Minister for Sport Charlie McConalogue and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) have been asked to reform boundary rules that restrict people from joining clubs outside their catchment area. The request came from Labour Senator Laura Harmon on Wednesday, May 6, with particular focus on Cork’s LGBTQ+ GAA club Na Laochra Aeracha.

At present, the LGFA’s policy requires players to register with a ‘Home Club’, based on specific catchment areas or the first club they legally played with in an officially recognised competition. While they can request permission from their County Board to join another club, it is not guaranteed and must be renewed on an annual basis.

These rules pose challenges for people who want to play Gaelic football with teams outside the boundary of their catchment area, such as queer athletes who would like to become members of Na Laochra Aeracha.

“[Na] Laochra Aeracha and all LGBTQ+ clubs in Cork promote inclusivity in sport,” Senator Harmon shared. “It is vital that ineligibility due to minor boundary issues should not be a barrier to access for sport and clubs of this kind.

“I am calling for a review of decisions made in denying access to members of Na Laochra Aeracha in Cork by the relevant bodies. These limitations are not only unfair, but they go against broader national commitments to women’s sport and inclusion in Irish sports.

“We need increased funding and support for marginalised groups, not red tape that blocks entry to people within communities,” she added.

Harmon, who is also Chair of the Oireachtas Rainbow LGBTQ+ Caucus, is a member of Na Laochra Aeracha and Frontrunners & Briskwalkers Cork.

“Going back to playing GAA in my late thirties wasn’t something I saw possible until I found Na Laochra Aeracha,” she said. “It’s so important to have sports clubs in Cork for our LGBTQ+ community; these clubs need support from the State and we need to ensure we have long-term planning for inclusion in sport at all levels for women and marginalised groups.”

She continued: “It is vital that Cork can be a place where diversity and inclusion in sport are actively promoted for women, for disabled people, for members of LGBTQI+ community and all other minority groups. We need to see a review of the 17 points put forward by the last joint Oireachtas committee for Sport in their report on Inclusion in Sport in 2024.

“Sport is a universal language, and my hope is that there will be a place for all hoping to participate. I am calling for flexibility in boundaries for entry into clubs where inclusion and participation are being promoted,” Senator Harmon concluded.