Camogie president Hilda Breslin believes the proposed amalgamation between her association, the GAA and Ladies Gaelic Football Association is now only a matter of time.
"I think it's inevitable," she told RTÉ Sport. "It’s a lot less 'if integration happens’. We are now talking about ‘when integration happens’ and how.
"It will happen. The timescale and how it happens… I would say sooner rather than later. Others may take a different view. The memberships will ultimately decide this but nothing suggests to me that the memberships in any of the associations won’t decide that integration is the way forward."
Breslin is a member of the Steering Group on Integration, which comprises the three association presidents and chief executives, and has been chaired by former President of Ireland Mary McAleese since last September.
Breslin expects the pace of what has often seemed a slow process to accelerate in the coming months.
"When people say nothing is happening, I’m not sure they realise Mary McAleese doesn’t do ‘nothing is happening’," she said.
"We’re working very hard at it. The first half of the year was listening to people, listening to county boards and seeing what’s going on the ground. The second half of the year, I hope people will hear a lot more from us and see a path forward.
"We have got to get it right. If it takes a little time to get it right, it’s probably better than doing it quickly and not ensuring that it provides for everybody in an equal and equitable association into the future.
"I would be disappointed if there wasn't a vote of some sort before I leave"
"We have seen the growth in women’s sport and that it has been underfunded for a number of years. That equity has got to be there. All of us in camogie and LGFA have contributed to Gaelic games. Nobody’s family only contributes for the boys. For generations we have all been part of this.
"It’s not easy to integrate three large families, with three different views as all families have. We need a framework to say: here’s the timeline, how it’s going to happen and these are the structures. I think that’s achievable and then it will be up to everybody to ensure that it happens properly.
"I would be disappointed if there wasn’t a vote of some sort before I leave [office] next April."
Breslin was speaking at the launch of the Glen Dimplex Camogie championships, the senior knock-out stages of which will be screened on RTÉ.
The intermediate championship will not feature Kildare, however, after the team and county board agreed on Wednesday to withdraw this year pending an independent review.
The players had previously claimed that the board had withdrawn them from the championship against their will, and complained of lacking basic supports such as access to showers and changing rooms.
The current president is herself a former Kildare camogie secretary and admits the team’s departure is "very disappointing".
"It’s not a place we want any county to be in or any team to be in," she said. "It was a tough and difficult decision but the decision was that the independent review will come out and will look at everything in Kildare.
"There were issues on both sides and very frank discussions on both sides. Part of the review will be to establish the facts and what was the reality.
"We have a players’ charter and it’s cognisant on both sides to deliver on that. It was a small panel. Some of the senior clubs were not participating. We need to see (why). The players have put huge commitment in and they were very passionate about it.
"It’s a disappointment that it wasn’t done in time to ensure that they could be back in. But we have got to look forward. I think they are all committed to the same goal: a high-performing inter-county team.
"It’s about building Kildare back up and ensuring it’s done properly. If they’re not back [next year] this review won’t have worked and it has got to work. Not just for Kildare but for other counties that we do have a mechanism when things go wrong. We can review and revisit things and see if we’re doing it right."
The players had been angered by being informed of the initial board decision by WhatsApp and Breslin hopes better communication can prevent similar public disputes.
"All parties put their hands up and said things could have been handled better. It isn’t about assigning blame, it’s about saying what went wrong and how we can ensure that doesn’t go wrong again.
"The communication has got to be better and open, in all counties. If we communicate, we can catch things before it results in the situation that we saw."
"It was certainly disappointing that we weren't able to showcase camogie in Canada"
As for the All-Star trip, which was cancelled this year after players questioned the May date selected two weeks before the provincial championships, Breslin is unsure whether it will be possible to find a more suitable slot in a compressed calendar.
"It was certainly disappointing that we weren’t able to showcase camogie in Canada," she said.
"This opportunity came up and we looked at where it could be placed in a very tight structure. We have provincial championships that don’t lead in to the All-Ireland championships. We felt it was doable but I understand that some players felt it wasn’t. It was an option to go.
"It wasn’t achieved this year, whether it can be achieved in the future in a very tight season, I don’t know. You can’t go east certain times of the year, you certainly can’t go to Canada in December.
"The LGFA did it over Easter the week before the league final. Our fixtures are governed an awful lot by when we can get in to Croke Park. The GAA haven’t done an All-Star trip in a while, they are finding the same difficulties that we are finding.
"There’s a very narrow window for inter-county camogie now. The players wanted a split season, it was voted on and we have adopted it. We’ll have to sit down and take a hard look at it and see what’s possible in a season that needs to finish end of July/August for when players are back with their clubs."
Reigning champions Kilkenny, Galway and Cork have dominated camogie over the last decade – no team outside from the ‘big three’ has appeared in a senior final since 2012.
But Breslin has a feeling their dominance could be challenged this summer.
"I’d be very surprised if we don’t see at least two unknowns in the semi-final," she said.
"You see now with Waterford and Tipperary, in the last 10 minutes of a game where Cork and Kilkenny are able to close it out, other teams now have those players to come on and make the impact.
"Antrim have been winning solidly with a very young team. If they get that team and their tactics right they’ll be in quarter or a semi-final. They’re used to being in Croke Park.
"You’re happy to present the cup to anybody but I think there’s a sea change coming in camogie.
"I’d love to see it this year, with no disrespect to Kilkenny, Cork or Galway!"
