Call for release of goalpost report

FINE GAEL called on the Government last night to make a 15-month-old report and guidelines on goal post safety available to the public.

Jimmy Deenihan, FG’s Arts, Sports and Tourism spokesman, made the call after it emerged the Government is considering making the guidelines available to all schools following the death of a young boy in Limerick last week.

Andrew Fitzgerald from Grange, Limerick, aged 10, was killed last Thursday when a goalpost fell on him. He suffered fatal head and upper body injuries when a gust of wind caused a crossbar to fall on top of him as he attended a soccer camp at Holycross in Limerick. He was buried yesterday.

The Government was warned two years ago about the dangers of goal posts on Ireland’s playing fields.

Two boys have been killed as a result of accidents involving goalposts since the Department of Education got the State Claims Agency report in May 2003.

The Agency, which provides risk advisory services to state authorities, carried out an assessment of goal frames in a sample of community and comprehensive schools.

Their report said goal frames were unsafe because they were “improperly designed, manufactured or installed”.

The report also found that, in general, schools have no procedures in place to ensure that goal frames are regularly inspected.

The Agency provided guidelines in relation to goal post safety and circulated them to all community schools and comprehensive schools.

A department of education spokesperson said: “In light of the recent tragedy, the department is considering making those guidelines available to all schools.”

She added: “I would point out that health and safety in schools in primarily a matter for individual boards of management.”

But last night, Mr Deenihan said the report should be made available to clubs and organisations of all codes at both a local and national level, and to the public in general.

“This may create an awareness of the potential dangers of goalposts that are not properly secured,” he said.

It is estimated that it could cost schools between €1,000 and €1,400 to make goal frames safe, as laid down in the agency’s report.

But it is unlikely that additional resources will be provided by the department.