The Camogie Association have been blasted for cancelling this year's All-Ireland minor championships.

The Limerick minor camogie panel released a statement last night expressing their dissatisfaction over the 'outrageous' decision, following the launch of their petition "To let Minor camogie teams play their Minor camogie championship 2020."

The Camogie Association confirmed their plans for the rescheduling of the 2020 All-Ireland inter-county championships earlier this week.

The competition had already begun with two rounds taking place back in February before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down but will now not be completed and played at provincial level instead.

"On the 18th of November 2019 as a team we started training for the 2020 All Ireland Championship. Although months away, we had our eyes set on winning an All Ireland.  To have the Minor All Ireland Camogie Championship taken away from us in this manner is not only frustrating but disheartening. We deserve to be given this opportunity, we deserve to be treated better," the Limerick minor camogie panel said in a statement.

“20x20 is supposed to be an all-inclusive movement to shift Ireland’s cultural perception of women’s sport. It seems the Camogie Association have turned a blind eye to this advancement. How is Ireland’s cultural perception meant to progress when one of the main organisations backing this campaign is excluding a certain group of young women?

"Are we as players not entitled to have our say? When making the outrageous decision of cancelling the Championship, not one minor player was consulted yet we are supposed to be the future of the game. Let the players make their own decision. To us competing at minor level is the most important thing, we need time to develop and value the experience. Minor is the pinnacle of a player’s underage career.  

"It doesn’t seem to make much sense to be able to run a Provincial Minor Championship yet we cannot fulfil an All Ireland Series that had already begun back in February.  

"At the time of writing a petition started by our minor camogie team member has reached over 2,500 signatures and rising, this alone shows the interest of camogie players right around the country. It is not only the players and management teams that want the decision overturned. We have received the backing of many high profiled GAA and Camogie personalities. People such as Ashling Thompson, Anna Geary, Caoimhe Costelloe, Rebecca Delee, Briege Corkery, Liam Sheedy, Jacqui Hurley, Lauren Guilfoyle, Eddie Brennan, Padraig Walsh, Joe Quaid, Valerie Wheeler, Michael Duignan, Evanne Ni Chuilinn, Keith Ricken, Linda Mellerick and Aishling Connolly.

"Change your decision, put the players first.  

"Yours in Sport

"Limerick Minor Camogie Team"

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