations. In my part of the world, both sports have great following. This year, in particular, we had great success in camogie but traditionally, the ladies football final would be a great source of pride in Cork.

This order is an acknowledgement of the progress these sports have made and of where the recognition of female sports has to go. This is an important step and we have to push the boundaries in other parts of the country and the world. Elsewhere there is a women's sports week where women's sports are proactively promoted. I hope the Minister of State with responsibility for sport will take this into account in his review of sporting codes in Ireland.

It is also important when it comes to our national broadcaster that there is balanced commentary on these sports. It is important to have women participating in the commentary panels on both sports to give their views. Traditionally, the commentary teams for ladies football and camogie have been male. The female voice has to be heard. That boat must be pushed in broadcasting, which is an important part of the Minister's remit.

This is a good news story. Participation in women's sports has to be a priority for the Government. The Minister of State has to prioritise that whether it is through the sports capital grants that will be announced in the next few months or other initiatives he brings forward because, unfortunately, they do not get the recognition they require. More than 50% of our population is female and, therefore, we need to cater for them through sports promotion and role models. The camogie and ladies football players in my part of the world are role models and they carry weight in the community. We learn from people like Briege Corkery who is a fantastic ambassador for both codes. These are the people my young girls and every young girl in the parish looks up to. This is a major step forward but work has to be done in broadcasting when it comes to the panels that commentate on the sport and the initiatives to be introduced by the Minister of State with responsibility for sport to promote participation in women's sports. If we can tie all those bows together, hopefully we will have a strong community going forward.

I acknowledge the Minister's input into this order and it is important that both codes are covered by it. Support for them will go from strength to strength. More than 46,000 attended the All-Ireland Ladies Football Final, which was a fantastic event. I am sure if Cork had been in the final, the attendance would have been higher. Next year, the numbers will hopefully be higher because both sports have gone from strength to strength.