Refusal to postpone Cork soccer cup final over clash with Confirmation angers parents

Avondale United under-13 girls team looks set to forfeit the match due to take place on Saturday in Cobh, with nine players having Confirmations at that time

Avondale United FC U-13 girls team in action against Riverstown in the semi-final last Monday.

Parents have cried foul after a Cork soccer league refused to postpone an underage cup final which clashes with their children's Confirmation ceremonies.

The Avondale United FC U13 girls team, which can't field a team for the match, now look set to forfeit the game after the Cork Women and Schoolgirls Soccer League (CWSSL) decided to press ahead with the final as scheduled at St Colman’s Park in Cobh this Saturday, May 14.

The parents of players on the team have now issued a last-minute appeal to the CWSSL to reschedule the match, so that they don’t have to choose between Confirmations and a cup final.

A spokesperson for Avondale said the club was hugely disappointed at the league's decision to press ahead with the match without Avondale, and that their thoughts at this stage were primarily with the disappointed girls involved.

Avondale qualified for the final by beating Riverstown in the semi-final last Monday.

Their U13 final against Midleton is one of five underage league finals scheduled to be played in St Colman’s Park from 1pm on Saturday.

But nine players and two coaches from the Avondale team have Confirmations around the same time on Saturday. On top of that, several other players on the team will be away on school trips.

Combined, it means that 11 of the team’s 16-person squad who were available for selection for last Monday’s semi-final are unavailable for selection for Saturday's final.

Despite an offer from Avondale to play the final at another date, at Midleton’s pitch, and at a time of Midleton’s choosing, league administrators decided that the final should go ahead without Avondale.

It was decided that Midleton would play the beaten semi-finalists Riverstown instead.

However, it's understood Riverstown will decline the offer to play the game and it is unclear what decision will be taken next.

One of the parents of a child on the Avondale team said: "I cannot believe this decision."

It is despicable that these girls and their parents are effectively being asked to choose between a cup final and Confirmations. That is wrong.

Another parent said the decision was morally wrong and went against everything that sports stand for.

Several parents have pleaded their case with the league administrators directly, but there has been no change to the fixture yet.

In a statement to the Irish Examiner on Friday, the CWSSL said fixtures are between clubs and the committee.

“CWSSL issued the date of the shield finals to clubs on April 28 and we only got communication from a club four days before the upcoming final that they would not be able to 'field a team',” it said.

“We will be issuing no further comment.”