The Camogie Association (Irish: An Cumann Camógaíochta, formerly Irish: Cumann Camógaíochta na nGael) organises and promotes the sport of camogie in Ireland and around the world. The association has close ties with the Gaelic Athletic Association, but is still a separate organisation.[1]
The Camogie Association was founded in 8 North Frederick St, Dublin on 25 February 1904, with Máire Ní Chinnéide as President. In 1911, it was reconstituted as Cualacht Luithchleas na mBan Gaedheal ("Gaelic Athletic Company of Women") at a meeting organised by Seaghán Ua Dúbhtaigh at 25 Rutland Square (now Parnell Square), Dublin. It was revived in 1923 and the first congress held on 25 April 1925, when over 100 delegates gathered in Conarchy's Hotel, Parnell Square. It was reconstituted again in 1939 as Cumann Camogaiochta na nGael. For a period in the 1930s it organised women's athletics events. A breakaway Cualacht Luithchleas na mBan Gaedheal continued in existence during 1939–51 as clubs in Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow disaffiliated in a series of disputes, largely over whether male officials should be allowed to hold office and whether players of ladies' hockey should be allowed to play camogie. The last of these disputes was not resolved until 1951. The decision to change the playing rules from 12-a-side to 15-a-side teams and to use the larger GAA-style field led to an increase of affiliations after 1999 from 400 clubs to 540 a decade later.
A new constitution in 2010 shortened the name to An Cumann Camogaíochta and accepted the English title "Camogie Association" on official documents for the first time, reflecting the increased presence of the game in Europe, North America, Asia and Australasia.[2]
The game's National Development Plan 2010–2015, entitled Our Game, Our Passion, aims to increase the club base of the association from 540 clubs to 750 by 2015.[3] Targets include:
36 new clubs to be established in existing hurling sections of GAA clubs by mid-2011;
15 new clubs to be established in counties hosting féile na nGael by 2015;
An international games development strategy was commenced in 2010, with camogie established as part of the Continental Youth Games in the United States and a target of three teams from Great Britain participating in Féile na nGael by 2015.
The president of the association is elected by the sport's annual congress, in modern times for a three-year term, a year in advance. Early presidents had longer terms.
