'It’s very unfair' - Eleven Abbeydorney players facing camogie and football fixture clash this weekend
VERY UNFAIR: Laura Collins says this weekend's fixture clash is very unfair on the players.
A Munster semi-final fixture clash involving three clubs has left 11 players choosing between teams and their clubs at risk of failing to field.
Kerry champions Abbeydorney are scheduled to host their Munster LGFA Junior semi-final against Mungret on Saturday at 1pm.
However, eight of their players are also involved in Cillard’s Munster Camogie Junior semi-final, which is set for Kilmoyley at 2pm.
Meanwhile, three more Abbeydorney dual players are involved in the Clanmaurice team which must travel two hours to Moneygall for a Munster Intermediate semi-final, also on Saturday at 2pm.
None of these clubs are flush with numbers. Clanmaurice’s situation has been well-publicised. They won the All-Ireland last year with a panel of 17 players. If numbers drop off, extinction is a real threat. They can’t afford to go without three of those players.
Cillard were only founded as an adult camogie club four years ago and are just building up playing numbers. Abbeydorney just won their first county title in 20 years. As it stands, both would lose half their starting team.
“It’s very unfair to the rest of the team and very unfair to the girls being put in this position. And in a Munster semi-final, you need your full panel. You can’t go up there with half a team,” says Laura Collins, who lines out for Abbeydorney and Clanmaurice.
“You are depending on the 15- and 16-year-olds playing with the club that aren’t really ready for senior but are going to have to move up because of it.
“You’re really cutting your team down to the bare bones with the chance of not having enough to play the game.”
Collins points out the total contrast to how male dual clubs are accommodated.
“We’re looking at the men’s fixtures and Loughmore-Castleiney of Tipperary have won both the football and the hurling and they’re playing every second weekend. There’s no issue.
“I just can’t see why we can’t even change a day. We’re happy to play it the day before, the day after, we don’t mind. We’ve offered Mungret home advantage to change the game and they won’t go for it.
“As unfair as it sounds, we don’t mind playing everything on the same day. We don’t mind. We just need the games someway moved so we can play everything.
“Our group chat is flying at the moment. Cillard say they’ll play their game at 11 if we play football at 1 and then Clanmaurice play at 3 and we’ll play it all up around Mungret.
“It’s not fair to expect girls to play that and that’s what it’s coming down to.” The situation has removed much of the joy from Abbeydorney’s breakthrough success.
“Amy O’Sullivan had asked me to go to the schools today with the cup that we won at the county final and I was all for it,” says Collins.
“Next thing, we found out all this and there was a good chance we wouldn’t get to go ahead. She was like, ‘Are you still ok to come to the school?’ I said, ‘Really, I don’t want to.’ “What am I supposed to turn around and tell these kids? Yeah, play sport and you’re going to be in a predicament where you’ve to pick between one group of team members and another.
“I’ve been in that position before. I played both codes at county level and I had to pick at that point too.
“I got a raw end of the deal there. I had coaches giving out to me over those decisions being made. It actually turned me off football for a long time. I don’t want these young girls in the same position.
“I’ve never seen such dedication from young players, they’re serious athletes, and we’re wondering why they’re not staying in our sports. It’s absolutely mental.” Abbeydorney report that they acted when they sensed the possibility of a clash, contacting Munster LGFA at the time of the county final and again before the provincial quarter-final. A statement from the provincial council disputes that account.
“Our manager had flagged it and said it to them in advance. They were like, look, it might not happen. Ye still have to win the county, ye still have to win the quarter-final,” says Collins.
“When we won the quarter-final on Saturday, they sent the email straight away. We were basically told Mungret won’t change and the game is staying as it is.
“If they could change the football instead of having to change two camogie games that have been set since April, it would make a lot of sense.
“One day isn’t going to make a big difference to players on the opposing teams but it’s going to make a huge difference to three clubs, three tiny villages.
“The inequality is very highlighted when you see the men are being played every second weekend. It’s scandalous to see that. If they’re able to do it for the men, why can’t they do it for the women?
“This is probably my last chance at going to Munster with Abbeydorney football. I won’t be around for much longer playing so I would love to go the whole way with them but I also want to keep going with Clanmaurice. Both teams need us. How are you supposed to pick one over the other?”
A Munster LGFA statement read: “MLGFA can confirm that provincial fixtures were ratified October 2023 during a Central Council meeting. The dates for the club championship were also confirmed and forwarded to Camogie at that time.
“The clash in the schedule was brought to our attention for the first time by the Abbeydorney secretary on Saturday, 19th October. Up until then, we were unaware of any conflict.
“Unfortunately, Mungret St Paul’s were unable to facilitate a change to the ratified fixture.”
Munster Camogie were also contacted for comment.
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