In March, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) management committee, took the decision to cancel all activity at club, inter-county and educational levels due to the Covid-19 outbreak. As a result, the Lidl Post Primary School All-Ireland Schools Senior ‘A’ football final between Moate Community School and Loreto secondary school Clonmel, was called-off.
This has since sparked debate amongst the community with many calling for the LGFA to reconsider the cancellation and re-organise the fixture.
In July, the GAA facilitated the re-scheduling of the Leinster Schools SF ‘A’ boy’s final between St Joseph’s Rochfortbridge and Naas CBS. Yet no such compromise is being sought by the LGFA.
With Club Championships and contact training sessions well under way again, there seems little reason for the re-scheduling of the final to proceed. Last month, Moate Community School footballer, Shannon Mulvihill wrote to Minister for Sport, Catherine Martin, to highlight her frustration and disappointment.
Teammate and vice-captain Emma Kelly re-iterated her frustrations with an open letter to the LGFA, whilst the squad members of Loreto Clonmel pleaded for 60 minutes anywhere, anytime.
Yesterday, Her Sport were contacted by the Club Secretary of Carbury GAA club in county Kildare. The GAA club have recently installed goals and ball-stops on a pitch that has yet to be used. The club is just 60km from Moate in Westmeath and about 120km from Clonmel.
In light of the recent events, Carbury GAA are offering both Schools the opportunity to play their final on this neutral venue. The club released a statement on Instagram, stating the following:
Need a pitch? We’d be happy to welcome and host an All-Ireland Final.
As a small rural club, we understand the importance Gaelic games have in shaping communities and those involved in the game. The unifying experience of engaging with and supporting a common passion.
From underage, all the way up through to Senior level, we’ve experienced the highs and lows of the sport, the heartbreak of defeat and the sweet taste of victory.
We’ve witnessed players give their all for their club, their county and for the pride in the jerseys they wear on their backs. All for the love of the game.
We’ve been fortunate enough to celebrate in many successes in recent years due in large part to the efforts of our players, and in recent years, our Ladies teams in particular have contributed immensely to writing even more successful chapters in the history books of our club.
It’s because of this we feel compelled to lend our support to the cause of Loreto Clonmel Secondary School and Moate Community School in their bid to reschedule their All Ireland game.
These players have put their all into earning their place in the Final and they deserve the opportunity to take to the field and finish out the journey they began.
The players, the schools and the communities they represent have committed so much time to the efforts of these two teams. It is only fair that the match be rescheduled and we will gladly offer up the use of our pitch to these two teams to help the cause.
Within the current climate we understand the need to be as responsible and careful as possible and would be happy to accommodate and work with the LGFA to ensure that COVID regulations are met and adhered to in accordance with guidelines laid out by the GAA, Government and HSE
We believe that all teams should be given the opportunity to close out their season in a way that is befitting the efforts they put in to ensure the continued success of Gaelic Games. Whether it be the GAA or the LGFA, we’re all in this together.
