There is a triple header of All-Ireland camogie finals in Croke Park on Sunday and a host of stars are calling for GAA supporters to celebrate the women’s game and be #onherside in sport.
The campaign is a joint venture between the GPA and WGPA, which aims to highlight the support of inter-county hurlers and footballers for their female counterparts and encourage increased recognition of their games.
With female players just as dedicated as their male counterparts in pursuit of inter-county glory, the initiative wants to see them rewarded with the recognition they deserve.
Male stars including Eoin Cadogan, Lee Chin and Ger Brennan are supporting the initiative throughout September, with the LGFA football finals also being played before the end of the month.
On Sunday Laois and Roscommon get the action underway at noon in the Junior final, followed by the Intermediate final between Kildare and Waterford at 2pm.
Cork and Galway will then face off in the Senior at 4pm, with the Intermediate and Senior matches both being shown live on The Sunday Game on RTE2.
The initiative is not limited to counties involved in finals this month; organisers hope to see an acknowledgement country-wide of the ties and mutual respect between male and female players.
“OnHerSide is another show of support from the GPA and their members,” explained WGPA Chair Aoife Lane.
“The GAA is about family, about community and about a sense of place regardless of code or grade, which provides a great context for supporting the female equivalent of our national games.
“Throughout this campaign, the mutual respect and affinity among male and female county players is clearly visible; players can and should be each other’s greatest supporters and advocates.”
The GPA are fully behind the campaign, with head Dessie Farrell saying increased acknowlegement of female GAA players is important to everyone in Gaelic games.
“Increasing recognition of, and support for, inter-county camogie and ladies football is an ambition of everyone involved in Gaelic games,” Farrell said. “We are delighted to see prominent players acting as advocates for the campaign.
“We would call on GPA members and GAA people everywhere to support the campaign and to send out a clear signal that we value our female athletes and their outstanding contribution to our games.”