Munster GAA to prevent jersey colour clashes during games

Munster GAA is working on a new policy to prevent jersey colour clashes in provincial championship matches and improve the viewing experience for colour blind supporters.

Sunday's Munster Senior Hurling Final between Cork and Limerick poses a challenge for supporters with colour vision deficiency, who can find it difficult to tell the teams apart because of the red and green jerseys.

Colour vision deficiency is a common genetic condition, affecting one in 12 men, and one in 200 women.

The most common form is red, green colour blindness which causes reds and greens to merge into indistinguishable shades of brown and grey.

John Harrington, an optometrist with Specsavers Limerick, says that this weekend's match "is the ultimate red, green clash and is probably the most difficult for those affected with colour deficiency".

"The red green jerseys will appear as a confusing blend of brownish grey against the green background of the pitch so in a fast paced game like hurling, players can find it difficult to distinguish their teammates; referees making quick decisions, and even for the spectators at home, the players will look the same against the green pitch."

It is a benign condition and many people go years without realising they have colour vision deficiency because they assume everyone sees the world the same way they do, often only realising when they struggle with colour-coded schoolwork or matching clothes.

Kieran O'Sullivan, a physiotherapist at the University of Limerick, says having the condition "is not an enormous inconvenience" but when it comes to watching sport involving teams wearing red and green, "I really haven't a clue what I'm watching".

He has adapted ways to distinguish between the teams.

"I'm like many people, I end up relying on more things like the colour of the helmets, the position on the field, the size and shape of the players rather than the jersey colours," he said.

As a boy, he was aware he had the condition.

"Myself and one of my best friends when we played for the same club, we were colour blind and there were definitely occasions when we would look at the other team, and say, right, how are we going to know the difference, and there would be conversations around the sleeves, the trim on the jerseys. It absolutely was an issue on occasions," he said.

Around eight colour blind players in every GAA club

According to clinical prevalence data from the Association of Optometrists Ireland applied to the CSO Census 2022, approximately 225,000 people in Ireland live with colour vision deficiency.

It means that at grassroots level, with over 2,200 clubs registered in the GAA, there is an average of eight colour blind players per club who are actively playing hurling or football.

A member of the Limerick senior hurling panel is affected by the condition.

"One of our players has that particular condition and for our in-house games and training sessions, the colouring of the bibs became an issue so we had to choose two distinctly different colours so as to help him distinguish from the opposition, not to be passing the ball to them," said John Kiely, Limerick hurling manager.

"It's obviously an important consideration from a player's perspective. When you're scanning up the pitch to see who you are going to pass the ball to, you only have a split second, your vision needs to be on point, so helping with regards to the bibs was an easy decision really," he said.

Other sports also make accommodations for people with colour vision deficiency.

When Ireland plays Wales in the Guinness Six Nations, one of the teams wear white jerseys to accommodate colour blind spectators. World Rugby regulations require visiting teams to switch to an alternative option in order to avoid the colour clash.

Munster GAA said it supports the introduction of a policy and has already begun discussions with the counties involved. Talks will continue as details are finalised, including which team should change its jersey when necessary to accommodate supporters with colour vision deficiency.

"We are committed to having this new policy fully in place for the start of the 2027 Munster Inter-County season next January," a spokesperson said.

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