Niamh Collins Interview
- Dec 16,2020
Niamh Collins Interview with Stephen Findlater
As featured in the Dublin Gazette
Dublin’s WGPA representative Niamh Collins says there is “a long way to go” in the battle to achieve parity of esteem for her sport.
The Foxrock-Cabinteely player expressed frustration that welfare issues were again the first point of conversation in the wake of Galway and Cork’s semi-final.
A series of venue changes precipitated no television coverage, another frustrating lost opportunity to promote the game.
“What happened last week was just hugely disappointing for the ladies game,” Collins said. “It was very unfortunate that for the couple of days after an All-Ireland semi-final we’ve were discussing a player welfare issue rather than talking about style of play or how each team performed.
“At the end of the day, that’s where we want to get with this sport, that the first question asked is about the game rather than an issue around the game.”
The WGPA combined forces with the GPA this week with the expectation they can make inroads on the expenses front. Currently, a WGPA report said only 7% of female intercounty players receive any form of support for travel.
“I think it would send a strong message that cooperation is there between the two associations, and that’s the way forward.
“There’s a long way to go, I think there are a lot of avenues we can explore. We’ve come a long way in 10 years and a lot of great progress has been made, but there’s still a way to go. Hopefully a lot of lessons will be learned from the Cork-Galway situation and it won’t happen again.”
The 2019 All-Star has played a big part in the past five finals in front of ever-growing crowds, rising to over 50,000 for the past couple of years.
This year, no such numbers will be in situ but Collins does not think that will reduce the white heat of battle, even if the pitch has the potential to be much heavier in the depths of winter.
“After the Armagh semi-final, someone asked me if it felt like we were playing a challenge match because the stadium was empty. Actually, anything but!
“The nervous energy in the dressing room and the energy we brought on to the pitch could only be the kind of energy you would feel in a championship game. The stadiums are empty but the stakes have never been this high; we want to stay in this competition, we want to compete, it still feels like the championship.
“You just have to adapt to the conditions you’re given. I’ve been fortunate enough to have played championship throughout the winter the last few years [with her club].
“It’s a different game to the lovely sunny, summer football you play at the beginning of September when the ball moves very fast, you’re not hitting a patch of mud. You just have to adapt to what you have, it’s resulted in very entertaining, different styles of football.”