An Ghaeltacht withdraw from West Kerry SFC amid fixtures row

An Ghaeltacht chairperson Dara Ó Cinnéide said the club 'did not wish to participate in a competition that wasn't being shown due respect'

Dara Ó Cinnéide: We regret that this is the decision we have arrived at but we have to do what's best for our group of players and for our club as a whole.' Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

An Ghaeltacht have withdrawn from this year's West Kerry Senior Football Championship due to confusion over the postponement of Saturday's semi-final against Castlegregory. 

In a statement from An Ghaeltacht chairperson Dara Ó Cinnéide, it was said the reigning champions "did not wish to participate in a competition that wasn't being shown due respect".

"After receiving various notifications and an awful lot of mixed messages last Saturday morning and afternoon, we decided to convene a meeting between players and management and after a detailed and thorough debate, we decided that we did not wish to participate in a competition that wasn't being shown due respect," said Ó Cinnéide.

"It was not a decision we have taken lightly. We regret that this is the decision we have arrived at but we have to do what's best for our group of players and for our club as a whole.

"A meeting of West Kerry Board Fixtures Committee took place on Saturday morning without the chairperson of that committee being present. A decision was taken to postpone the two semi-finals and this decision was conveyed to us. We let it be known that we thought the postponement was premature and unnecessary and we believe other clubs subsequently expressed similar opinions.

"Shortly after, we were informed that the games would be going ahead again. We believed this to be the proper decision and we informed travelling players to continue on their journey. We were then informed that Castlegregory were not available and thus our game was postponed once more, despite the other semi-final being given the go-ahead.

"Some of our players had taken time off work to make themselves available for the game. More undertook journeys from Limerick, Cork and Dublin to play.

"It is entirely unsatisfactory that games be administered in such a fashion and we believe as a club that it was time to draw a line in the sand and to refuse to accept such handling of fixtures and of our games."

District championships in Kerry have come under pressure in recent times as part of an ongoing concerns about inter-county players taking part in too many competitions. Ó Cinnéide said that while An Ghaeltacht's decision to withdraw could "be a catalyst for meaningful debate on the issue", it is "not related" to the wider discussion around inter-county player workload.

In the other semi-final, Dingle defeated Annascaul 1-16 to 0-11. Kerry panellists Paul Geaney, Dylan Geaney and Tom O'Sullivan did not play for Dingle.