Galway's camogie star Sarah Dervan feels that a merger between the GAA, LGFA and the Camogie Association will lead to greater equality across all codes and eliminate a situation where some teams have to train in far from ideal conditions.
On Saturday next, the reigning All-Ireland champions will begin their league campaign against Dublin. In preparation for that, the team will train on astroturf. While Dervan is thankful that training can go ahead under floodlights, it still is far from satisfactory.
Speaking at the launch of new Irish protein cookie brand 'In the Zone', a joint partnership between the GAA and the GPA, she said: "Tonight we're training on astroturf because we can't get any pitch facilities with lights. So it is a real struggle for us. We've trained on astro an awful lot this year so far and we're thankful of getting it, but it's not ideal.
"We're playing Dublin on Saturday so it's not ideal preparation for the first round of the league. It's always been the way unfortunately. The fact that we're relying on the kindness of clubs to give us their facilities; it's not too bad in the summer but especially with it being very dark in the evenings, you have to get your training in and have a pitch with lights.
"You just accept it and I think that's pretty brutal to say. You want to be training in the best facilities. You want to be in the same places as the men's hurling and football in Galway. Unfortunately, we're not at the minute and it's not ideal preparation going into the Dublin game but we accept it, and I suppose it's a frightening thing."
On the difficulties posed by the astroturf surface, the two-time All-Ireland-winning captain added: "You are curtailed a lot with what you can do on astroturf. You can do a bit of ball work, the speed work. You wouldn't really do much of your fitness on that because if you're a bit of an older one like myself, it does take it's toll on you but unfortunately it is the way it is.
"Hopefully this merger will happen sooner rather than later and all parties will be under the one umbrella.
"It'll be massive for the Ladies Football and Camogie Association to be interlinked with the GAA. It'll be a huge positive."
On word that Dervan stressed was "equality".
She continued: "For the kids coming up in today's world, that it shouldn't matter whether you play hurling or camogie or Ladies Football. At the end of the day it should all be one GAA and they have equal opportunities that their male counterparts have.
"There's four codes here today at the launch of In The Zone, we're all seen as equals and that's thanks to the GPA and WGPA merging and becoming the one brand.
"Everything needs to be equal.
"The senior teams for the Galway hurlers, camogie, men's footballers and women's would be all equal and we'd all get a fair share of facilities, funding, everything.
"It's the only way forward and all it can do is bring positives, especially for young girls starting out playing camogie, that they don't have this divide. That we're all one umbrella, one family and it shouldn't matter, you have the same opportunities as everyone else."
Also present at the launch was Cork footballer Erika O'Shea.
She was equally as passionate about the proposed merger and access to pitches and gyms.
"Personally it's something (the merger) that should be done. I would love to see equality for all. In talking to Sarah we were discussing why we've always had problems with pitches and getting gym time. I feel like the lads don't have that problem. I remember when we're training at minor and we actually won the All-Ireland that year, we couldn't find a pitch, we were training on the side of a pitch.
"We were running up and down the side of a pitch. Those kind of things are disheartening. A merger would make such a big difference. It would be good for women in sport and keep a lot of girls involved.
"All my team-mates want to see the merger happening. It would change everything for girls in sport The WGPA and the GAA joined and that has made a big difference."
