Clubs seek lower age limit on playing senior

The minimum age limit for football and hurling at adult club level could be relaxed, just one year after it was introduced.

At Congress two years ago, the minor review committee was successful with a playing eligibility motion, part of which allowed only those players aged over 17 to line out at adult club level. It came into force last year but has not gone down well with clubs, particularly rural ones who have found it difficult to field teams.

Clubs from at least three counties — Kildare, Kilkenny, and Wicklow — are making similar attempts for the rule to be amended so that all 17-year-olds are allowed to play for their club at senior, intermediate, or junior level.

Kilkenny club Young Irelands, home of DJ Carey and Charlie Carter, had their motion to change age restrictions backed by county convention. They are also recommending that 16-year-olds be permitted to line out for their clubs’ U21 teams.

As well as Monasterevin in Kildare, Wicklow outfit Hollywood’s motion to give the green light to over-16s to play adult club Gaelic games was strongly backed. Their club delegate, Kevin Traynor, told the annual convention last month that “all clubs are struggling to get teams out”.

They propose that players are entitled to play adult football and hurling the year they turned 17.

“It’s very simple,” said Traynor. “It’s just to reverse the rule that came in this year (2016). We feel that U17 is the wrong age bracket and we feel that it would be a big help to have them few extra players to play adult football to help small rural clubs to field teams.

“We feel that it is a wrong decision. It would be a huge help to have three or four extra players. We would appeal to all clubs here to get behind this and support and if it goes through, we would ask management to drive it on.”

According to the GAA rule book, “to be over an age means that the player shall have celebrated the lower limit birthday prior to January 1 of the championship year”. That means, as the rule stands, only those who have turned 17 in 2015 can participate at adult club level this year.

The minor review committee had put forward the proposal as a means of addressing burnout issues for underage players. The Micheál Martin-chaired group in 2015 were also backed in preventing players 18 years and under from lining out at inter-county adult level. Their call for U21s at inter-county to be under 21 and over 18 was also passed.