Ladies Football president Quill warns top stars to think before they tweet

Ladies Gaelic Football Association President Pat Quill has warned the game’s top stars to think before they tweet.

Quill has noted the storm that erupted last week when a number of top inter-county players used Twitter to voice their anger about big match referees, while also wondering if the draw for the latest round of All-Ireland SFC qualifiers was rigged.

The latter suggestion drew an angry response from GAA President Liam O’Neill, who warned that repeat ‘offences’ would not be tolerated.

And as the LGFA (Ladies Gaelic Football Association) looks ahead to a new championship season, Quill has advised players to be “very careful” about what they post on Twitter.

Quill said: “It’s about discipline – keep your mouth shut and be very careful what you put down. You’d certainly never run down an opposition team. And I’d ask players this: would they like some of the things that crop up to be said about them? Treat others as you would like to be treated.”

Quill believes that if players are aggrieved by incidents that occur during a game, they should keep their powder dry for at least 24 hours before airing their views.

He added: Think outside the box a little bit and be more considerate. And referees are in a no-win situation. It can be a lonely place. Everybody that attends a game is biased – unless they are neutral. Referees are human and make mistakes but sometimes, they can be unsighted and miss an incident.”

Quill was speaking yesterday at the launch of the 2012 TG4 All-Ireland ladies football championships, where the broadcaster announced a three-year extension of their current deal with Ladies Football chiefs. TG4 have agreed to extend sponsorship and broadcast rights agreements with LGFA up to the end of the 2015 season and during that time, live coverage of over 70 games will be provided.

The new deal also ensures that the annual third-level O’Connor Cup final will be screened live on TG4.

Fans of Ladies Football abroad can also view TG4 coverage online at www.tg4.tv. And on September 30, TG4 will provide High Definition (HD) coverage of the All-Ireland ladies senior, intermediate and junior football finals.