The TG4 All Ireland Ladies Football Championship semi-final between Dublin and Mayo will take place in Croke Park on the same day as the Men’s semi-final between the same two counties.
Earlier this week we wrote about the dilemma that the same pairing in Men’s and Women’s threw up with potential complications over ticketing and TV coverage. In the end, it was the right thing to do given the crossover in support and the ability for more people to see the Women’s game than would otherwise have been possible under Health and Safety Guidelines surrounding games and gatherings.
The dilemma though also referenced the fact as to how the respective merits of the games would be seen and portrayed.
The decision was announced by the GAA and the LGFA yesterday afternoon but with a difference in the language that was used.
The GAA statement read: “The GAA has confirmed that the TG4 Ladies Gaelic Football Association All Ireland Football semi-final between Dublin and Mayo will take place in Croke Park on Saturday, August 14th as a curtain-raiser to the men’s All Ireland semi-final between the same two Counties.”
While from down Jones’s Road, the LGFA statement said that “The Ladies Gaelic Football Association is pleased to confirm that the 2021 TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Senior Football Championship semi-final between Dublin and Mayo will be played at Croke Park on Saturday, August 14. This fixture will form part of a double-header at GAA HQ, with the men’s teams from both counties scheduled to play an All-Ireland SFC semi-final at 6pm.”
Did you notice the subtlety in the difference of language?
A ‘double header’ is defined by the Collins English Dictionary as “a sporting contest between two teams that involves two separate games being played, often on the same day.”
On the other hand a ‘curtain raiser’ is “an event, especially a sporting event or a performance, that takes place before a more important one, or starts off a series of events.”
There is no blame here. The politics of language can often be overstated and the GAA has long been a strong advocate of Women’s Gaelic games, even though they are governed by separate administrative bodies.
The playing of the Women’s game was in the gift of the GAA who are the owners and guardians of Croke Park as a venue. There is no question that it was given both willingly and enthusiastically.
When seeking equality of esteem though you have to point out the areas of casual or unintended slight so that things can be seen as being equal.
None of the events taking place at the Olympic Games are curtain-raisers for others. They are events of equal importance taking place at the same venue on the same day and in front of the same crowd. That is how Saturday week’s All Ireland semi-finals should be viewed as well.
The Irish Times, Irish Examiner, Irish Daily Mail, Sky Sports and the 42.ie all refer to the game as a curtain-raiser. RTE.ie, the Irish Independent and the Irish Daily Star refer to it as part of a doubleheader or a double bill. These things matter and while no blame is attached to any media for choosing the different phrasing with intent, sometimes a little extra care is needed to get things right.
24,000 fans will be allowed to attend the games, including with some on Hill 16 for the first time since February 2020. It has to be hoped that a significant proportion will get there in time for the Women’s game throwing in at 3-45 PM, proving that public support in surveys saying that we want to see more Women’s sport is backed up by actual footfall.
If they don’t they will be confirming that they see the women’s game as ‘less important,’ and it will be another stumble on the road to viewing what girls and boys do as being of equal importance.
So come on folks, do the right thing in the right way.
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