Áine taking centre stage in Croker

There will be Clare involvement in the All Ireland Camogie finals as Áine Nic Cormaic is working as the fourth official for the intermediate showdown between Kilkenny and Antrim.
The Wolfe Tones woman admits she is proud to be travelling up to GAA HQ this Sunday for an action packed day of camogie.
“It is a privilege to be involved. It is the biggest day of the year so to be asked to be a part of that is pretty special.”
Nic Cormaic admits that sourcing female referees is an issue in the county and across Ireland and that herself and Clare Camogie are working hard to encourage more young people to take up the whistle.
“We are trying our best to encourage young girls. Even with older people who may be retired from playing, not many of them are refereeing so we are trying to show them that it is an option. There is work to do. It is such a difficult battle because I think people fear getting abuse but I don’t find that a big problem. It is a difficult role to fill.”
The three time All Ireland Intermediate champion says she decided to take up the whistle after she started coaching and saw how difficult it was to find people to referee games.
“People might not realise how hard it can be to get referees but it can be very tough. I only started as I was doing coaching and I saw how tough it was to find people (to referee). I didn’t realise how much I would enjoy refereeing. There is a real enjoyment in it. I’ve had older players come up to me after a game and say that I understood the players and that’s because I played the game myself.”
The former All Ireland winning goalkeeper believes camogie is becoming more popular across the country and players are now receiving the recognition they deserve.
“Intermediate finals were not in Croke Park when I played. It’s great to see all three finals now in Croke Park and it’s only fair with all the hard work that players put in.”

by Ivan Smyth