Offaly GAA pass significant motions restricting movement of players

THE Offaly GAA have passed a couple of significant motions that will restrict the movement of players between clubs. The motions are very separate ones and aimed at solving entirely different dilemmas but the upshot is the same: they are now enshrined in the Offaly GAA bye-laws and remove room for manoeuvre for clubs and the Offaly GAA Competitions Control Committee who have to adjudicate on contested cases.

A very important addition was made to the bye-law dealing with a players' permanent residence. A player must provide proof of his permanent residence to transfer to another club and the addition rules that a utility bill will no longer be accepted as proof of residence. Instead, apart from cases where a new house has been purchased or built, the only proof that will be taken is a rental agreement that is registered with the Residential Tenancies Board.

And it goes further than this, stipulating that in a case where a family or individual is moving into rental accommodation from their principal private residence, proof of disposal of or rental of that property is required.

The amendment was proposed by the Offaly GAA Management Committee and passed almost unanimously.

It was put forward following a long drawn out stand off between Ballycumber and Belmont GAA Clubs this year over the status of a couple of underage players. The players lived in the Ballycumber area and the County Board ruled that they were illegal after they played on underage teams with Ferbane-Belmont minor club. The players were registered with Belmont but at one stage both the chairman and secretary of Ferbane and Belmont GAA Clubs were suspended – Ferbane-Belmont is a sub committee of their adult clubs and the adult chairperson and secretary of those clubs is responsible for any infractions at underage level.

The case meant that those young players couldn't play in underage championships or feature on county development squads this year and went through various appeals processes. It only ended quite recently when the family produced agreements with the Residential Tenancies Board to confirm they were now living in Ferbane parish. Ballycumber accepted that and the players are now free to register with Belmont and play with them going forward.

That battle followed hot on the heels of another protracted parish rule test case involving Kinnitty and Drumcullen over young players living in the Knockbarron townland or close by. Knockbarron is mainly in Drumcullen parish but is close to Kinnitty village and there was a row between the clubs when Drumcullen brought the legality of the players in question to the attention of the County Board.

Again, it went through various appeals with emotive arguments put forward and it only ended this year when the two clubs signed off on a Disputes Resolution Authority brokered mediation process. Drumcullen agreed to cede the players in question to Kinnitty but it was stressed that the parish rule and parish boundaries must be honoured going forward.

The two cases were different but similar in that clubs and families challenged the parish rule – enforced in Offaly since 1909, the parish rule has been the foundation stone of GAA in the county, ruling that players must play in the parish they were born in or live in. While every club has turned blind eyes and infringed the rule at some stage over the years, there have been an increasing number of challenges to players playing illegally outside their parish boundaries in recent years.

Cappincur also took on their big town neighbours, Tullamore a few years ago over young players living in their area but playing illegally in Tullamore and were backed by the County Board. One of those players subsequently got a move to Tullamore and played with them this year after moving to the town.

Tullamore sought to change the parish rule at that time with an amendment that would have allowed players to play with the club of their parents. They canvassed clubs for support but withdrew their motion ahead of Convention when it became clear that they had very little backing.

The very clear message from that was that clubs wanted the parish rule to remain in place, irrespective of its many breaches and the angst and turmoil that is caused when these are challenged. The parish rule remains a fundamental of Offaly GAA and if it was removed, it would put several small clubs at risk of extinction within a few years.

The latest amendment is just another layer for the County Board to enforce the rule when it is challenged – and there will be cases cropping up on an ongoing basis.

The other change to a bye law regulates the movement of underage players to neighbouring clubs or independent/group teams. Tullamore are at the hub of this motion but it will also affect many other clubs and players.

The changes stipulates that underage players in a parish must play with an underage team in that parish if one is fielded by any of the clubs there. There have been cases in the past where players in a club went different ways with some playing with an underage team in their own parish and others going to a neighbouring club. The motion was passed by an overwhelming majority despite objections from Ballycommon who proposed that the status quo be retained.

Ballycommon's objection showed what was at stake here. For years, underage hurlers from the four clubs in Daingean parish have received permission to play with Tullamore – Ballycommon, Cappincur, Daingean and Kilclonfert are all football only clubs at adult level.

Ballycommon had players who played U-13 and 15 hurling with Tullamore this year but Daingean have now fielded a team at U13 level. The motion means that U13 hurlers in the four clubs must now play with Daingean and can't play with Tullamore. This will also apply to higher grades if Daingean enter teams there.

Ballycommon's Frank O'Brien explained that two of their young players had permission to play with Tullamore and they wanted them to be allowed to continue there. “No disrespect to Daingean but they would be playing with a weaker group of players there,” he argued.

Secretary Colm Cummins noted that Daingean had decided to field an U-13 hurling team after introducing the game to players at a younger level initially. He praised Daingean for taking these steps to promote hurling and stated that they wanted it established in bye law that players must firstly play with a team in their own parish and can only move elsewhere if there is no team there at that age group.

They went further with an addition also passed ruling that if an U-13 player for example plays at that level in his parish, he cannot play on an U15 team in another parish if there is no team in that grade in his parish. U-13 players can play at U-15 level but this motion now means that one can't play U13 with Daingean and U15 with Tullamore in the same year – Daingean haven't fielded an U15 team yet and the motion means that an U13 player can only play at that grade there and not play U15 as well elsewhere.

Tullamore's Tom Moloney proposed an amendment to that. Stressing that it was not a “numbers issue” for them, he pointed out that it would affect young players from Ballycommon and Kilclonfert who have had permission to play with them. Frank O'Brien backed him but delegates rubber stamped the change, 42-27.

Another addition passed ruled that if five or more players from a club receive permission to play underage at a gradce with a club outside their parish, that club must field an independent team and use a name that doesn't incorporate any adult club in the county. Again using Ballycommon and Tullamore as an example, this means that if five players from Ballycommon got permission to play minor hurling with Tullamore, then Tullamore must field an independent team at that grade.

The other significant change also affects Tullamore in particular along with others. It gives the County Board leeway to refuse applications from a club for their players to play underage with one who has ample numbers to field teams on their own. The change allows the CCC to recommend that those players play with an alternative nearby club or independent team. Players from Daingean parish have hurled underage with Tullamore for several years and this motion gives the Competitions Control Committee the freedom to stop this and tell those players they must play with a smaller nearby club: for example, Na Fianna, Shamrocks etc. It could also affect young footballers from Shannonbridge who have received permission to play with Ferbane-Belmont for years and could now be told to go to St Manchan's Gaels, St Rynagh's or elsewhere.

The wording of the motion is looser and allows for flexibility but its intent is clear: that the lack of an underage team in one parish shouldn't be used to make a strong club with loads of numbers stronger. The flexibility is necessary as the smaller club such as Na Fianna, Shamrocks may not want players from another parish taking the place of their young players, and it will be very interesting to see what way this is enforced in the coming years.