Kit That Fits Her Game: A Club Guide to Women's-Fit Teamwear

For years, kitting out a ladies team meant ordering men's gear in smaller sizes. Players made it work. Sleeves were long. Shoulders were wide. Shorts sat in the wrong place. Everyone shrugged and got on with it.

That era is ending, and clubs are the ones who have to catch up.

This guide is for anyone ordering gear for a camogie, ladies football or girls' underage team. It covers what changed, what to look for, and how to get sizing right the first time.

The Kit Conversation Has Changed

In May 2025 the Camogie Association held a Special Congress on one question. Should players be able to choose shorts instead of skorts?

Delegates voted almost unanimously in favour. The change took effect within hours. Players at every age and level can now pick whichever they prefer.

The vote followed a survey by the Gaelic Players Association. Around seven in ten players said skorts had caused them discomfort. More than eight in ten wanted the choice. A similar motion had failed at Congress the year before, so the shift was fast.

Two things followed for clubs. Kit lists changed overnight. And the wider expectation changed with them. Female players now expect gear designed for them, not adapted for them.

Shorts or Skorts: Where the Rule Stands

Camogie players choose for themselves. The club supplies the option.

A few practical points:

• The choice sits with the individual player, not the team or the manager.
• Colour and design still have to match across the squad.
• Ladies football has allowed shorts for decades, so this brings camogie into line.
• Ask your squad before you order. Do not assume.

The simplest approach is to offer both in your club range and let players pick at order time.

Why Smaller Men's Sizes Do Not Work

A women's-fit garment is not a men's garment scaled down. The pattern is different.

The main differences are:

• Shoulder width. Narrower, so the seam sits on the shoulder instead of the arm.
• Chest shaping. Cut to fit rather than to hang.
• Body length. Shorter, so the hem is not halfway down the thigh.
• Sleeve length and opening. Cut for a smaller arm.
• Waist. A defined waist rather than a straight tube.

Get these wrong and gear looks borrowed. Get them right and a team looks sharp. That matters more than people admit, because looking like a proper team is part of feeling like one.

What to Check Before You Order

Ask your supplier five questions.

1. Is a true women's fit available, or only a unisex cut? Some suppliers offer one range and call it both.
2. What sizes does the women's range run to? A range that stops at 16 will not cover every squad.
3. Are shorts and skorts both available in the same fabric and colour? They should be.
4. Is there a girls' fit for underage, or only adult sizes? These are not the same thing.
5. Can we see physical samples? Screens are unreliable for both colour and cut.

You can compare fabric weights and finishes on our material options page before you commit to anything.

Kitting Out Girls' Underage Teams

Underage gear has its own problems. Children grow between the order date and the delivery date. Squads change through the season. And a poor first jersey does more damage than people think.

Research across sport has long shown that girls drop out of sport in their teens at higher rates than boys. Kit is not the cause. But uncomfortable gear is one more reason to walk away, and it is one of the easier reasons to remove.

Three things help:

• Order a size up for growing players, and say so on the order form.
• Keep a small stock of common sizes so a new player is not waiting six weeks.
• Include a shorts option from the start for camogie teams at every age.

How to Run a Sizing Day That Works

A fitting day fixes most sizing problems before they happen. It takes one evening.

Here is a format that works:

1. Book the clubhouse for two hours on a training night.
2. Ask your supplier to bring a full sample rail, including women's and girls' fits.
3. Set up two areas so teams are not queuing together.
4. Write each player's size on a single shared sheet. One sheet, not five.
5. Take the order the same evening while everyone is there.

We provide a free fitting service for club orders and bring samples to you. Our sizing guide is useful for anyone who cannot make the night.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Do camogie players have to wear skorts?

No. Since May 2025, players can choose shorts or skorts at every level and age grade. The choice belongs to the player.

Q2. What is the difference between a women's fit and a unisex fit?

A women's fit uses a different pattern, with narrower shoulders, a shorter body and a defined waist. A unisex fit is one pattern for everyone, usually based on a men's block.

Q3. Can our ladies and men's teams wear the same design?

Yes, and most clubs do. The design stays the same across the club while the cut changes by team.

Q4. What sizes should we order for an underage girls' team?

Use a sizing day rather than guesswork, and order a size up for players in a growth spurt. Keep a few spare sizes for new members joining mid-season.

Q5. How many pieces do we need to order?

At GRG the minimum is ten pieces, and you can split that across sizes and fits.

Kit your whole club properly

Every player on your books deserves gear that fits. It is not a big ask, and it is no longer hard to arrange.

If you are reviewing your club range for next season, start with fit.

Talk to the GRG team about women's-fit teamwear for your club.